Isn’t it great when someone comes along and pats you on the back and says, “You’ve done a terrific job. A job well done. You are superb. You are the man (or woman).” It really makes one feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

We all love affirmation and I’m all for it. In fact, I love telling folks they’ve done a good job. I tell Nick all the time how great he is at fixing things around the house or how nice it was that he went and helped a neighbor.

But sometimes we don’t always get that assurance from others that we were in fact expecting. That we deserved, right? It’s just the hard truth.

It’s always a great feeling when someone takes the time to say thanks by sending a thank you card, or returning the favor but for whatever reason it doesn’t always play out like that. Whether it’s an oversight or that they were just too busy to say “thanks” no one knows. 

And then there are those people who are in constant need of daily affirmation. I will call them, affirmation junkies. I know, that’s a little harsh. It reminds me of the old Saturday Night skit “Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley.” (Watch That)

Why is it that we feel the need for daily praise? Is it our insecurities that causes us to look inward and say, “Why don’t they tell me how great I am?” Shouldn’t we just do things for others because that’s the right thing to do, without the need of being constantly coddled?

When I think about caring for another person, be it a child (who is mostly selfish to begin with), or a spouse, or a parent or elderly loved one, or someone who is disabled, I think about all the dynamics associated with it. And it can be indeed, one of the most thankless jobs. But the rewards can so outweigh the time you’ve invested in taking care of them. And that should be enough. In reality, it should. But in experience, it’s not always.

Sometimes we deal with unappreciative people who constantly complain about what we do or don’t do, and that too, is a fact! We must then, do it in spite. In spite of the hope that we will be praised or thanked, simply – because it’s the right thing to do.

You see, I’m a firm believer in “what you sow, you will reap” or “karma” whatever you want to call it,and when the time comes you are in the position of needing care or help in some form, you’ll have someone that steps up to the plate and says, “I’m here for you, no matter what” and never expects anything in return.