Just the other day, I reassured a friend that what she accomplishes on a daily basis is truly amazing. On an ordinary day, she knows this… but on this particular day, she had doubts — doubts enough to question her life’s work.
Something that should have been a great triumph for her gave way to self-doubt… all because she accomplished something her team members could not. Instead of congratulating her for pulling the team through a difficult situation, her teammates chose to criticize her. After all the time, effort, and dedication she put it for the team, they chose to criticize her. This hurt her deeply. Wouldn’t it hurt you?
As social beings, we are constantly looking for reassurance. We crave it when it is absent; we feel less than whole when it is missing; we doubt ourselves when it is withheld.
We look for reassurance from our employers, from our co-workers, from our families, from our friends, from our partners, and from ourselves.
Reassurance is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. Reassurance breeds acceptance, begets confidence, and spawns respect.
Reassurance is easy to give; it doesn’t cost anything; it is in abundant supply.
Yes, it is amazing how easy it is to reassure each other… and how distressing and depressing it is that so few do it.
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