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As I thought about expressing appreciation to others, I realized that appreciation takes time and too often we don't want to take the time to let someone know that they have had a positive impact on us. But to me, appreciation is nothing more than communication. It is feedback. Research shows that if you get positive feedback about something that you are doing, you will continue to do it. If you want better results from people then validate them and express appreciation for them.
Sometimes we go through life and we are not really present. I had an experience that taught me about being present. I drove for 20 minutes so self-absorbed and distracted that I didn't realize that I was listening to CNN in French. I don't speak French. I had no clue what was being said and it took me 20 minutes to get present enough to realize it. Do we ever find ourselves in a similar situation in our life and in our relationships? Do we live our lives without having our head engaged? We probably go through times when our partner is serving us and we don't ever stop to think about it or say, "Thank you."
Research shows that the couples that rate themselves as healthy and happy tend to pay much more attention to the good things in life. If you get used to focusing on the good things, more than likely you will create more good things in your life. You will also feel better about life.
My challenge to you is to pay attention to the impulses and promptings that you have to express appreciation. Think of one person that you know you need to show more appreciation to. Who is it? Now, decide what you can do to show true, sincere appreciation and do it!
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