Showing Appreciation

Every human being needs to feel appreciated. Since we are unable to read each other’s minds, as much as we would like to, we need to actively show people how much we appreciate them. Showing appreciation passes positive energy from one person to another. It can positively affect someone’s day, week or entire life.

An example of this is the story of a man who used to walk to work each morning past a jewelry shop that had a large clock in the window. The man always checked his watch against the clock in the window. One day, as he was going to work, he did his usual stop and checked the clock. As he stood there, the owner of the shop came out and asked him why he looked in the window every morning. Was there something that he wanted to buy? The man said no, this was not the reason he stopped and looked into the window.

“I’m the person who blows the noon whistle in town each day,” he told the shopkeeper. “Every morning I check my watch against the clock in the window to make sure my watch is correct.”

The jeweler couldn’t believe his ears. He said to the man, “I set my clock in the window each day by the noon whistle.”

This story not only reminds me of how interconnected we all are, but of the many people who do small things every day that we set our lives by. They deserve our appreciation. How many times have we heard about people in the depths of despair who find their lives unexpectedly changed because of the kind words of a stranger? What about people who felt inspired to achieve remarkable goals because a stranger showed appreciation? As an unknown author wrote so poignantly, “To the world you may be just somebody, but to somebody you may just be the world.”

Excerpt from 'LifeManual' by Peter H. Thomas. www.lifemanual.com. Copyright 2005, 2006. All rights reserved.

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