My Cover Artist is extremely skilled
and is in high demand.
Writers and publishers
wait months
for the covers she creates.
I wait days.
Yes, I do voluntarily profit share
with her.
I consider her to be
an essential part of my team
and she deserves
to receive a portion
of what my pen name earns.
But I suspect she completes
my projects first
because I praise her.
I tell her I love her covers.
When there are changes,
I tell her what I liked
before I tell her
what I didn’t like.
I show off her covers
when I receive them.
Praise is rarer
than quick paying customers.
There are people
in this world
who endure for weeks
without hearing a single word
of praise from anyone.
No one is telling them
they did a great job.
No one is thanking them
for doing the dishes
or finishing the financial statements
or paying the vendor on time.
They hunger for it
and when they receive it,
they’re grateful.
It can be the highlight
of their month.
“People almost always
want a smile,
a kind word
or a hand up
sooner than we think
and
for longer than we imagine.”
Praise is free
and it is powerful.
Give that sh*t to everyone.
Lavish the people around you
with praise.
Don’t ask yourself
IF they deserve it.
Ask yourself
which of the things
they’ve accomplished
warrants special mention.