Synaptic Snaps, Crackles & Pops

Not bad, although... [30 DBC entry]

30DBC November 7 Prompt: Today's prompt is taken from a book I own. "Great Quotes From Great Leaders", published by Motorola, my employer. This one is from Norman Vincent Peale. "The trouble with most of us, is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism." Do you feel this is a valid statement? Tell us why you feel the way you do.


I'm not too sure about the whole 'trouble' and 'ruined vs saved' bits, but I tend to agree with the basic premise. Even if someone grew up hearing essentially nothing but criticism—even if it was almost entirely of the constructive variety—I can't help but think that they wouldn't mind a bit of praise now and again.

Getting a little praise for a task done well provides positive reinforcement, let's you know that something was completed correctly. If it's a task that comes up on a recurring basis, knowing you did it well the last time can help you do just as well the next time, but possibly a little faster and not just from a "practice makes perfect" standpoint. If the task has multiple decision-points, knowing you've already made the right choices can help you be more productive by cutting out the time you previously used to consider the various potential outcomes.