Nothing has a greater
effect on building relationships than Appreciation
Appreciating others is one of the
principles of success, which too many business professionals, neglect on their
journey towards sustainable business success. This is often at their own peril
as research shows that up to 88% of employees who leave their jobs, do so
because they feel unacknowledged and unappreciated. Consider the impact of a
lack of appreciation on personal relationships! “Whether you are an
entrepreneur, business leader, teacher, parent, coach, or simply a friend, if
you want to be successful with other people, you must master the art of
appreciation”
Appreciation Builds
Influence
If you want to build influence with
other people, to create deeper, trusting, mutually beneficial relationships,
you must show appreciation. Consider when you’ve been on the receiving end of
uncommon appreciation—when someone has made you feel appreciated and special.
What was the impact of that act of appreciation on the relationship? How did
you feel about that person? How do you feel now about the impact that person
has had on your life?
Appreciation Inspires
Those Around you
There is a major mismatch in how much
employees value appreciation and how much their employers recognize it as
important. Studies have shown that employees consistently place “appreciation”
as the number one thing that influences their level of motivation. Yet their
employers place it as number eight, below wages, job security, opportunities
for promotion, and even discipline.
Think about the people who could
support you the most, as you travel the path towards the business success you
desire. These are the individuals, who will support you to achieve your goals and
help you create your ideal life. How do you appreciate them? What kind of
impact could an increase in appreciation have on their desire to be a member of
your support team?
Individualize your
appreciation for the most impact
In order to have the most impact when
you practice appreciation, consider the way in which each individual likes to
be appreciated. Each person has a dominant way in which their brain takes in
information and processes it—auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic. If you are
attempting to show appreciation to someone by telling them thank you, yet they
are dominantly a visual person and need to see it, your “thank you” won’t have
the impact that it could.
Appreciation Activates
the Law of Intention
One of the reasons for calling
appreciation a “secret” of success,
is that it sometimes pays dividends in indirect, yet very real, ways. According
to the Law of Intention, we attract more of what we focus our attention on. If
we’re constantly focused on the things we don’t like about our lives, we’ll
tend to attract more of what we don’t like. Yet if we are in the mode of
appreciation and gratitude, focusing on the things we like and appreciate and
are grateful for, we’ll attract more of the same into our experience. When we
are grateful we also become more “attractive” to others—they want to be around
us far more!
Be Generous when
showing your Appreciation
Increase your awareness of what others
are doing around you. Even if another’s actions don’t directly benefit you, be
aware of things others do that you can appreciate. Has someone created a thing
of beauty? Did you overhear a mother speaking kindly and patiently to her
whining child? Is the clerk in the checkout line dealing with rushed customers
with grace? What are the ways that you can be in the mode of appreciation
throughout your day? How can you appreciate others around you?
Appreciation Starts
with You First
To really enjoy the benefits of showing
appreciation, you must learn to show appreciation to yourself first. In
addition to appreciating what’s happening around you, be sure to especially
acknowledge and appreciate yourself. Even if you’re showing a lot of gratitude
and appreciation for others, when you’re constantly berating yourself or beating
yourself up internally, you’re not creating true abundance.
Andrew Horton Motivational
Speakers South Africa
