The more important a dog is, the more satisfaction people get in kicking him. This is the analogy Dale Carnegie used is explaining why important and influential people are often criticized unfairly.
Carnegie once told the story of the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VIII. He was attending Dartmouth College in Devonshire at the time—a college that corresponds to our naval Academy at Annapolis. The Prince was about fourteen at the time. One day one of the naval officers found him crying, and asked him what was wrong. He refused to tell at first, but finally admitted the truth—the naval cadets were kicking him.
The commodore of the college summoned the boys and explained to them that the Prince had not complained, but he wanted to find out why the Prince had been singled out for this rough treatment.
After much hemming and hawing and toe scraping, the cadets finally confessed that when they themselves became commanders and captains in the King’s Navy, they wanted to be able to say that they had kicked the King!
Unfortunately, many people get a sense of savage satisfaction out of denouncing those who are better educated than they are or more successful. So when you are kicked and criticized, remember that it is often done because it gives the kicker a feeling of importance. It often means that you are accomplishing something and are worthy of attention.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Central & Southern New Jersey. We would love to connect with you on Facebookand Twitter @CarnegieJersey.
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