Lavish in praise
I make it a point to reinforce others by highlighting the good things about them. In doing so, I hope to make their days a little brighter and bring out the best in them. But, as usual, there exists a gap between idealism and practical reality. I am a man of few words, which usually means I can stay out of trouble, but I've found that more words are usually better when giving quality encouragement. For example, I could say, "I like your painting." What actually goes through my head when I'm thinking that up is, "I like your use of high contrast. I know you went out of your comfort zone here since low contrast colors are your usual fare, and this turned out well. I noticed the attention to detail you put in the left section where the fence is. How did you manage to pull off those shadows?" But I somehow can't put it into words quickly enough. Or, I could tell someone, "You don't have to worry. You have what it takes to succeed." If my buddy ...