The Power of Practicing Uncommon Appreciation

Research confirms that when people feel appreciation for people and things in their life, good things happen to their minds and bodies. But appreciation is much more than a feel-good idea. The power of practicing uncommon appreciation creates an energy that can be harnessed and used to transform our daily lives —our relationships, work, health, finances, and more.

Back in 2010 my mentor, Jack Canfield, wrote a wonderful message that seems fitting to share it with you during this season of Thanksgiving. Although it was written eight years ago, it is just as applicable today. I hope you enjoy his article below….

Practice Uncommon Appreciation

A recent management study revealed that 46% of employees leaving a company do so because they feel unappreciated; 61% said their bosses don’t place much importance on them as people; and 88% said they don’t receive acknowledgement for the work they do.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, manager, teacher, parent, coach or simply a friend, if you want to be successful with other people, you must master the art of appreciation.

I’ve never known anyone to complain about receiving too much positive feedback. Have you? In fact, just the opposite is true.

Consider this: every year, a management consulting firm conducts a survey with 200 companies on the subject on what motivates employees. When given a list of 10 possible things that would most motivate them, the employees always list appreciation as the number-one motivator.

Managers and supervisors ranked appreciation number eight. This is a major mismatch, as the chart below so clearly shows.

Notice that the top three motivators for employees don’t cost anything, just a few moments of time, respect and understanding.

When I first learned about the power of appreciation, it made total sense to me. However, it was still something that I forgot to do. I hadn’t yet turned it into a habit.

A valuable technique that I employed to help me lock in this new habit was to carry a 3” x 5” card in my pocket all day, and every time I acknowledged and appreciated someone, I would place a check mark on the card. I would not allow myself to go to bed until I had appreciated 10 people. If it was late in the evening and I didn’t have 10 check marks, I would appreciate my wife and children, I would send e-mails to several of my staff, or I would write a letter to my mother or stepfather.

I did whatever it took until it became an unconscious habit. I did this every single day for 6 months – until I no longer needed the card to remind me.

Another important reason for being in a state of appreciation as often as possible is that when you are in such a state, you are in one of the highest emotional states possible.

When you are in a state of appreciation and gratitude, you are in a state of abundance. You are appreciating what you do have instead of focusing on, and complaining about, what you don’t have. Your focus is on what you have received… and you always get more of what you focus on.

And because the law of attraction states that like attracts like, the more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract, and the more grateful you will feel. It becomes an upward-spiraling process of ever-increasing abundance that just keeps getting better and better.

Think about it. The more grateful people are for the gifts we give them, the more inclined we are to give them more gifts. Their gratitude and appreciation reinforces our giving. The same principle holds true on a universal and spiritual level as it does on an interpersonal level.

Form a New Habit

What will you do to increase the frequency of expressing appreciation to those around you? I challenge you to discover ways to immediately appreciate someone in your life, starting today! I love Jack’s idea of carrying a 3” x 5” card everywhere you go and keeping score until expressing appreciation becomes a habit.

In 2007, I had the opportunity to work very closely with Jack for a full year as a member of his Platinum Mastermind group. I can tell you that Jack practices what he preaches; it’s evident to me that what he sends out comes back. Jack leads a truly abundant and blessed life as he blesses so many hundreds of thousands of lives that he touches daily in countless positive ways.

How can you be a blessing to those around you? Take action, starting today! Your actions do not have to be big. All the little things you do can make a big difference.

I am such a huge fan of Jack Canfield’s work that I became a Success Principles Certified Trainer. I work with individuals who are ready to take 100% responsibility for their life and do the work necessary to shift from where they are to where they want to be.

If you’d like help making some shifts in your life, let’s schedule a no-cost discovery call. I’ll help you get clear, get perspective, and get support.

Additional Resources:

• Blog: The Power of Gratitude in Times of Challenge (four parts): Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
• Blog: The Power of Expressing Daily Gratitude
• Guide: Gratitude Journal
• Guide: Cultivating Happiness: Living Life on Your Terms
• Guide: Find Your Strengths & Choose Your Success

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