I was looking at the stats and saw that my article Appreciation Speech, was one of the top searched for items on here. I guess there are a lot of people out there with something to appreciate. Or perhaps you were looking for something else. Anyways, since enough people are curious about the topic, it makes sense that I explore it further with you.

Each morning, or whenever suits you, be sure to look around and count all the things in your life you are grateful for. Keep going, perhaps even write them down. For extra credit, send your loved one an email, with a list of all the things you appreciate about him or her.

What does appreciation have to do with personal development? It is a philosophy, "An attitude of grattitude." You need to live your life being grateful for all that is in it. As you open your eyes to what is out there, you see more of the positive. It's like the comparison of optimists and pessimists - the world is no different, but the optimists have more fun.

It also reminds me of the book, The Celestine Prophesy. There is an insight in the book which speaks about appreciating the beauty in nature. I think that nature itself does not change, but when you open yourself up to what is there, you somehow connect with the divine, and draw energy from it.

After reading that book, I would wander around looking at trees and appreciating how nice they looked. I did not get any mystical experiences, but it did not hurt me any. If you realize that trees make the oxygen we need to breathe, and without oxygen we would not last long, then you start to appreciate trees even more.

I've talked about how appreciation affects the one who appreciates, but how does it affect those who are appreciated? Well everyone likes to feel appreciated. When you know that you make a difference in the lives of others and they recognize it, it gives you a lift. It makes you feel like you did something worthwhile. Although people may not admit to doing things in order to receive gratitude, they certainly enjoy receiving it from others.

I used to wear a bright colored shirt on days I needed cheering up. When others saw it, the shirt would brighten their day, and they would reflect it back on me. With all the people smiling at me, I could not remain down for long. It is kind of like that when people appreciate you and appreciate what you do.

In management training, we used to talk about deference. That is paying respect to people higher up in the corporate hierarchy. To appreciate people is very similar to that. Going back briefly to The Celestine Prophesy, to focus on others like this is to give them energy which gives them a boost.

Perhaps at the bottom of this post you would like to add your own comments regarding appreciation. I would appreciate that! :-)

For how to write an appreciation speech, click here

Duncan