Treat praises like perfume, just a passing fragrance.

I have heard these wise words before and I understood the wisdom behind these words. In simple words, it is like do not expect anything after doing a good deed. If there is no expectation then there is no disappointment. It is easy said than done as we are self glorifying creatures and we want recognition and appreciation for all the things we have done well.  We need the inspirations and the rewards that go with it.

Why do we need to link praise to perfume?  A praise is like a good smell which hang on for a moment and it will fade off after a while. Like a praise, you feel motivated and inspire until the praise wears off.  You need to take the effort to spray the perfume again and this will need to be done regularly to maintain the good smell. In the aspect, you can very well link the praise to a perfume but it needs a small effort to spray the perfume on your body but it is very difficult to perform well to earn the praise of your boss or peers. If we do a lot of good work, we were will smell good but if we forget to spray the perfume at any time, the smell would n=be normal and plain. If we do nine good task but one failure that one failure will wipe off all the perfume that we are wearing. There is no permanence in the smell. A passing remark .

Do it need to be that superficial?  Why can't we appreciated and remark people who have done good. Instead of be superficial, can we go beyond the skin and give a permanent mark  of achievements. In history, we have seen a lot of generals who fought hard for the Emperor  and at last , to be banished to the woods or the frontier. If people work hard and die for us, we must not forget their support and good deeds and help them to recover from their mistakes if any rather than blaming him for that one incident and wipe off all his merits. Yeah, this is human beings, taking things for granted.  What you do is expected to be done and if you fail to do it, you are doomed.  Funny human beings.

Human beings are unpredictable creatures and their outcome is uncontrollable and unmanageable.  The thinking is self centered. If other people can do it, we can do it better and so, the appreciation is only skin deep. It has no permanent features in our heart or in our mind. Yesterday is gone forever and all the praise have gone with it. This is very real and practical. So, appreciate the perfume while it is still there and be inspired as the small is hanging there. It may not come your way always.

Namaste.