See the Seeds of Greatness in Others

I believe that each person has seeds of greatness inside. I am most proud that we at the Self-Expression Center have been very successful at supporting people to develop their natural abilities to express and communicate in the world. What makes it all work is a clue I took from my spiritual mentor, William David. What William did was to see the good in me and in all others. I never once heard him say a bad word about anyone else. I aspire to be like them, even though I fail often.

When I was William’s student, we used to have songfests at his groups. He encouraged me to sing even though I was not very good. People even asked him, “Why do you let Sandra sing? She can’t sing.” He would say, “Just you wait. Sandra can sing!” One day after a painful breakup with a man I loved, I sang at a songfest. I was so heartbroken that I could not sing without tears rolling down my face. I sang as never before out of my deep feelings. The group rose to their feet, astonished and cheering at my singing. They all gathered around me and hugged me. I never would have been able to find that in myself if William had not encouraged me when I was not very good. I learned from William the power of seeing the potential in others. And I build that lesson into every class we teach at the Self-Expression Center.

Every single person has abilities and talents that are valuable. If you will acknowledge the good in others, you will free them to be all they can be. When people are acknowledged for who they are and for what they do well, their abilities are elevated. You can bring out the best in others by saying what you see in them that is good. All the time we are thinking good thoughts about others. Maybe it’s how smart someone is, how beautiful they look or how we admire their abilities. And then we fail to speak those thoughts to them. Make it a goal to speak words of support and acknowledgment. Every day make it a commitment to share something that you see that is good in someone else. Don’t miss the opportunity to sew a seed of support.

People are so used to criticism. They have become so addicted to criticism that they even believe they need it to grow. In our classes, we sometimes have actors and speakers who complain because we acknowledge their gifts and abilities rather than criticizing. Some people have become so accustomed to criticism that they often find it difficult or impossible to receive support and acknowledgment. They actually put up barriers to taking in love, acceptance and support. I am here to tell you that people do not grow through criticism. Criticism rips the strength out of people, so they sink into negativity. Criticism takes people down into what is wrong. It makes them focus on trying to be right instead of being real.

If you want to make a difference in the world, bring out the best in others through love rather than criticism. When you honor the potential in someone by seeing what they can be, they start to change. No one can stay the same under a barrage of loving acknowledgment. This is how we transform others, this is how we transform the world. So tell others the good you see in them. Sew a seed of support. They will respond by coming up to your vision for them. You will be people builder and world healer.