Tag Archives: praise

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Watering Flowers

“There is no effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness bestowed by a small compliment.”  ~Robert Brault

Watering Flowers

There was a flower named Woman
Who, much like other flowers
Needed watering to bloom
But the name of these showers

Were “compliment” and “gratitude”
“Acknowledgement” and “praise”
These simple words of kindness made
This flower’s petals raise

Unfortunate to say the least
That there were very few
Who made the effort to water
These flowers so they grew

The thought was silly to most men
Who felt abashed to say
Anything that would help these
Flowers bloom all the way

Or if they didn’t think it silly
Then they were afraid
That despite good intentions, the
Flower would be dismayed

Harassment, innuendo, or
Some other type of tease
Said only to get something
So they themselves could please

One truth about the world is that
There are so few who speak
Words that are not intended
To be a harsh critique

There are so few who compliment
That any flattery
Will almost always be taken
With elation and glee

“You look nice today,” “I love
What you’ve done with your hair”
“You have a lovely smile,” few men
Ever seem to dare

“You’re beautiful,” “You’re gorgeous,”
“You are stunning,” “You’re so cute”
Every man can say these things
But most of them are mute

But pay attention if you have
The guts to say these things
You men, look closely, see what kind of
Radiance it brings

To Woman’s face when she’s watered
With this kind of affection
The pure smile, the joyful eyes
And rosy, warm complexion

So speak up, men, be Warriors
Not just with swords and spears
But with your words which can be liquid
Life to Woman’s ears

                                                 ~for Luana

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Attaboy

Attaboy

A man with confidence needs not
A big pat on the back
A lady who’s sure of herself
Does not need a gold plaque

A person who has certainty
Has no craving for praise
“Attboys” and “attagirls”
Just make the Ego raise

Be polite and thank them for
The gesture of acclaim
But be on guard to not be too
Affected by the fame

If you do fully ignore
The critics and their hate
You must also not cling to words
Of how they think you’re great

A nod, a smile, a “thank you” and
Continue on your road
Let it go, the insults and
The compliments bestowed

Because there are those who became
Too dependent on esteem
And found themselves depressed when the
Praisers ran out of steam

I guarantee you it won’t last
So learn to live without
Self-respect’s the most important
Praise with the most clout

It is not pride or ego but
A true self-confidence
That doesn’t wait for kudos so that
Their joy will commence

                                    ~Miro

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Watering Flowers

“There is no effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness bestowed by a small compliment.”  ~Robert Brault

Watering Flowers

There was a flower named Woman
Who, much like other flowers
Needed watering to bloom
But the name of these showers

Were “compliment” and “gratitude”
“Acknowledgement” and “praise”
These simple words of kindness made
This flower’s petals raise

Unfortunate to say the least
That there were very few
Who made the effort to water
These flowers so they grew

The thought was silly to most men
Who felt abashed to say
Anything that would help these
Flowers bloom all the way

Or if they didn’t think it silly
Then they were afraid
That despite good intentions, the
Flower would be dismayed

Harassment, innuendo, or
Some other type of tease
Said only to get something
So they themselves could please

One truth about the world is that
There are so few who speak
Words that are not intended
To be a harsh critique

There are so few who compliment
That any flattery
Will almost always be taken
With elation and glee

“You look nice today,” “I love
What you’ve done with your hair”
“You have a lovely smile,” few men
Ever seem to dare

“You’re beautiful,” “You’re gorgeous,”
“You are stunning,” “You’re so cute”
Every man can say these things
But most of them are mute

But pay attention if you have
The guts to say these things
You men, look closely, see what kind of
Radiance it brings

To Woman’s face when she’s watered
With this kind of affection
The pure smile, the joyful eyes
And rosy, warm complexion

So speak up, men, be Warriors
Not just with swords and spears
But with your words which can be liquid
Life to Woman’s ears

                                                 ~for Luana

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Starving for Attention

“There is nothing so pathetic as a bore who claims attention – and gets it.” ~Author Unknown


Starving for Attention

There are some people out there who
Are starving for attention
They live for other people giving
Them the slightest mention

They let on like they care about
The things you have to say
But watch their egos flare up when
You don’t give time of day

The ego doesn’t like to give
Benefit of the doubt
Their selfish little minds begin
To whine and cry and pout

They start to make assumptions like
“You’re scared of what I said!
I must have made you upset so
Now that is why you’ve fled!”

