Make Me Feel Important!!!

For this journal, I really want to write about one intriguing characteristic of human psychology which I believe most of us shares. This idea just popped in my mind when my teacher said something unexpectedly to me. It was one time when my teacher praising me that my journal writings were rather interesting to read in front of his students. I could not believe myself that just only these few words can truly give a big smile on my face (I was trying to be humble by not smiling and showing that I am proud, although I was really happy and proud at his words). These few words could effectively instill a sense of accomplishment and pride inside of me, pushing me to continue to put further effort on what I am doing. Admittedly, I totally want to hear these kinds of words again. Am I big-headed and too proud of myself? No, I am. Believe me most of us would feel the same way as I do. In so many ways, human beings have many things in common. One of which is the tendency to hear people saying something good to you or about you. It is just natural that these kinds of words are really pleasant to listen to and we love to hear it.

I strongly believe that most of us held an “invisible sign” over our heads that say “Make Me Feel Important!” We, human being, do not like to listen to criticism or any negative comments. This philosophy can also be applied to my case. I do not want my teacher to criticize at all at my journals, because I do not want to feel embarrassed. More often than not, these good words or praise can boost people’s morale, confidence, motivation and spirit to achieve more great matters.

Moreover, I really encourage you to try to say something good to your friends, colleagues or family, because firstly it can make them feel pleased and secondly he/she will have a positive feeling toward you and more importantly like to talk to you. For example, “Hey Bopha. You look really nice with your new outfit today.” or “Did you lose some weight? You seem to look prettier.” Again, this is human being. We utterly love to hear these kinds of words and nobody can deny that. Imagine if you meet a person and tell him that he/she looks fatter and older than before, he/she would secretly dislike inside her mind (although she tries to smile and laugh at you, pretending that it is funny). These good words are also useful for persuasion. Say, you want to ask your classmate to solve an exercise for you. If you directly ask him for help, he might feel hesitated. How about telling him/her that you have heard that he/she is talented in solving difficult exercises, would it not make him/her happy and willing to help you?

Remember the “Make Me Feel Important” sign on every person’s head. What you say to another person COUNTS!!!