Share Your Appreciation

"There are two things people want more than sex and money... recognition and praise."

Mary Kay Ash    

      First let me apologize if the topic of sex and money feels a little inappropriate.  If it makes you feel any better I will not be going into depth on either of those topics.  For those of you who are now disappointed please keep reading.  What will we be discussing is recognition and praise, better known as appreciation and we all love to be appreciated.  However being appreciated isn’t something you can go out and get whenever you want it.  There are no proven actions to take that will guarantee you will be appreciated.  Being appreciated relies solely on the discretion of the person who gives the appreciation.  There are no brothels were you can pay for appreciation.  There are no get appreciation quick schemes.  This makes it appreciation often times an infrequent occurrence in your life. This is one reason why people want to be appreciated more than they want sex and money.

     The other reason people want appreciation is because of the power associated with it.  In order to understand that power you must understand what appreciation represents.  Appreciation is an extremely positive emotion that serves many purposes.  When one feels appreciated it acknowledges the fact that they are doing something right.  Unfortunately in today’s society there are thousands of reminders that you are doing or might do something wrong.  When one feels appreciated it also can serve as confirmation that you have value in someone else’s life.  There is a deep internal desire for connection amongst all human beings and when someone confirms you are appreciated it confirms that connection.  Appreciation also complements the greatest source of energy ever created, love.  There is no better feeling than to be appreciated by the one that you love.  Appreciation solidifies the fact that you are loved and leaves no doubt that the love is real.

   With the power associated with appreciation it is your duty to make sure you are utilizing that power to the fullest in all aspects of life.  When Mary Kay originally stated this quote she was focused on the importance of showing appreciation to the people who worked in her organization.  She knew it was important because if they felt appreciated it confirmed they were doing the right things.  That in turn made them feel good and they would continue to do the right things or do even better things to get more appreciation.  In that scenario everyone wins.  Socially it’s important to show appreciation so that you can improve the connections you have with other people.  The more connected you are with the world the better life you will ultimately lead.  When it comes to love there is no better connection and for those people lucky enough to be loved by you, appreciation is a wonderful gift.  Anything that enhances the power of love should be frequently accessed and delivered.

     So if you aren’t skilled in giving appreciation how do you get there?  The best way to get there is to practice gratitude within your own life.  When you are grateful for the things in your life you appreciate all that is around you.  It feels your own inner soul with joy, peace and happiness.  When you are grateful you can look at a Monday morning commute as an opportunity versus a burden.  That is because you are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the first place.  When you are grateful you can look at the grass on your lawn as a beautiful example of the power of renewal that nature displays from season to season.  When you are grateful you can look at any failure as an opportunity to learn and immediately be fueled and excited to give it another try with new learning under your belt.  When you are a grateful person your outlook on life is one of acceptance, confidence, excitement and appreciation. 

    Because of your experience with appreciation you will be more willing and motivated to share appreciation with others.  You understand how good it feels and you want to share that feeling with the world.  You will be more aware of the need to do so.  With that awareness you will do things at work like create a coin that can be given to employees as tokens of appreciation.  With that awareness you will make it a point to say a toast to your friends letting them know how much you appreciate their friendship whenever you are out having happy hour with the crew.  With that awareness you will send a spontaneous text to your spouse letting him/her know how much you appreciate how they make you feel.  With that awareness you will tell your children how much you appreciate the progress they are making in school and how proud you are that they are yours.  When you are full of gratitude it becomes very easy to show appreciation to others.  A person who lives in gratitude takes nothing for granted and that includes you.

     Sex and money can be wonderful things and many people desire both of them heavily.  There are many options to go out and fulfill both of those desires.  Yet recognition and praise aren’t always that easily acquired.  True recognition and praise is something that is given from the other person.  As you all know you can’t control what someone is willing to give.  Trying to do that can prove to be a very futile endeavor.  So it suffices to say that part of the fact that it can be hard to get fuels our desire for it.  But the biggest reason why you desire appreciation is because the power it has within.  Knowing that power should easily motivate you to go out and disperse some of it yourself.  The beauty of the world is that it works in a funny way, the more you give the more you will receive.  Let this be your reminder to give appreciation now and often to those people in your life who deserve it. You are sure to open to the floodgates for you to receive your appreciation as well.  Have a great week and as always enjoy the journey.

With Gratitude,

Drew