Do You Use "Cheerleading"?

[Toto'sDad]

Unfortunately the 12 step taliban/hard of thinking are everywhere.
I was told I had depression because I didn't go to enough meetings and keep a proper inventory of my behaviour.
I told him I didn't need to take an inventory if he was doing it for me and as for numbers of meetings, I asked him if he was stalking me.

I don't condemn anyone for controlling themselves any way they can. It's always been my own personal belief that if I got me into something, I'm probably the one who is going to have to get me out.

As part of a work thing once long ago when I was hauling equipment, the guy I was working for had a few of us talk to a phycologist, supposedly to improve work efficiency. He had me fill out a questionnaire and one of the questions was, did I see things other people didn't? I put down yes I do. When the guy asked me what kind of apparitions did I see that other's didn't see?

I asked him what he was talking about? He said. Well I asked if you saw things other people didn't, see? I told him I see that a road grader came out of the shop with a low front tire, and the cutting edges need changing before I haul it out to the job. When I'm running equipment, I see that the well location is draining the wrong direction and needs to fall towards the sump else they'll never get rid of the waste water. Then I asked what in the world DO YOU SEE?

The guy stammered around a bit and couldn't seem to get where he was going. I told him, I don't know how this is going to affect work efficiency, so if it's all the same to you, we're done here. I went out and played golf that afternoon, I felt much better!

 

[pixeljammer]

Background. A number of years back, before I found my dietary issues, one of my doctors directed me to a website to help with diet. A lot of logging of food, which was unnecessarily hard, and then you join groups / got added to groups based on goals and issues. Logging was hard because I could not find the foods I was eating, so I had to log by the ingredient from a long pull-down. It was taking 45+ minutes each meal.

Once on the site, I started to get messages from other users saying "Good job!" and "Keep it up!" and "You are doing great!" and the like. I guess this was supposed to be motivational.

It wasn't.

My usual reaction to these messages was "Who the [expletive] are you, and why do I [expletive] care what you think?" Yeah - it was not motivational, it sort of made me upset / angry.

I know there are some people who need affirmation / cheerleading to keep motivated. I have no idea if this is for most people or not, but it sure isn't for me.

No judgement on my part - if it works for you, then use it.

Am I the odd man out on this?

No, it’s weird. Go shish somebody else’s bombah.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Background. A number of years back, before I found my dietary issues, one of my doctors directed me to a website to help with diet. A lot of logging of food, which was unnecessarily hard, and then you join groups / got added to groups based on goals and issues. Logging was hard because I could not find the foods I was eating, so I had to log by the ingredient from a long pull-down. It was taking 45+ minutes each meal.

Once on the site, I started to get messages from other users saying "Good job!" and "Keep it up!" and "You are doing great!" and the like. I guess this was supposed to be motivational.

It wasn't.

My usual reaction to these messages was "Who the [expletive] are you, and why do I [expletive] care what you think?" Yeah - it was not motivational, it sort of made me upset / angry.

I know there are some people who need affirmation / cheerleading to keep motivated. I have no idea if this is for most people or not, but it sure isn't for me.

No judgement on my part - if it works for you, then use it.

Am I the odd man out on this?

I'm fine with cheerleading from friends. Anonymous props are creepy.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

It's all just one small step above the LIKE button.

Heh heh. Gotcha.

 

[Killing Floor]

I think you’re all the best.

 

[Digital Larry]

Yeah - it was not motivational, it sort of made me upset / angry.

I did Weight Watchers for awhile and I tell you if I hear or read "you got this" ever again in any context I am gonna fling my egg foo yung in your direction. Which is a shame because it's pretty yummy.

 

[metalicaster]

I generally don't respond to feedback from people I wouldn't have asked. I don't give feedback unless asked, and I'll preface it with 'Are you sure you want honest feedback?"

 

[Peegoo]

The motivation to achieve becomes diluted by orders of magnitude when everyone gets a trophy just for showing up.

 

[johnny k]

Background. A number of years back, before I found my dietary issues, one of my doctors directed me to a website to help with diet. A lot of logging of food, which was unnecessarily hard, and then you join groups / got added to groups based on goals and issues. Logging was hard because I could not find the foods I was eating, so I had to log by the ingredient from a long pull-down. It was taking 45+ minutes each meal.

Once on the site, I started to get messages from other users saying "Good job!" and "Keep it up!" and "You are doing great!" and the like. I guess this was supposed to be motivational.

It wasn't.

My usual reaction to these messages was "Who the [expletive] are you, and why do I [expletive] care what you think?" Yeah - it was not motivational, it sort of made me upset / angry.

I know there are some people who need affirmation / cheerleading to keep motivated. I have no idea if this is for most people or not, but it sure isn't for me.

No judgement on my part - if it works for you, then use it.

