Have you ever stopped to think about all the people who you come into contact with while you are just living your life? Everyday each of us interacts with others on many different levels. Some are close encounters born out of relationship. Others are just passing moments. Regardless of the length of time or depth of the connection, each time we interact with others we have the opportunity to leave that person better or worse than when we found them.
Worth your weight in salt
Any cook knows that if you want to bring out the flavour in your food you need to add salt. On it’s own salt is, well salty, but when added to other things it doesn’t necessarily highlight it’s own taste but it enhances the flavours that are already there. It brings out the best in the ingredients and it the right amount makes everything taste great. Salt can intensify sweetness, it can counteract bitterness and if it’s missing, you know it’s not there.
Just like salt we have the capacity to bring out the best in those whose lives we touch. It’s not about creating qualities that aren’t there or making people into something that they aren’t, but it’s about drawing out the best in them.
When they win, you win
Bringing out the best in others means looking for ways that they can display their strengths and display the best of who they are. To do this requires generosity. You can’t bring out the best in someone else if you’re showing off your own greatness. Instead you have to be willing to point the spot light at another and allow them to shine. The good news is that when we create an environment where others can step up and be the best they can be, it in turn allows us to be the best version of ourselves.
When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves – William Arthur Ward