Life and all that it gives to us always has been and will continue to be full of headaches, heartaches, and a myriad of other pains and hard knocks. It is just the way it is here on this side of eternity. As life for most of us goes, “things,” “obstacles,” and “irritants” fairly regularly come flying into our daily routines and interrupt, discombobulate, and sometimes destroy the efforts we are putting forth towards reaching our dreams and goals. The problems or challenges that travel in tandem with these interruptions can easily overwhelm folks,…particularly those people who do not have much personal spiritual faith in God and/or in themselves.
Men for the most part, and even some women, are really big show offs aren’t they? They just seem to crave attention, recognition, and lots and lots of praise for whatever they are attempting to do. I have found this to be true more often than not. For the really good performers, the highly productive few, they seem to perform better when the praise and encouragement from others is the greatest in quantity, frequency, and intensity.
The praise and recognition from those people whom the performer loves the most, the people who are closest to the performer, particularly his own family, always seems to have the greatest positive effect on the performer’s actions and efforts. This truth and its effect are not unusual. The effect of praise upon others, particularly family members, has long been studied and proven that men in particular react much more positively and strongly to love, encouragement, and praise given to them from those they love and respect the most.
Many years ago a study was made among the wives of the professional football players of the Miami Dolphins football team. The results prove the point I am making. In one close game, in particular, quarterback Bob Griese made a long, deep, forward pass to his best wide receiver, Paul Warfield, who caught it and ran thirty more yards through several defensive backs to cross the goal line and score the game winning touchdown! Warfield circled the end zone in a show of bravado and strength and finally spiked the football into the ground in true NFL fashion. As he ran along the sidelines, 60,000 plus screaming fans were on their feet, but Warfield’s eyes were all the while searching the stands for the face of his beloved wife. When their eyes finally met, Paul Warfield waved energetically at her, and then gave her his best, shiny, ear-to-ear facial grin. She saluted him back with “That’s my man!” and her own version of an ear-to-ear grin. With the overt approval of some 60,000 fans and millions more watching on television, only one person’s approval really mattered,…that of his own wife. That is the real power that a wife always has at her disposal whenever she so desires to use it.
Personal praise and approval can and will inspire men to move mountains for those of his own family, and others he greatly loves.
Always remember this Truth of Life:
The affirming, encouraging mate has the power to make, even the most ordinary spouse, into a complete champion!
I know in my own personal case after I delivered a speech or a teaching talk, I was always most appreciative of the kind words and recognition from the audience to whom I was speaking, but, the approval I needed most was that from my bride, Jany. The other recognition and praise was great, but Jan’s approval was what was really valuable to me personally. Praise and recognition from the one you really love will definitely enhance the performance of any individual, be they male or female.
Now I will tell you that the sad fact is, many men seem to forget that women benefit from praise and recognition as much as men do—especially when the accolades come from their mate. Just like men, women feel fulfilled and completely loved when the are affirmed by their spouse. Strangely enough, this truth and fact is often overlooked by many not-so-smart husbands.
Permit me to ask an all important question directly to you and your present situation. How important is your mate to your personal success?
You see, when there exists a great marriage, a great and godly marriage covenant between a man and a woman, the “two really do become one.” Each one supports, fulfills, and completes the other. What one does or fails to do is the same as if the other one did or failed to do the self same thing at the identical time. Words like “You can do it, Honey,” or “that was just perfect what you said and how you said it!” or “you, my love, are incredible!” or “ that my dear was wonderful,” or “tomorrow will be better, because I truly do love you.”
May I say to you one of the most powerful things a spouse can do is to praise and encourage their own mate so often and so much that they full well know that they have a full time cheerleader (spouse) cheering them on each and every day and praying for them each and every night.
Now that is precisely the way God intended man and woman to live together so as to be able to complete and fulfill each other. It is so easy to do. Just become the best person you are capable of becoming. Be positive. Have an upbeat view about everything in life. Walk in total faith relying on the Promises of God to get you through each day. Don’t worry so much. Put an ear-to-ear grin on your face and keep it there. Initiate interpersonal conversations and interpersonal relationships. Be happy. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have so much goodness to look forward to!
