This is something that had come up yesterday in a small but meaningful conversation with akanksha (aj.ac on the comments, nemesis on the posts). It was mostly an offhand remark which did get me thinking to a certain level.

It struck me as to how powerful the abiility of an appreciative word is. If someone appreciates what you do, and encourages you to continue doing it, or go higher if possible ... there are literally no limits defined to which you might be willing to streth yourself, if only to reach their expectations. But then again, this holds true only if the person encouraging you means something to you. Ofcourse, someone off the street who shows belief in you, will immediately become that much closer to your heart, and a part of your mind which you'll remember for a while. The best way to befriend someone is to appreciate them. Its the only weakness that every human being on the face of the earth has. Some know how to handle it, but some fall victim to it.

Appreciate what people around you do for you, for there are people who have lived all their life without getting even 10% of the encouragement that they deserved, but they still have survived and led happy lives. You are lucky to have people around you who can see the result of your efforts before you do yourself, and push you to reach there faster. And after all, you aren't supposed to make efforts because of the results ... you make efforts for your own satisfaction. But that is a different story and post altogether! :D

The human mind thrives on support. Even one person supporting you gives you the amount of security you might need to work harder. Your motivation factors get divided amongst the thought of the final result, the expectations and belief put in your by the person, and the confidence in your actions that you hold for yourself. Suddenly, instead of just you believing in yourself, you have a few other people believing in you. Since man, as they say, is a social animal ... the knowledge that they alone don't think a certain way, and there are people around them who think the same way, and are willing to invest time and patience in them, is enough for most people to be pushed into putting extra bit of work. It might be your supportive boss, or your parents, or even your friends. It could be anyone at all ... because at the end of the day, the pat on the back is just a sign of reassurance that there is someone there who knows you are capable of big things.

Filed Under: psychology, people