Judging Capability
My youngest two children are one grade apart and attended the same grammar school. Once when I was helping my son with his homework, his older sister approached us, looked at what he had trouble with and quickly told him "That's easy, I had that when I was in your grade." to which he sharply retorted "Shut up! You didn't think it was easy when you had to learning it!" I had to immediately redirect both children to keep a civil war from ensuing and finish up the night's homework.
Though my daughter made that statement to antagonize her brother - and it definitely worked she expressed her true opinion of her younger brother's capability. His quip forced a sensible logic into the situation that even I had not considered. Children sometimes make the most profound observations - even when we want to choke them (smile).
Today's Inspiration
Our first attempt at any new thing is usually a clumsy effort when compared to our ability after consistent practice. If we believe this to be true, then we have an opportunity to tread lightly or even completely move ourselves away from passing judgment as others walk a trail we’ve already blazed.
We may not judge with malicious intent but the impact of judgment still can be negative. To determine if this pertains to your interactions, one litmus test you may apply is to ask yourself “Have I ever responded to someone with statements like "oh, that's easy...” or "you can't do THAT?..." Such remarks (or similar) invalidate a person’s right to learn and could shame them into feeling inept.
Unintentionally, we could depict ourselves as self-righteous know-it-alls who think we're perfect when, in actuality, we wanted to help. We may offend people closest to us due to our ignorance of how such statements demean others. We could be considered unapproachable, put ourselves in unfavorable positions and even lose friends.
In spite of concerted effort, I still much have room to grow in this area of my life so today's inspiration serves as both reminder and encouragement. If you think you might be joining me on the offender's list, don't fret. Knowing is growing; for once we know better, we can show better. One daily inspiration at a time...
The Language of Emotional Intelligence: The Five Essential Tools for Building Powerful and Effective Relationships
Though my daughter made that statement to antagonize her brother - and it definitely worked she expressed her true opinion of her younger brother's capability. His quip forced a sensible logic into the situation that even I had not considered. Children sometimes make the most profound observations - even when we want to choke them (smile).
Today's Inspiration
Refrain from judging the capability of others; Proficiency is Relative to Experience
Our first attempt at any new thing is usually a clumsy effort when compared to our ability after consistent practice. If we believe this to be true, then we have an opportunity to tread lightly or even completely move ourselves away from passing judgment as others walk a trail we’ve already blazed.
We may not judge with malicious intent but the impact of judgment still can be negative. To determine if this pertains to your interactions, one litmus test you may apply is to ask yourself “Have I ever responded to someone with statements like "oh, that's easy...” or "you can't do THAT?..." Such remarks (or similar) invalidate a person’s right to learn and could shame them into feeling inept.
Unintentionally, we could depict ourselves as self-righteous know-it-alls who think we're perfect when, in actuality, we wanted to help. We may offend people closest to us due to our ignorance of how such statements demean others. We could be considered unapproachable, put ourselves in unfavorable positions and even lose friends.
In spite of concerted effort, I still much have room to grow in this area of my life so today's inspiration serves as both reminder and encouragement. If you think you might be joining me on the offender's list, don't fret. Knowing is growing; for once we know better, we can show better. One daily inspiration at a time...
The Language of Emotional Intelligence: The Five Essential Tools for Building Powerful and Effective Relationships
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