It is the same song sung by those
Who are so malnourished
For praise, approval, respect and
Other selfish things wished

I’ve been called angry by those who
Have missed 200 writes
Filled with messages of peace
And strength, avoiding fights

Poems that proclaim there is
No use in arguing
Ballads that say “Walk on” when
Their ego feels the sting

The ones who starve for attention
Are quite easy to spot
They are not understanding when
They don’t get what they’ve sought

They make assumptions, grasp at straws
And start to act really pissy
To them your silence is an act
Of a cowardly sissy

The warrior is not rattled
And does not dignify
They do not lower themselves ‘cause
The road they take is high

Words like “scared” and “upset” will
Just roll off of their backs
The warrior has peace of mind
Because they know the facts

And ignorant assumptions by
The starving don’t mean squat
To those who crave it so badly
They will remain distraught

Because there never will be enough
Attention to please
The more they get, the more they want
The more it won’t appease

I have no qualms with starving them
My attention is saved
For selfless, loving people who
To ego aren’t enslaved

                                     ~Miro

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The 1-in-100 Warrior Award

“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” ~Heraclitus

I’ve been thinking about creating my own award for a while now, but finally put thought into action when I was recently given an award that came along with several conditions. While I’m honored, humbled and grateful to the nominator, and always enjoy the opportunity to give shout outs to other talented writers, I’m disappointed to see that the originator of the award is using it merely for self promotion. This award I’m creating has no URLs attached on the award image, no copyright warnings, and no requirement for future recipients to remind all of where it came from. Like the awards listed in my sidebar, It is meant to go forward and honor new people, not come back to the originator.

So for those unfamiliar with my writings, you may be wondering what exactly a warrior is. Someone who wears a suit of armor and swings a sword around? A participant in a war? Nothing more than a soldier?

If these are the thoughts that spring to mind, think deeper.

A warrior is more than weapons and armor. It is a way of life. It is the belief that the greatest purpose in life is service to others. It is grace amid frustration, peace amid turmoil, and strength amid weakness and misery. We most often use this word to describe the brave men and women who risk their lives in the military and law enforcement to ensure our freedom and safety, but warriors are actually all around us. They’re in factories. They’re in offices. They’re in schools. They’re in hospitals, both as doctors and nurses, and as patients.

Courage. Honesty. Fearlessness. Grace. Peace. Service to others. No complaints. Nothing thought of as a blessing or a curse; everything simply accepted as another challenge to be conquered.

They’re not perfect, and don’t try to be, because they know such aspirations are futile. But they do the absolute best they can with what they’ve been given. Warriors no longer have potential. They are potent! They understand that knowledge is knowing, but wisdom is doing. And they are a very rare breed: as Heraclitus once said, only one out of every one hundred is a true warrior. This award is named in honor of those words and that truth. The symbol of the sword is used to represent their courage and strength, and the symbol of the feather quill pen represents their grace, beauty and creativity.

Guidelines for the 1-in-100 Warrior Award: Warriors are not motivated by awards or fame. They see awards not as an opportunity for the ego to rejoice, but rather an opportunity to honor other warrior brothers and sisters. To acknowledge and honor the rarity of the warrior, it is recommended that the recipient passes this award on to only *one* other blogger that they feel goes above and beyond to serve and inspire others, and who maintains their grace and positivity even in the face of difficult challenges, such as health issues, tragedy, injustice or loss.

Once an author is given the award, they may continue nominating one new blog author once a week, month, year… or whatever seems appropriate. It’s like a knight’s ability to bestow knighthood onto another whenever they choose. But only one at a time. The patience of a warrior is required. ;)

My nomination for the first 1-in-100 Warrior Award is a person who has inspired me greatly because of the grace she has chosen to display in the face of struggles and challenges she has endured and conquered. And make no mistake about it, grace is always a choice, not a reaction. The greater the challenge, the greater the courage required to make that choice. Suneetra is courage personified. She has chosen to not only survive her hardships, but thrive. She’s 1-in-100, and we are lucky to have her: http://sacrilegeofthegoddess.wordpress.com/

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The First Accolade

The First Accolade

The accolade which you should be
Extremely cautious of
Is the first one that you get
When they all show their love

It feels good to get acclaim
To hear all of their praise
But warning flags should go up and
One of your eyebrows raise

How many times has praise poured in
And then next day or two
No one seems to be talking
About little old you?

