I believe in a genuine appreciation
A little show of appreciation for a good effort, good work done, goes a long way in encouraging the recipient. Many times it's easy to see the negative, the not so good and we forget to appreciate the good and positive part. Some of us focus a lot on the 10% that is not good and forget the 90% that is great. I appreciate every effort that someone makes be it towards me, or towards anyone if I notice it.
Appreciation is good when it’s genuine, honest, and not a flatter. We could do it by word of mouth, slipping notes, sending cards, texts, gifts, or spending time. It’s all about how creative you can get and what it means to you. Most of us yearn for appreciation and whenever we don’t receive it, we get disappointed. Some have come up with ways of dealing consciously with the fact that they may never get appreciated and they let it go. Some also feel uncomfortable if they get openly appreciated. But these are in the minority.
Showing a genuine appreciation and living a lifestyle of always showing appreciation is a great gift to humanity. It's about being someone who cares for others. It's showing compassion to others. It's a good way to show someone that you care so much about them to notice what they are doing and appreciate them for it. This boosts the morale of the person being appreciated. They feel they are worth something; they feel they belong. It helps people believe in themselves. It’s important to know that what you believe in about yourself is what you communicate or showcase to others. This has a huge impact on how we interact, how we do what we do and why we do what we do.
A lot of people lack people who believe in them. People who see beyond their current status, struggles, misfits and can hold their hands to affirm them. We are so consumed with what they can't do and because of that, we write them off. They don’t fit in. As such, we have people who have given up cos no one sees anything good in them. Someone asked, can anything good come out of Nazareth. Jesus in his 3 years of work, spent a lot of his time with people we would ordinarily consider unqualified. But those are the people Jesus chose to work with. He chose to build a movement with these misfits. He spent time with people who the society would consider unfit. But being who He is, He saw beyond what we are quick to spot. He saw the heart and commitment of these misfits and He appreciated that.
I strongly believe that there is no dustbin for human beings and I have written about this in the past. Everyone has something they are uniquely wired for. If you can’t see it, maybe you are not the right person for them. We all know that before you see something it’s not easy to spot it, but the minute you see and notice something, you spot it everywhere. That’s how our brains work. So instead of declaring people to be good for nothing, you’d rather have an open mind when interacting with them. Genuinely appreciate them for who they are. If you can’t appreciate, don’t call them out. Don’t make them feel they are not worth anything.
I challenge you to learn the art of "Calling People Up" as opposed to "Calling People Out". Calling people up is genuinely appreciating people even when you feel they don't deserve it. Calling people out leads to disempowerment, stifled growth, conflict, and drama. Calling people up, in other words, appreciating people, leads to empowerment, fulfilled potential, collaboration and liberation. Have you ever been called out? Have you ever called people out?
As a follower of Jesus, how do you call people up? How do you let people realize their worth even if you feel they don't deserve it? How do you appreciate the 10% if you are surrounded by the 90% that’s not right? How do you make people feel great about themselves? How do you show people that you believe in them? This is for all, no matter who you are, be it at home, work, friends, etc.
People always vaguely remember what you say, they may not remember the tools/materials you used but they will remember how you made them feel. All of us remember very well how we felt the last time we were appreciated, but we also remember how we felt when we were never appreciated.
If this resonates with you, seek to Call People Up as opposed to Calling People Out. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with… Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of appreciating others with. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.
Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…
By Gabriel Achayo
Amazing piece. Appreciation has done wonders for me. The little you can say thank you for carries with itself a million worth of ease, happiness and sometimes, just self comfort. Cheers Mr Gabriel
ReplyDeleteGreat content. Secret appreciation is a miracle to others. Thank so much Gabriel.Congrats.Ndege
ReplyDeleteSuper,worth reading
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