Am I the odd man out on this?

reminds me of the NGD threads where people say congratulations on the new guitar or something. It is not like the poster got 1st place in a marathon

 

[bromdenlong]

came expecting nubile cheerleaders:
"yaaaaaaayyyyyy blowtorch! go blowtorch, go!"






sorely disappointed

What a coincidence! I’m into nubile expecting cheerleaders too!

 

[thesamhill]

Yeah, the random "good job" cheerleading can feel a little unnerving when it's happening in a specific forum or context.

Like- "Crap, did I join a cult? I was just trying to figure out why I get gas pain in the afternoon sometimes"

But at the same time... man, so many people are so burnt out right now. It doesn't hurt to be appreciative where you can.

And as for participation trophies, all I can say is this: If I ran a marathon, I'd be coming in dead last, probably after stopping at two or three hospitals along the way. But when I crossed the finish line, however many days later... somebody better be there and hand me a @#$# trophy

 

[goonie]

The only cheerleading I ever got was a guy from AA once told me I hadn't quit drinking I was just a dry drunk. I had been a dry drunk for ten years then. I have now been a dry drunk for twenty-five years, and I didn't have to listen to anyone but the guy I usually talk to, ME.

Love it! I've only been a dry drunk for 3 years so far. But I do enjoy a regular 'very low alcohol' (<0.5%) beer just because I like the taste, and I'm pretty sure that would be grounds for instant excommunication from the cult of AA.

 

[johnny k]

I don't need cheerleading. However, i could do with a and a .

 

[Harry Styron]

The motivation to achieve becomes diluted by orders of magnitude when everyone gets a trophy just for showing up.

This sounds true, but I have to ask: how do you know?

 

[MTPoteet]

Don't we tend to cheer each other on, on this forum.

 

[Peegoo]

This sounds true, but I have to ask: how do you know?

It's The Peter Principle in action. When mediocrity becomes award criteria, it begets mediocrity and even incompetence. Have you ever worked somewhere that leadership breeds 'yes men'? Uberachievers that refuse to play that game leave or they die trying to change the culture.

 

[teletail]

Background. A number of years back, before I found my dietary issues, one of my doctors directed me to a website to help with diet. A lot of logging of food, which was unnecessarily hard, and then you join groups / got added to groups based on goals and issues. Logging was hard because I could not find the foods I was eating, so I had to log by the ingredient from a long pull-down. It was taking 45+ minutes each meal.

Once on the site, I started to get messages from other users saying "Good job!" and "Keep it up!" and "You are doing great!" and the like. I guess this was supposed to be motivational.

It wasn't.

My usual reaction to these messages was "Who the [expletive] are you, and why do I [expletive] care what you think?" Yeah - it was not motivational, it sort of made me upset / angry.

I know there are some people who need affirmation / cheerleading to keep motivated. I have no idea if this is for most people or not, but it sure isn't for me.

No judgement on my part - if it works for you, then use it.

Am I the odd man out on this?

I don't need the attaboys, but they don't send me into a rage either. I don't usually get mad at people who are trying to be nice to me.

 

[teletail]

i've noticed that when i've worked with people who haven't been making music for very long, or are more into it like a hobby, they've criticized me for "not being supportive enough." but almost every musical situation i've been in there's no cheerleading. just figuring out consensus over what went right or wrong.

People who have never paid their dues don't understand that some of us have paid our dues a hundred times over and now have a lifetime membership. I play in professional situations where it's expected that you know what you are doing and what is expected of you. I'm not going to mentor, teach, explain, learn for or anything else. There are plenty of situations where you can get all that. I'm not involved in any of them.

Although I did have a young man helping me around the house that played guitar and was trying to put a band together. I let him use my practice room for his band. First rehearsal the bass player shows up with no strap, no tuner, no chord. I was nice about it, but I told him that this was the last time I was providing any of that. I provided a room, PA, drums and amps and told him it was disrespectful to me and to his fellow band mates to show up unprepared. I think it was the first time he ever didn't get a trophy for just showing up.

 

[ReverendRevolver]

reminds me of the NGD threads where people say congratulations on the new guitar or something. It is not like the poster got 1st place in a marathon

Well sir,

Maybe YOU didn't have to fight through a swamp of irradiated piranhas to get you last new guitar, but imma tell ya now: them things bite HARD.

It's typically a congratulations on obtaining something of worth or value, or a lucky find, or a deal.

Because it would be weird if someone kept posting videos of themselves from a gig last week where they slip and fall on beer but don't die, THEN we congratulated them on that.

 

[trapdoor2]

We did a hospital-managed weight loss program, some years ago. They did silly stuff like giving out gold star stickers for actually losing weight that week...like we were in kindergarten. I ignored it...but we lost 100lbs each.

I don't mind acknowledgement if I've actually done something.

As a young supervisor, I had to go to "team leader training" and endure cheerleading instruction. The only benefit was watching 60+yr old veteran shop supervisors have to do it too. So much fun to see a guy that had never said a kind word to another human in his life say, "Good Job!"...and smile.