Ladies, you will completely change, in a most positive way, your husband’s outlook, demeanor, and performance if you will but show him by your words and actions that you support him in every way each and every day!
Gentlemen, you will completely change, for the better, your wife’s personal marital relationship with you if you will encourage and support her in everything she is doing and become her number one cheerleader and booster in all of her efforts.
When husband and wife believe in each other and their individual efforts; when they encourage and support each other everyday; the positive impact on their marriage will be enormous.
Remember, God Almighty designed married men and women to function and perform as a team, and a team always does so much better than two separate individuals.
Overwhelming evidence exists today that proves, without question, that a good, solid, and lasting marriage gives the involved individuals of the marriage a much greater chance of becoming and maintaining highly successful individual careers, business’s, and/or personal lives. Of course, this statement does not in any way imply that those who are not in stable marriages cannot achieve these type objectives. The compiled evidence is clear. A good, solid, positive, and growing marriage is truly a marvelous base on which to build a more successful personal life and business career.
There is an old saying that goes like this:
“If you truly have decided that you are going to succeed, that you are willing to pay the full price required to succeed, and that you are going to fully commit to staying steady at doing whatever it takes to accomplish your chosen success, then all that remains for you to do is to find out what successful people do, and then you do it for yourself!”
Years ago a large study was done so as to isolate the character traits of highly successful people. 1,138 CEO’s with an average annual income of $356,000 all possessed and displayed certain common personal traits and characteristics. Once these personal traits were identified, they were published for the understanding and benefit of those other people who desired to accomplish such high levels of achievement. Allow me to present to you the results of this study.
The Five Personal Characteristics of Highly Successful People:
1. Loyalty to their spouse. Most had been married for over twenty- five years, and many were still married to their high school or college sweetheart.
2. A Commitment to their family. Eighty percent of these people had
two, three, four, or more children and ninety percent of them claimed
their families to be their first priority.
3. A religious affiliation. A majority of the thousands of participants
regularly attended their church or synagogue.
4. A balanced life-style. Ninety percent exercised regularly, didn’t
smoke or use tobacco, enjoyed a reasonable amount of leisure time,
and always got an adequate amount of sleep. Most interestingly, their
work-week fits comfortably into a fifty to fifty-five hour category—long
hours, but by no means workaholic hours.
5. A true love for other people. This concern begins at home with their
spouse and children. The majority of the truly effective and successful
executives spend any and all free time with their families.
The biggest take-away from this study of highly successful people is rather obvious. If people can and will establish a loving and compatible relationship in their homes, they will always have a better chance of establishing winning relationships with those with whom they work on a regular basis.
Fact: You simply cannot separate your personal, family, and
business lives. You might not discuss your personal and
family problems on the job, but you will always take those
problems with you wherever you go, and those problems do
indeed affect your personal performance.
The Newspaper, USA Today, did a study of the power of marriage in the performance of work responsibilities in January, 1990. The findings were as follows: “Marital problems, including divorce have a bigger impact on productivity than alcohol or drug abuse. 42% of those surveyed called the impact of marital problems “very negative.” 27% feel that way about alcohol abuse, and 22% about drug abuse. Today, some 27 years later, I am sure the percentages have greatly increased. Bad problems left unresolved, always get worse.
I hope and pray that you can now clearly see how life’s blessings and benefits continue to increase and flow back into the lives of those people who are happily married and love their spouse, who are blessed with several children, who truly love other people, and who keep the negative influences of our fleshly society out of their lives.
A stable family environment is indeed a marvelous place for a successful career to begin. A beautiful and loving relationship with your mate will enhance your personal creativity, capacity, and ability as well as will you upgrading your standard of living. Doing these things will definitely and, for sure, greatly improve your quality of life.
Your future has never looked brighter.
Have a Great Forever……………………….