Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:58 — 6.1MB) | Embed
Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I purchased my first trade show booth space last week, and I believe if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share lesson I’ve learned about the power of compliments.
Today’s Fun Fact of the Day: Today is Say Something Nice Day! Say Something Nice Day began in Charleston, South Carolina, when the Mayors of North Charleston and Charleston came together with members of the Charleston-Atlantic Presbytery and the South Carolina Baptist Convention to create a day to be kind to the special people in our lives, like our children. It’s also a day to remember and celebrate people, who provide us with a variety of services, such as bus drivers, healthcare workers and teachers. And, it’s a great opportunity to apologize to people that we might have wronged or hurt through our behaviour. The aim of this special day is to fight against unkindness, bullying and the lack of politeness that dominates society today. The creators hope that this one day of pleasantness will grow, until people are nice to each other everyday. (Source: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/say-something-nice-day/)
Here’s What I leaned yesterday.
Have I told you lately that I love what I do? I’ve had the great fortune of spending most of my working days doing work that I enjoy. My previous career in the corporate world was mostly good. In fact, it was mostly great. The last few years were challenging for sure, but I’m not complaining. It was a good company to work for and most of the people were great. Most of the customers were great. The pay was very good. I loved the mission and purpose of the company. It was a great part of my life.
I tell you all of that just so that what I say next will have more meaning.
The work I’m doing now is the most enjoyable and rewarding work I have ever done. I love it. I love the people I get to work with. I love the difference I get to make in their lives. I love the difference their podcasts get to make in the lives of their audience.
One of my clients is Dr. Linda Tucker. Her podcast, Challenge Your Thinking, is really great. She interviews people who have faced incredibly difficult challenges, and talks with them about how they faced and then overcame those obstacles. She’s spoken with people who came from abusive homes, faced sexual discrimination, suffered from PTSD, grappled with immense stage fright, and many, many more.
Linda’s podcast is especially fun for me because it involves more creative thinking than most of the other projects I get to work on. Part of that creative process is coming up with unique music for each episode that fits the theme and story of the episode. Sometimes Linda has something in mind, and sometimes she leaves it up to me.
A couple of weeks ago I finished the first proof of her episode and, I have to admit, I loved it. I felt like the music I had chosen was perfect and it was one of the strongest episodes she’d ever had. However, my opinion does not always match hers. For example, I’ve learned the hard way, that Linda does not like funk as much as I do.
I sent Linda a link to review the episode and she emailed me back a short time later. This is what she said, “I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! Love the outro song and loved all else. I was throwing my hand up at the end and rocking along. Thank you, Darrell. You are my perfect match for this work. I am so grateful to have found you! We are a divine match.”
When I read her words my face lit up. A huge smile stretched across my face. I felt like I could conquer the world.
I’m also working with Martin Tokar. Martin’s podcast hasn’t launched yet so I won’t tell you the title of it just yet. We’ve been working on his first 3 episodes and I helped him create an intro for his podcast. Once I had the intro done, I sent him a link to review it. He replied with this, “Wow, you are a genius, Darrell. I love the mix and intro. I’m just listening to your “voice mastering” work. It is absolutely amazing. Thank you so much – super impressive! With your help – I can succeed. This is amazing Darrell.”
How do you think I responded to this email? When I read his words my face lit up. A huge smile stretched across my face. I felt like I could conquer the world.
Here’s what I learned.
Mark Twain once said, “I can last two months on a good compliment.”
There’s a lot more to this quote the more I think about it. When I first heard it I thought about how powerful it is when we receive a compliment. The words of a compliment enter our brain and do something magical. They invigorate us, bring us joy, give us strength, erase our worries, and bolster our confidence. So when we receive a compliment they are like nourishment to us.
As I thought about the quote a bit longer, I noticed something else: The effects of the compliment don’t last forever.
He says that a good compliment will last him 2 months. Just like any other form of nourishment, the effects of a single compliment will not sustain us forever. Eventually it will wear off, the effects of this world will seep in, and our tank will start to run dry.
So what did I learn? Well, I was reminded that a compliment said once is not a compliment that never needs to be said again. In fact, a compliment said once is a compliment that needs to be said often.
Which is worse: giving compliments too often, or giving them too seldom? Which is a more dangerous risk: having someone take your compliments for granted and have them lose meaning, or having someone feel unappreciated, deflated, and unvalued?
Every single one of us is surrounded by a whole host of people who add value to our lives and the lives of others around us. Don’t pass up a chance to let them know you noticed. Don’t pass up a chance to let them know you appreciate them. Don’t pass up the chance to tell them they’re doing a good job. Don’t pass up the chance to make someone’s world a better place.
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.
Send in your contributions for this week’s Friday Forum. Head on over to https://www.goldenspiralmedia.com/feedback and use the form on that page to submit your written or audio message. You can also use the Speakpipe widget to record something using your devices microphone. And of course you can call our voice feedback line at 304-837-2278. We’d love to hear from you.
Join our Facebook Group at Facebook.com/groups/stuffilearnedyesterday.
You can Follow Golden Spiral Media on Twitter at GSMPodcasts and Facebook.com/GoldenSpiralMedia. If you’ve enjoyed this episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, I would be grateful if you’d leave a review in iTunes.
[sc:stuff]