Motivation: The Power of Words

Today, when I was about 8 miles into a 10 mile trail run at Flatwoods, several mountain-bikers zoomed by. One anonymous rider enthusiastically yelled, "Iron Woman!"

Just two words, but I gotta say, they sure had an impact. Hey, I'm 56 years old, and I do train hard. What can I say, those two words made me a little lighter and a lot stronger. My arms began to pump a bit harder, and I know I was taller when I rounded the next bend.

I spent the miles after that, contemplating the power of words. Of course, their power is partially dependent on the speaker.

Several days a week, I run with my bichon, Bailey. He absolutely loves it, and I just cherish him. Sometimes, I'll say, "Good boy! Bailey's a good dog." I say that to him a lot. I guess it's the same thing as saying, "I love you, Bailey."

Anyway, it amazes me that every time I say it, he charges ahead, not sometimes, every time. It's as if I swatted him on the behind, which, of course, I would never do. But it clearly makes him run harder and faster as if suddenly supercharged.

I love it; it is clearly a physical manifestation of the mental impact of my praise. Makes me think about children.

 Every parent, teacher, and coach would do well to remember the power of words to inspire, encourage, and motivate. And just as important, the power of words to disappoint, deflate, and discourage.

 When the speaker is an authority figure, the power must be magnified. How often has a teacher said, "Nice work!" "You are so smart!" "That is so creative"? I'm sure such praise actually makes good things happen.
And when that authority figure is admired and respected, the power is multiplied exponentially.

 Dogs thrive on praise and so do people. Praise a dog and it wags its tail. That reinforces the actions of the
praise-giver. We like dogs, and we especially like happy dogs. I wish it was as easy to recognize the effect of praise on people.

I have a friend whose 1st grade teacher told her she was dumb. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. Her parents didn't discover this until years later when they finally took her to a psychologist to try to ascertain why she just would not work up to her potential. Turned out, she was convinced she had no ability because she was dumb. After all, the teacher said so.

Words are so powerful. They change lives, for sure.

I'm not promoting empty complements; children always see through that, and as a result, they are counterproductive, undermining the student's respect for the teacher, the child's respect for the parent and friend's respect for friend.

No, what I mean is that it is just so important for teachers, parents, friends and coaches to recognize opportunities for genuine praise and be sure to offer it. This applies to everyone; my experience today is proof of that. I was completely aware of the effect of those two words, but that in no way diminished my pleasure at hearing them.

The message here is that we should all strive to recognize the efforts of others. One thing we should always do for our fellow runners is to verbally recognize their efforts. It's just one of the many benefits of the camaraderie of others. Most people remember to congratulate their friends after a good race, but let's not forget that it's the training that begets those good races, and it's not really the race, but the overall effort that matters anyway.

Congratulate your fellow runners for being out there on the road or trail instead of inside on a couch with a remote control in one hand and a bag of chips in the other.

Comments

[Brent]

Sorry to get side tracked on your post...but, something you stated in the first part of your story caught me. "Today, when I was about 8 miles into a 10 mile trail run at Flatwoods..." May sound silly, but are there accurate trail milage markers out there. I've done quite a few Mt.Bike rides on this trail system, but it's easy to accertain distance when you've got a speedometer on your bike. Are there any posted routes for Flatwoods, Morris Bridge and/or Trout Creek? The only other alternative I've seen is a very expensive Garmin/ GPS device. Any advice to someone new to trail running..? Thanks -Brent

[Debbie Voiles]

Brent, if you go to the 'Running Maps' page via the menu bar, you will see lots of information, including mileage for local routes. If you scroll down to Flatwoods, there is a place to click to see a map. That should be very helpful. Also the article about the Wilderness Parks gives mileage for various routes. I hope that helps. It is not marked anywhere on the trail, and that is too bad. I get my information from my Garmin. It's pretty accurate, but it's never going tgo be 100% due to the twisting and turning of the trails. The Garmin assumes a straight route. It's close, however.