How many times have we seen folks
Let themselves get too high
Only to come crashing down
When the kudos run dry?

And how often have we let that
Happen to us as well?
Seems so quiet, doesn’t it
When no one’s there to swell

Our ego or our pride with praise
And applause and esteem
Makes us feel like it was all
A momentary dream

Whenever I hear someone say
“I’m so depressed because
I had a blast but now it’s done
I miss all of their buzz”

I say to them, “That’s ‘cause you’re hooked
Just like on drugs or booze
You didn’t think responsibly
And now you’ve got the blues

You let that first accolade sink
Too deep within your mind
Took it far too much to heart
And let it leave you blind

To your own humility
Reserve and resignation
Wanting more and more and more
Addicted to ovation

And now that there’s no more to hear
No more pats on the back
You talk about how down you are
And mope like a sad sack”

No, I don’t pull my punches
This warrior shoots straight
With whoever doesn’t have
The gracious, thankful trait

To be appreciative of all
The love and support shown
To just forget it all and dwell
Kvetch and bitch and moan

About how down and sad they are
Because there’s no one still
To kiss their ass and stroke their pride
And make their ego fill

If you’re the type who smokes a cig
Finishes and then
Immediately grabs another
And smokes once again

If you’re the type who eats a cookie
Then grabs another one
Scarfs it down and then repeats
Until the box is done

If you’re the type who plays a level
In a video game
And then another, and another
Until your thumbs are lame

If you’re the type who takes a drink
Then has another shot
And keeps going until you puke
And stomach starts to rot

If you’re the type of person who
Receives an accolade
And instead of being humble
Letting it just fade

If you feel the need for more
If more praise makes you swell
You haven’t thought about what the
Next day will soon foretell

‘Cause accolades are not like smokes
Or cookies or a game
There’s no way to go on a binge
Of awards and acclaim

You will end up like those I’ve mentioned
Junkies in withdrawal
Who gobbled up those accolades
And then were left to bawl

“You’re too kind” is a good way
To respond to first praise
“It was nothing” and “Aw, shucks”
Are other humble ways

“Nice of you to say that,” is
A great way to return
The compliment to who it’s from
And shield you from the burn

Just be humble with that first
Accolade that you get
The less you care about rewards
The less that you will fret

And feel depressed when next day comes
And no one’s there to clap
Don’t let that first accolade
Be your ungrateful trap

                              Miro

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Compliment

Compliment

I’d like to talk a bit about
The compliment today
The act of praise or admiration
To others we display

Specifically I’d like to delve
Into tepid acclaim
The kind of kudo that comes off
As shallow or just lame

I’ve never been one to hold back
When something grabs my eye
If something is phenomenal
I won’t try to deny

That the one who fashioned it
Does have a lot of talent
I’m not shy about giving praise
In fact I am quite gallant

The reason for my willingness
To compliment with vigor
Is because I’ve noticed most
Applause could be quite bigger

I’ve seen great things called “Pretty good”
And awesome called okay
I’ve seen creatives pour their heart
While no one gave a hay

I’ve seen musicians play with passion
In front of a small crowd
Who ignore the talent by
Conversing very loud

Clap whenever the musician
Finishes their tune
Then go back to yammering
While singer tries to croon

I’ve seen directors make their films
With message and with heart
Only to have know-it-alls
Go tear the flick apart

Miss the sweat and tears and blood
That went into the tale
And only nitpick over where
The lights and sound did fail

I’ve seen artists design an opus
With pastel and paint
Only to have people glance
And quickly and say, “How quaint”

I don’t make creative works
For something in return
Compliments are no longer
A thing for which I yearn

I think it’s because most of them
Just fell too short for me
One too many people who
Chose to subdue their glee

But for those who haven’t yet
Starved from the lack of zeal
I think it’s important to let
Them know just how we feel

So next time you think “Pretty good”
Please ask yourself one thing
Are you holding back because
Your ego just might sting?

Is it hard for you to grant
That someone else is great?
Does complimenting other folks
Make your own pride deflate?

Or maybe it’s a sign that you
Simply don’t give a care
“Not bad” is a great way to
Make everyone aware

That you have not taken the time
To hear the message sent
So take a moment and convey
Through hearty compliment

                                 ~Miro