Appreciation
Appreciation: The Key to a Better Relationship with Yourself and Others
One of the most transformative practices I've tried to adopt in my journey towards personal growth is the art of appreciation. It’s more than just saying “thank you”—it’s a deep, heartfelt acknowledgement of the good in our lives and the people around us.
When I reflect on my past, I realize that I often overlooked the value of appreciating the small, everyday moments. I was so focused on what was missing or what needed to change that I rarely paused to truly appreciate what was already there. It wasn’t until I intentionally started to practice appreciation that I noticed huge shifts in my perspective and relationships.
Here’s how I integrated appreciation into my life:
Start with Self-Appreciation: It begins with being kind to yourself. I made it a daily practice to recognize my own efforts and achievements, no matter how small. I made an achievements list to see what all I had achieved in the past year and acknowledging the progress i have made however small it may seem.
Express Gratitude Regularly: I made it a habit to express genuine gratitude to those around me. Whether it was a note, a verbal thank you, or a small act of kindness, acknowledging the efforts and qualities of others helped strengthen my relationships and foster a positive environment. I also started using an app that acts as a gratitude journal (app name- GRATITUDE- self-care journal).
Reflect on Positive Moments: At the end of each day, I took time to reflect on the moments I felt thankful for. This practice shifted my focus from what went wrong to what went right, helping me maintain a balanced perspective. It takes a lot of time to learn to focus on the positive instead of the negative, but it will eventually happen and make your life all the more better
Celebrate Small Wins: I learned to appreciate the small victories and milestones, both in my personal life and in my interactions with others. This helped me build a habit of recognizing progress and effort, not just results. Since I have always just viewed my achievements as common or something that was just supposed to happen, this step was a big one.
Okay, now its time for you to look upon your lives and see how you can fit appreciation into it.
- What does your foundation look like, and how does appreciation fit into your life?
- How can appreciating others more deeply transform your relationships and perspective?
Appreciation is one of the values taught in the Inner Goals Development course, you can learn more about it here.
@luffyisthekingofthepirates I'm actually full of gratitude, and thank God everyday for this wonderful magical world. I appreciate small and big things. I'm grateful I have a real bed to sleep in now, and I have clothes and real food to eat. I get to see the birds flying past, and every day I can I go sit outside and watch the sunrise, I'm grateful for the miracles that happen all around us everyday, I'm thankful I'm alive ❤❤
@Tinywhisper11
Those are some of the greatest things to be thankful about ❤️❤️
@luffyisthekingofthepirates
Appreciation and gratitude have the power to change lives. I know, I have seen it change lives right before my eyes!!
I first learned about being thankful and appreciating myself and others from a neighbor. This neighbor taught me about many of the qualities found in the IDG framework. He didn't live in my direct neighborhood, but nevertheless, I saw him everyday. His name was Fred, and here are some of the things he said,
"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has- or ever will have- something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression."
"I don't think anyone can grow unless he's loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be."
"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person."
"It's really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course, it's the opposite that's true: What we are ultimately determines what we do!"
"Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people."
"Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors."
"You can't really love someone else unless you really love yourself first."
“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”
Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”
“Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.”
“At the center of the Universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service.”
"It's good to be curious about many things!"
“You are special. You’re special to me. There’s only one YOU in this wonderful world.”
"In a way, you’ve already won in this world because you’re the only one who can be you."
“When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the façade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way."
^^^ I use that last one a lot when I officiate weddings. I actually use a lot of his quotes and teachings in weddings. I feel like everything he said was so profound! I think it was because he always came from an authentic and beautiful place of love!
@TheGirlWhoFeltTooMuch
I think it's beautiful how much of an impact he made in your life.
