I remember quite clearly a moment I had with my eldest granddaughter  when she was quite young.  She was often told, by complete strangers, how beautiful she was.  Now, this alarmed me, because the things that children are told by adults, when a child is very young, have an impact on their self-worth.  I didn’t want her to see this as an important attribute because it can encourage conceit, which I think is an ugly trait.  And that is definitely not beautiful.

So, I knew I had to do something about it.  I thought about how to deflect this so-called compliment.  And I decided to tell her another way to see these words.  I told her that when she smiled, which she did so much of the time, that it showed people how much love she had in her heart.  And I finished by saying that this was the most important thing in life.  Every so often I would ask her what was the most important thing.  And she would tell me, “the love in my heart.” 
This was an experiment in finding a way to deflect some of the things that people tell children without thinking about the possible consequences.  I don’t think most of us think about ways of deflecting praise.  And not all praise is bad.  I was just very fortunate that this worked.  The things that we do as adults will not always be successful, even if we strive to do the right thing.  But if we try to make decisions with love in our hearts, then perhaps our example will help to make this world a kinder, more loving place to live.  I believe that love has the power to change things for the good.  And I also believe that it is the most important thing.