Whenever I am walking about in my neighborhood, I find it nearly impossible to walk by an adorable baby without tickling her chin or a cute puppy without stroking his fur. As I lovingly stroke or pet the new object of my affection, my voice magically raises to a higher octave as I lavish the baby or puppy with adoration and praise for being so gosh darn cute. After the parent or owner allows me to indulge their baby or pet, without fail, the baby strolls away in a wash or giggles and smiles and the puppy wags his tail with even more gleeful delight. The more I reflected on this behavior, it made me think, “What if I treated every woman I knew just like a cute baby or a puppy?”
Think about it for a second. Many of us treat babies and puppies better than we treat each other. There are days when I can go throughout an entire day without saying a positive or complimentary word to another person. I will be sure to pick out a fellow diva’s flaw or mistake, but slow to give her a compliment or congratulate her on a job well done. As women of all sizes, we are taught to see each other as competition rather than as a companion or a teacher on our life’s journey. Wouldn’t it be a beautiful shift in our culture if we could all celebrate each other’s beauty and talents and not be afraid or threatened to give another woman a genuine compliment?
Granted, I would be a little freaked out if a fellow diva came up to me and started randomly stroking my hair or cooing to me in baby talk. But wouldn’t it be nice if every woman made it a goal to tell at least two other women each day how beautiful they look? Wouldn’t it be nice to hear, “Girl, you are wearing that outfit!” or “Girl, you did a great job on your presentation today!” instead of “Who does she think she is?” or “Girl, I can’t stand her!” We would all be a bunch of grinning fools if we could sincerely give and receive more of the heartfelt compliments and praise that we crave. (C’mon, it’s not just me. Some days we really NEED another diva to tell us we got it going on!)
I’m sure some of you are thinking that I live in a land of make believe and am ignorant to the fact that there women out there who may not be worthy of the attention that you would give to a crab, let alone a baby or a puppy. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of clawing and pinching from other women during my 30 years on the planet. Yet, some of the most difficult women that I have encountered have softened when I have given them even the smallest compliment. That’s not to say that I don’t have to dig WAY deep for a nice thing to say at times, but extending a genuine compliment sure does go a long way.
So, the next time you are strolling about and you see a cute baby or a puppy, just think “Did I take the time today to treat a fellow diva the way that I want to be treated?” or “Did I make the effort to give another woman a genuine compliment?” A baby or puppy probably won’t remember if you “Ooh” and “Aah” over them, but a heartfelt compliment will help a fellow diva stand taller, walk with more confidence, and believe in herself a little more.
If you haven’t heard a good word yet today, let me be the first to tell you, “Girl, you are more FABULOUS than words can say!”
Peace.
Think about it for a second. Many of us treat babies and puppies better than we treat each other. There are days when I can go throughout an entire day without saying a positive or complimentary word to another person. I will be sure to pick out a fellow diva’s flaw or mistake, but slow to give her a compliment or congratulate her on a job well done. As women of all sizes, we are taught to see each other as competition rather than as a companion or a teacher on our life’s journey. Wouldn’t it be a beautiful shift in our culture if we could all celebrate each other’s beauty and talents and not be afraid or threatened to give another woman a genuine compliment?
Granted, I would be a little freaked out if a fellow diva came up to me and started randomly stroking my hair or cooing to me in baby talk. But wouldn’t it be nice if every woman made it a goal to tell at least two other women each day how beautiful they look? Wouldn’t it be nice to hear, “Girl, you are wearing that outfit!” or “Girl, you did a great job on your presentation today!” instead of “Who does she think she is?” or “Girl, I can’t stand her!” We would all be a bunch of grinning fools if we could sincerely give and receive more of the heartfelt compliments and praise that we crave. (C’mon, it’s not just me. Some days we really NEED another diva to tell us we got it going on!)
I’m sure some of you are thinking that I live in a land of make believe and am ignorant to the fact that there women out there who may not be worthy of the attention that you would give to a crab, let alone a baby or a puppy. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of clawing and pinching from other women during my 30 years on the planet. Yet, some of the most difficult women that I have encountered have softened when I have given them even the smallest compliment. That’s not to say that I don’t have to dig WAY deep for a nice thing to say at times, but extending a genuine compliment sure does go a long way.
So, the next time you are strolling about and you see a cute baby or a puppy, just think “Did I take the time today to treat a fellow diva the way that I want to be treated?” or “Did I make the effort to give another woman a genuine compliment?” A baby or puppy probably won’t remember if you “Ooh” and “Aah” over them, but a heartfelt compliment will help a fellow diva stand taller, walk with more confidence, and believe in herself a little more.
If you haven’t heard a good word yet today, let me be the first to tell you, “Girl, you are more FABULOUS than words can say!”
Peace.
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