Appreciation

Appreciation simply put means acknowledging the good in others. It can mean showing some love and concern to others either because of their good looks, or their contribution to make life better for others. Life’s lessons abound that teaches us that if we appreciate people for what they have done, they tend to do more. Unfortunately ours is the world where we think of ourselves more than others and the contributions of others do not seem to mean much to us.

Who we are today is only possible because of the contributions of others; therefore we should be appreciative of others. Our parents have done much for our existence. Our forebears made a lot of contributions that have shaped the world for us to excel and achieve our dreams. Do we always show them appreciation and love? Not all the time. We often hear parents complain over the bad treatments they received from their children. William Shakespeare, in King Lear captured the truth of the ingratitude of this magnitude when he noted, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” He noted in another place, “Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.”

Many people tend to accumulate things without taking the time to enjoy what they have. They forget the wise saying of life that “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have but rather in recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” How true! How can we not take the time to appreciate nature, to smell beautiful flowers given us in abundance by God; to take a walk along the bushes and admire the tress and hear the melodious songs of the birds! This saying rings true that “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumblebee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” The world would be such a wonderful place if we could but appreciate what we have instead of complaining and whining over what we don’t have. “We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, “Why did this happen to me? Unless we asked the same question for every joy that comes our way.”

I often ask people if they love what they do. The answer surprises me all the time. Many people do not like or enjoy their jobs. They see their job as one of those chores that they must do in order to pay their bills. This is a wrong attitude towards one’s job. We should be excited to go to work every day. “The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one”. Great! Just look around you and see how happy they are who have no job. Would you really want to be one in that number?  We should be loyal and devoted to our jobs and appreciate those who made it possible for us to have it. If you are so bitter about you job, why not quit?

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” When we appreciate others, we are indirectly appreciating our creator. When we appreciate others, we appreciate ourselves in the process. Please learn to see something good in everybody and in very situation. Kindly be slow in speaking ill of anyone until you are able to say something good about everyone. Appreciate first before finding fault. “So learn everything you can, anything you can, from anyone you can – there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.”