"Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing."  Arnold Glasgow

Many years ago, I coached a Little League baseball team, and it was quite a challenge to get 15 kids to play together as a team, etc.  I had never done this before, as there were 15 little faces staring at me, as they sat around the back-stop waiting for instructions.

Being in sports all my life, I knew it was going to take discipline to mold all these kids together into a cohesion team, for all of them to play as a team and to win.

But, it would take more than discipline to win...it would take a winning attitude to win as well.  It would take the good players, to help the not-so-good players...and it would take the not-so-good players, to help the lousy players, etc.

By rule, all the kids in Little League have to play at least two innings every game...which mean't that I had to be a magician and shuffle players in and out of the game, to make sure we stayed in the game against the other team, etc.  Doing this, was the most difficult part of coaching Little League baseball.

The other factor that was a must for our winning, was praise.  The kids would just eat it up...and the more praise they got...the better they did out on the field...and at the plate!  The kids just loved to be praised!

In our first year, we won 17 games and lost only 3 games.  The next year, we mirrored the first year, and again, we won 17 games and lost only 3 games, for a two-year total of 34 games won and only 6 lost!  And, a big part of that winning...was the praise we gave the kids!

"The highest praise for a person to give is responsibility."  Norman Vincent Peale

Take a look at the short article below, and at the praise the citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA/ where I live), received recently. 

The copyrighted article, was written by Sean Olson, of the Albuquerque Journal on August 7, 2008.  The headlines read, "City Homes Slash Water Use in July;  Billion Gallon Deficit Reduced." 

The article reads,

"Albuquerqueans can give themselves a pat on the back!

Residents cut water use significantly in July (2008), cutting a nearly one billion gallon deficit to just 140 million gallons by the end of the month, according to the Albuquerque Bernalillo county Water Utility Authority.

Heavy rains throughout the month aided in the conservation, with parts of the city getting more than 3.3 inches, according to the National Weather Service.  But, a wet month doesn't always mean less water will be used, water board chair Deanna Archuleta said Wednesday (8/08).  People have been conscious about watering less when it rains, which makes the real difference, she said.

The deficit is based on water usage goals created for the 2008 calendar year versus the actual amount used thus far.  Archuleta said the roughly 700 million gallons made up in one month is impressive.

'I felt like we were going to have to work (the deficit) off slowly...I'm excited,' Archuleta said.  The remaining 140 million gallons deficit likely will be more affected by the autumn months than the last dry summer month of August, however.

Archuleta said shorter days and colder nights make plants able to retain more moisture and less watering is needed...no matter how hot and dry the month gets.

Conservation in October and September could mean huge gains in water conservation if people ramp down their watering habits from the summer months, she said.

'Those are the months where we can start cutting back dramatically, she said.'"

End of article...

"Where there is no difficulty...there is no praise."  Samuel Johnson

Albuquerqueans should be proud of their accomplishment, in an area that is so difficult and important.  Can we have a little drum roll, please...and a little praise never hurt, either!  I certainly hope people around the country take note...as water conservation is all of our business! 

THANKS TO EVERYONE!
(Celebrating 3 years in writing)  Since the middle of 2008, the traffic to my writing site has quadrupled...and I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to visit and to read my articles.  The reader, therefore, is the most important person in all this publishing process! 

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