It was my youngest daughter’s birthday so a reason to celebrate. I put time in my schedule to pick both my daughters up after school for a special treat of ice cream. Now, this is a treat because in our home our daughters know the routine that after-school snacks must fit within a state of healthy boundaries. And, ice cream is not on that list! I was looking forward to the time of celebration and enjoying a special treat together. However, when we got to the restaurant, instead of an attitude of enjoying what was given, I was overcome by attitudes that what was given was not enough. Someone was grumbling about wanting more menu items instead of enjoying what they had. Then, there was the conversation about comparing each others birthdays and who had received more. I was deeply disappointed by their lack of appreciation and gratitude.
We can also experience this same type of attitude in the workplace. As a leader, you may feel that you seek to provide the best pay, benefits, working conditions, etc., but the response is that it is not enough. If you were to reflect on your own attitude, you might also recognize where you have been lacking in appreciation.
We cannot force others to change their attitudes; however, we can mold a culture. Instead of not enough, appreciation brings contentment and peace within ourselves and within any workplace or home. Here are some practical steps to promote it.
Appreciation is Promoted by Remembering
One of the strongest ways to combat an attitude of “have nots” is to remember what we “do have.” When was the last time you reflected on something you were grateful for? A strength of leaders is to be future oriented, but we also need to remember the good around us to fuel us up.
Remember a specific time you were grateful. But, don’t just think about it in passing. Take time to sink into the feeling of that appreciation. What does it feel like? Now take that memory and experience that feeling throughout your day.
We can also be creative in encouraging those around us to remember appreciation. A client who is an executive of her organization, asked all of her staff to think about what they would like to give to the organization and to write notes of what they were thankful for about their organization. She was deeply touched by what staff wrote, and it became a time of encouragement for all.
Appreciation is Promoted by Noticing
Appreciation can become a habit. This happens by developing a disciplined outlook that notices the good throughout your day as you live it. When something happens that you are grateful for, take time to appreciate it right then. You could just appreciate it in your present thoughts. You could also write it down. I have a colleague who keeps a “gratitude jar” with a note pad next to it. Whenever anyone in her family has something they appreciate, they write it down and put it in the jar. They then read all of the notes at Thanksgiving.
You can also apply appreciation in the moment with others. When someone does something you appreciate, speak it out. Express thanks or praise for a job well done. Begin to notice how you can appreciate others throughout the day and then act on it.
Appreciation is Promoted by Hopeful Thinking
Leaders need to be looking ahead to keep a movement going forward. Strengths of being strategic and problem solving can be a part of this. With a hopeful perspective, challenges are seen as opportunities and not as negatives. However, if strategy and problem solving are taken to an extreme, they can consume us.
I can give an example from my own life. I was awoken out of my sleep one night, and my mind became consumed over an issue. I was thinking about every possible way to resolve this situation when what I needed was to sleep. I then recalled about sharing with a colleague how I had been working on developing appreciation in my own life. So, I decided right then to change my thinking to reflect on things I appreciate, and I very quickly fell asleep.
Appreciation is more than thoughts. One of its benefits is that it releases a restful state of mind. Be aware of when your mind is being consumed versus needing to be at a state of rest. Thoughts and feelings of appreciation can bring us to hope and rest. Think of how you can be a model of this to others and the benefits it will bring as they follow your example.
Appreciation brings contentment and peace within you and to those around you. It is well worth the benefits to pursue it. How will you promote appreciation in your life and with others today?