Think Cute, Be Cute

I watch people that I admire and realize one of the things that attracts me to them is their confidence in themselves.

I have a friend who has no trouble at all performing in front of people. In fact, he is at his absolute best when he is the center of attention. I have seen this man sit down at a table in a coffee shop and within moments have a crowd gather around him. In concerts, people don't leave when its over. They want to talk to him, but even more impressive, is that before they do that, they want to talk about him!

One time, at a concert, I watched a woman stand up and go on and on about how much she and all the rest of us liked this guy, how good he was, how talented he was and on and on. Most of us might not have known quite what to do, standing there, listening, as she went on and on. Some of us barely know what to do with our hands while we are speaking, let alone being spoken about for that long. I watched him stand there, paying absolute attention to every word she spoke. I am certain she felt like they were the only two people in the room, yet I know each and everyone of us felt very much a part of it. She finally finished and sat down. He paused a moment, then looked up at all the rest of us, the most endearing smile on his face, and said, "Did you hear what she said?" It was perfect! We all loved it!

I realized something that night. He knew he was a very gifted performer, but more than that he knew he was cute! Maybe not as cute as we thought he was, I don't know, but enough so to be confident that what he did would be adored. It made him even cuter, more human, more adorable. It became a sort of self fulfilling thing.

I have since seen this same thing in two other people I know who perform. It is an important lesson I am learning. If I love me, value me, believe in me and think I am cute, or at least worth being with -- other people seem to automatically feel the same way. It works and I am not even particularly skilled at anything. Kind of like Music Man. Think music, play music. Think cute, be cute.

It is why we need to love our children and really let them know it. If they grow up valued, they will feel valued. Self esteem and dignity go a long way towards being successful in this world.