Pep talks, constructive conversations for love life, family, and all other relationships in your life
KIND WORDS DO WORK
When you or someone close to you is feeling low, a few constructive words of encouragement and care can make a world of difference. Next time you see someone in distress, pick your moment and pluck up the courage to have a sensitive and caring chat.
These small, constructive talks will “nip a lot of problems in the bud” and will clear the way. Never let little problems fester until they have become big problems. The same of course applies to professional relationships with clients, employers, and fellow work colleagues.
ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTIONS
One example is Climate Change. (Almost) nobody would deny that our planet is in dire straits. We are currently on target for a 2.7-degree rise. To put this into context. A 1.5-degree rise will destroy a vast amount of coral reef, melts ice caps, and makes erratic climate behaviors (floods, hurricanes, wildfires) much more common.
So what has this got to do with pep talks? Talking about a subject, positively nudging people, bringing it up in casual conversation,” I decided to do XYZ to change, have you thought about it,” These casual chats can have big impacts. Most people are just not interested or are too busy to find out. But when your best friend is interested and does something about it, that usually has an impact.
TALKING TO TEENAGERS
This is where this topic is really helpful. It is hard to make them listen, especially when it is top-down good advice. Teenagers always feel attacked and belittled. This is totally normal!
The best advice I have been given is to treat them not as your children but as grown-ups. I am talking about teenagers, not little children. Give them choices and it is okay to offer advice ‘ if I was in your situation I would choose x. But you are now old enough to choose and it is up to you!’ This is super hard for a parent to say, as a teenager more likely than not will choose the ‘wrong option’ – of course, that is looking from a parent’s point of view! But they have to learn that their actions have consequences and that you love them, regardless of what they choose. This may also end ‘ the constant rebellion’ (well sort of). Sometimes you just have to let them be and if it is not life-critical, then that is fine. After all, it is their life. As my mother used to say ‘ You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’. Very wise words, but often hard to act out! You may find a few months later, they all of a sudden discover your preferred option after all. But this time it is their decision!
This symbol is also a good reminder to bring up family discussions about holidays, new gadgets, or arrangements. If today is not the right moment, then use it to form the points you want to address at the next opportune moment.
In short, today is a prompter to re-think the areas of your life that deal with anything to do with constructive communication including how much you value somebody in your life – we take these little things for granted, but they are not. These little token reminders do work – go out and make someone’s day today!