Appreciation is gratitude in action. It’s a supreme value to build and sustain human relationships. In this fast-paced life, we have stopped appreciating small pleasures. We get overburdened and bothered by materialism. This leads to stress and burnout. This has been affecting our emotional and physical health across age groups. Practising appreciation and gratitude in our daily lives is an art and one can master this through small actions that do not cost much, but give us tremendous returns.
Human beings crave appreciation and importance. We want to be popular. No one likes to be criticised. But, not all criticism is unfounded; we need to cultivate a positive attitude and appreciate those who care enough about us to be critical. It is also true that few people make the effort to appreciate something good. How often do you appreciate someone?
Expressing appreciation can work wonders not only in the one who is being appreciated, but also in you.
People Are Assets
Most new ideas are delicate and fragile. Handle them with care. Most new ideas die prematurely
as they are unable to pass critical barriers. The more important the idea, the greater the resistance. When unusual suggestions are made, our first reaction is to reject them outright. Instead, treat every idea like a baby and nurture it carefully. Out of 10 suggestions, one may turn out to be a brilliant one that could transform our lives.The art of appreciation opens our minds to new ideas.
Trust people.When we trust someone, it means we appreciate what he does.Trust and appreciation energises people to do better work. Appreciation helps people to be loyal and trustworthy. It is like watering a sapling, encouraging it to grow into a big tree, which will ultimately bring numerous benefits.
Negative people who tend to push us down can be motivated to change through appreciation. Their attitude comes out of the neglect they feel or think that their suggestions are always rejected. Giving them importance and respecting their views by appreciation is the best way to bring long-term benefits. Most of us tend to find fault with others, instead of appreciating what is good in them. People are assets; we need to look for their strong points. All of us have both strong and weak points. If we appreciate their good work, however small it may be and not keep harping on their weaknesses, we develop a friendly approach. We should never become a fault-finder, because nobody is perfect. The ability to appreciate is a beautiful quality available to everyone in every circumstance; so too, being thankful for life’s little treasures, grateful for the opportunity to begin the day where you are, appreciating the perfect place your karma and God’s grace have brought you to. Appreciation is life-giving. Depreciation without appreciation is heartlessly destructive. Yet, it is the all-too-common way of our times.When something is done that is good, helpful or loving, it is often overlooked, or taken for granted. No acknowledgement is shown, no gratitude expressed. But if a shortcoming is seen, everyone is swift to point it out!
Gratitude is a positive, enabling quality. Its opposite, ingratitude, is a quality of the external ego. When we abide in soul-consciousness, we give thanks for whatever we have, no matter how little or how much. When in ego-consciousness, we are never grateful or satisfied, no matter how much we have.
Achyuta Samanth