Hang Way Over the Balcony and Cheer Your Friends On!!

We, as humans, can be compared to a tiny, obscure bird---the sparrow. Sparrows, in spite of their size, are strong and adaptable in even the fiercest of winds. However, a sparrow is at the same time so fragile that a human could crush it in one hand.

Joyce Heatherley used this concept that she beautifully worded in her book, "Balcony People." She compared human beings to this delicate bird. Likewise, our spirits can be so easily crushed by the critical judgments of others."Balcony People" is a small book'"a quick 30 minute read, but it is jam-packed with crucial information for a life of contentment and understanding.
Balcony people are the positive affirmers in your life who are hanging way over the balcony cheering you on, as they tell you that they believe in you. This is opposed to Mrs. Heatherley's term "basement people." They are the evaluators who feel the need to put you down. This kind of action is all rooted in their own insecurities.

She goes on to eloquently ask, "Who are the affirmers in your life? Who by one small sentence has changed and lifted your opinion of yourself? Who helps you to respect and believe in your own value as a person? And who is the affirmer who encourages you to stretch and dream beyond your self-imposed limits and capabilities? She goes on to say, "One affirmer is worth a thousand evaluators."

She says that by affirming them, as their balcony person, there is no room for criticism and judgmental attitudes. Balcony people listen up and then, instead of tearing others down, they aid in building their self-esteem.

In your day to day to-do lists, make an additional list of the people for whom you will be a balcony person. Don't ever miss opportunities to pass along kind thoughts and positive words. You never know what people are dealing with in their private lives and a kind word may be just what they need to lift their spirits. Why don't we all make a concerted effort to make certain and be "balcony people" for all of our friends. Cram their balcony full of smiling, waving, cheering you on kinds of friends! Tell them you love them and believe in them. It will be the makings for the most perfect gift that wil leave an everlasting smile on their hearts!