i have to celebrate you baby

Read time: 3 minutes

what’s good, friend?!

you’re good. no actually you’re a gold, grand, genius, groovy, glorious, generous, gorgeous gift of greatness.

today we’re talking verbal high-fives. just like the one above.

the magical meaningful words that uplift & empower us.

the love language of words of affirmation.

we’e going to be sprinkling spoken sparkle on all relationships in no time.

words of affirmationers (sadly woa’s doesn’t really work, sigh) core truth is

words = power

verbal expressions of love and appreciation deeply impact their psyche.

they thrive on positive sincere reinforcement.

they don’t just want any words. they want you to say it like you mean in.

they like empty compliments. but they love it when your words are genuine.

speak the truth.

better yet speak their truth out loud to them in the form of praise.

and don’t just limit yourself to shallow appearance based compliments. get deep on their actions, character, & being.

words of affirmation is love language #3 for americans at 19%.

preferred language for slightly more females at 21% , compared to males at 16% .

splitting the data by age see words mean more as we age with a stronger preference by 65+ at 24%.

splitting the data by US census region shows words of affirmation mean the most in the south at 21%.

people that love words of affirmation are very likely give it lots and lots of words of affirmation too. so when trying to spot this look for:

• sincere compliments

• handwritten thoughtful letters

• love of mantras & affirmations

• sucker for inspirational quotes 

• motivation by positive feedback

• expressing gratitude & appreciation

• sensitivity to criticism & harsh tones

the world is filled harsh critics, including ourselves. thats where positive words come in to pour sunshine directly into our hearts.

it’s so easy to get wrapped up in our lives and forget to tell our people how wonderful they are.

even if you think you do this enough now. there is no harm in more.

keep in mind that with words of affirmation you want to be as PURE as possible:

• praise - be their hype person. their #1 cheerleader.

• understanding - treat them with empathy, especially in tone of voice.

• real - honesty only. authenticity is the secret supercharge sauce.

• encourage - believe in them & support their dreams.

when the 5 love languages were adapted for the workplace as motivation by appreciation, gary chapman & paul white discovered this is the primary preferred language at work.

almost half of employees are most motivated by words of affirmation.

this is more than just a “good job” or “ty.”

the book recommends the SBI framework to give positive or constructive feedback:

• situation - set the scene. give context.

• behavior - give specifics. facts not judgements

• impact - what happened as a result of their behavior.

and if you’re looking for more fun ways to show you care through words of affirmation to your friends:

• compliment in front of others aka public praise

• give an indirect compliment (say something good about them to someone else when they’re not around, thus amplifying the compliment)

• send a text with a very specific compliment

• support or make a social media post

• give a handwritten fan letter

• leave post it affirmations

• give pep talks

• say thank you

words are such powerful tools of love, empowerment, & support.

i think many of us, myself included, could improve on this love language.

so join me in prioritizing praise & positivity.

another thing i am working on is to really receive a compliment & resist the urge to boomerang it back.

nothing wrong with complimenting someone else. but pushing the spotlight quickly off yourself reduces the effectiveness of the words.

feeling a compliment is a sneaky way to give self-care through someone else.

many other ways to you can wield words for yourself:

• positive self talk

• gratitude journal

• daily affirmations

• celebrate successes

compliments are communication with compassion. so these reads will help improve your words, your empathy, & your self-understanding:

• atlas of the heart by brene brown

• how to talk to anyone by leil lowndes

• surrounded by idiots by thomas erikson

• the art of witty banter by patrick king

i also gathered a roundup of gifts that express words of affirmation in 72 point bold font. this gift guide is all about words, customization, & encouragement.

i custom designed several stationery sets this past week for some very special readers & friends. i love doing this & want to do it more so i’ll be working this week to add custom sets to my shopify & etsy stores.

i would LOVE LOVE LOVE for you to reply to this email with your current favorite or dream stationery set.

once you share your dream, i’ll work to turn it into a product in my store & i’ll give you a very special discount code for being my muse.

so pretty pretty please reply with your dream stationery set.

you’re the best — never forget it!

p.s. whenever you need help, i’m always here for you from custom cards to corporate workshops to our merry membership. i got you, friend!