Appreciation Required!

This quote by Voltaire is one of my favorites. It is true. Isn’t it? The joy that comes out of appreciating and seeing the appreciated person’s face light up is one of joy. Appreciation is the much required pill to success, in relationships and as well as at work.

We must appreciate what we have rather than fret over things that we  don’t. I agree, we are competitive, that is our nature. But life is not built on acquiring materialistic things, it is to make memories and live to the fullest. Going into self-criticism mode, which I do often, when I see someone successful. It hurts and I forget the good things that happened and the achievements that I have earned. I tell myself, you are good too, your parents are proud of you. You are one helluva of a girl. It revives me out of the self-criticism mode.

Appreciation when comes from heart, one can feel. I know, because when someone appreciates me wholeheartedly, I can feel the warmth and I am grateful. The cloud 9 feeling, you could say. When all your efforts are addressed ,looked upon and praised for ,there is a feeling of nobility and respectfulness . A bad day turns into a good one and the world seem to be a better place.

The pioneering American philosopher and psychologist William James said,” The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

We slog day in and day out, work hard and at the end when the much deserved appreciation isn’t received. Its disheartening and disappointing. Be it at workplace or relationships, it is necessary to be appreciated. Sometimes we do try to tell ourselves that we did not work for appreciation ,but wouldn’t being appreciated,be appreciated?

You take the extra mile, make an effort that is visible but your boss behaves as if that is what is expected our of you, and its nothing big, your enthusiasm for the upcoming project would just reduce.
When your spouse has made efforts to make you happy , arranged a scrumptious dinner or struggled to get a personalized gift and try to understand you in a short span of time. Try to appreciate it. Relationships just fall apart with no appreciation. And instead of appreciation fro the efforts made, if you start finding fault, the other person will completely stop respecting you. I would do that. I once made an effort and took back good food to the place where I was living as their guest. There was no appreciation, they gobbled up and found faults with not even a thank you. I did not expect appreciation ,because I am not the cook for the costly food. But a simply thank you would have sufficed. Instead they relished it as if it was my right to bring in food and that too something better than what I have given. That day I learnt few lessons, first that few people don’t just know what appreciation is and how its is to be given. Second, that was the last time something came home from my side. The person who doesn’t appreciate or even gives a thought to appreciate others is the one who expects an appreciation out of every small thing, even their daily chores. Third, is to stop investing your time and capability in relationships that don’t appreciate you.

 Few people  also don’t seem to be happy with what they have. If they have gold, they want diamonds. They just don’t appreciate the fact that from silver we moved to gold. Ain’t that worth being appreciated? Of,course it is!

Apart from appreciating others for their efforts, it’s important to appreciate what you have to. You have struggled for it and if you haven’t be grateful you haven’t because many are and have struggled.

This post is for the Day 3 of UBC