Goethe on Seeing the Best in Others

“I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. Photo Courtesy of Andreas (Flickr)

I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration; I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized.

If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I am fascinated by human potential. I absolutely believe that if we see the best in others, we bring out the best in others - and in ourselves.

How great does it feel when someone believes in you - and genuinely means it - even after barely meeting you? While there are exceptions (I don't advocate blind trust, for example) - seeing the good in someone can be one of the most powerful gifts in the world. Give it freely.