Good is Good

I have several draft posts that are just waiting for their big day to be completed and then published. Three of those drafts have the word "good" in the title. I decided to put them all together in one post and call it "Good is Good".  

Tell someone "You done good": I received a sweet little message from a former colleague of mine.  She wanted to share a compliment she had heard about my work when I was in my healing business. She finished her message by saying, "You done good".  Her words were so meaningful to me, and so was the fact that she took the time out of her life to share her friend's compliment of my work. I was reminded of how important it is that people share the good things being said about them. The world is full of so much criticism, sharing good comments is often not done. I sent a reply to my friend and told her that she had made my day and "She done good".

Anyone that has spent any amount of time at a job has a vast amount of knowledge, not only about the job but what works and what doesn't.  Sharing that knowledge is like mentorship and orientation to new employees all rolled up in one.  How the information is received is a whole other blog, another time.  My point is, sometimes the old ones do know what they are talking about and have good things to offer.  A couple of my pat lines I used to say to the students were: "you won't read this in a book" or "from my years of experience".  They were like sponges and gobbled it up.  Bless them for that, because not everyone appreciated my profound wisdom. 

I must share this story because for me it was a moment in time that stood still.  I can remember where I was sitting, how I felt, watching what was unfolding was like a dream.  I used to do peer compliments when I was working with students. It was one of my favorite things to do at the post conference.  At my retirement party, it was announced that we were going to do peer compliments. I was pumped to see who I was going to get to compliment.  I was already forming my words, there wasn't a woman in that room I wouldn't have been honored to speak about.  It soon became evident that my name was the only name being drawn from the cute little box. The group was all prepared with their compliments written out to add to the pretty little box.  Their words were thoughtful and beautiful. What moved me the most was how emotional my peers became as they read their words.  I just loved it; it was the perfect send-off for me. I have to admit I was surprised at what each of them had written.  At some point what I had done and said to them made a difference.  We all get so invested in our busy work life we forget to take the minute to just say "thanks you inspired me" or "that meant a lot to me". I wonder if the piece that is missing in a non-functional workforce is to support and encourage others.  

Focus on the good and the bad will go away: When I worked with students, I would try to put my focus on the good things they did, with the hopes that their weaker areas would get stronger. I have always felt that as you get stronger overall, you're not so strong areas will just naturally improve. It seems easy for us to pick up on the things not done well, and to speak about those things. Everyone needs to be aware of what they do, that is "good".  We all must be aware, that some people's good is nowhere near other people's good, but for them it is their good.  

Why save the good stuff for later: I recently watched the movie "Ticket to Paradis".  In that movie they kept making a reference to leaving the good until last. It was a message that I believe was meant to make us all think.  We all have thoughts about what we plan to do with our lives.  You know good things, but we are all so busy with the necessary things or the things that have gone bad and need to be fixed or simply not getting around to it. We are so busy with the present we are without knowing saving the good stuff for later?  

I hope that "good is good" for you.  It is impossible to be good at everything.  Knowing what you are good at and sharing that with others is far more important than you realize. It is also important to encourage others to share their good with you.  Small gestures, encouragement and caring will little by little change someone's life and your own, all for the good.  Really give it some thought "why save the good stuff for later?"