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August 12 Message

“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” – Dale Carnegie, writer, lecturer and leadership consultant

Shabbat Shalom!

Do you know this person? You know, the person that just complains and complains about anything and everything? About the color of the napkins at a dinner event? The length of a speaker…never just right, but too long or too short or yes, even too boring!

It is human nature to complain and criticize…but, we should each take a breath and think how will my criticizing and complaining help? Will I be hurting someone’s feelings? Would I want others to criticize what I did, when I have put so much work and effort into a membership event, a dinner or creating a flyer? And most importantly, will complaining make me a good mentor?

As this is the time of the year, in our sisterhoods, we have new women coming onto our boards, onto our teams all learning how to work together….and those of us that are “seasoned” members need to work together to mentor and teach. Criticizing does not promote inclusiveness and team work…it actually works just the opposite. Criticizing turns away any potential member, which is just the opposite of what we are each working to achieve. So the next time you hear someone criticize a members efforts or anyone’s efforts…share this quote about being understanding, forgiving and kind…it goes a long way!

Wishing each of you a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat,
Carol