The Motivating Power of Words

Today, when I was about 8 miles into a 10 mile trail run, several mountain-bikers zoomed by. One anonymous rider yelled out, "Iron Woman!"

Just two words, but I gotta say, I ran on air for the rest of the run. I'm 56 years old. What can I say, those two words filled me with drive and pride. My arms began to pump a bit harder, and I know I was taller when I rounded the next bend. I spent the miles after that, contemplating the power of words. Of course, their power is partially dependent on the speaker.

Several days a week, I take my bichon, Bailey for a run. He absolutely loves it, and I just cherish him. Sometimes, I'll say, "Good boy! Bailey's a good boy!" I say that to him a lot. I guess it's the same thing as saying, "I love you, Bailey."

Anyway, it amazes me that every time I say it, he charges ahead, not sometimes, every time. It's as if I swatted him on the behind, which, of course, I would never do. But it obviously causes him run harder and faster as if supercharged.

I love it; it is clearly a physical manifestation of the mental impact of my praise. Makes me think about people. Every parent, teacher, and coach would do well to remember the power of words to inspire, encourage, and motivate. And just as important, the power of words to disappoint, deflate, and discourage.

When the speaker is an authority figure, the power must be magnified. How often has a teacher said, "Nice work!" "You are so smart!" "That is so creative"? I'm sure such praise actually makes good things happen.

And when that authority figure is admired and respected by the person receiving the encouragement, the power is exponentially multiplied.

Dogs thrive on praise and so do people. Praise a dog and it wags its tail. That reinforces the actions of the praise-giver. We like dogs, and we especially like happy dogs. I wish it was as easy to recognize the effect of praise on people.

I have a friend whose 1st grade teacher told her she was dumb. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. Her parents didn't discover this until years later when they finally took her to a psychologist to try to ascertain why she just would not work up to her potential. Turned out, she was convinced she had no ability because she was dumb. After all, the teacher said so.

Words are so powerful. They change lives, for sure.

I'm not promoting empty complements; people always see through that, even children, and as a result, they are counterproductive and undermine the student's respect for the teacher, the child's respect for the parent, the friend's respect for friend. You get the idea.

No, what I mean is that it is just so important for teachers, parents, friends and coaches to recognize opportunities for genuine praise and be sure to offer it. This applies to everyone; my experience today is proof of that. I was completely aware of the effect of those two words, but that in no way diminished my pleasure at hearing them.

The message here is that we should all strive to recognize the efforts of others. One thing we should always do for our fellow runners is to verbally recognize their efforts. It's just one of the many benefits of the camaraderie of others. Most people remember to congratulate their friends after a good race, but let's not forget that it's the training that begets those good races, and it's not really the race, but the overall effort that matters anyway.

Make the most of the motivating power of words. Congratulate your fellow runners for being out there on the road or trail instead of inside on a couch with a remote control in one hand and a bag of chips in the other.

Comments

[Air Jordan]

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