Leadership Thought: Are You Looking for a Project That Will Make a Difference in Another Person’s Life?

Dear Friends,

One of the greatest gifts you can give to another is the gift of appreciation. Appreciation lifts our spirits; it energizes us and reminds us that we are valued and of worth.

Appreciation is the wind beneath our wings. It keeps us going when we are ready and tempted to give in and give up.

I can’t tell you how words of appreciation have positively impacted my life.

I still have an old Bible stuffed with letters of appreciation I have received over the years. That Bible is a treasured storehouse of encouragement. Whenever I find myself down or discouraged, I simply open that Bible and out pours those notes and letters of appreciation from those who loved me and reminded me of my value. That’s what appreciation does. It values its recipient.

It is so true as the late psychologist William James reminds us that “The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”                                                                                                                                    

When we are thirsty and “the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” Benjamin Franklin. Appreciation is the water that satisfied and refreshes a dried-up spirit.

Recently I read a good reminder of the need to take time to let others know we appreciate them. The words come from the pen of Sarah Langs, an employee of the Major League Baseball Chapel ministry.

Sarah writes, “We should be telling people who aren’t dying how much we appreciate them. I don’t know how we make that a thing, but that’s really been (my) takeaway. I appreciate every single word, every single punctuation mark from every single person, but I look at people who I work with who are healthy and fine, and they’re just as appreciated, but no one’s telling them. I would love for us to have a way to tell those people that. That’s my next project.”

Appreciation opens a doorway to a person’s heart. Everyone longs to be appreciated, and when you express appreciation to another, you will have made a friend for life.

To help remind me of its importance of appreciation, I imagine everyone having an invisible sign hanging around their neck saying, “Please help me feel important.”

You might imagine that everyone you meet has a “10” on their forehead, a wonderful reminder that everyone you meet is a person of value.

I am always looking for ways to express genuine appreciation for special qualities or characteristics a person possesses. I will ask a person, “ Do you know what I like or appreciate about you,” and then I will share and affirm those special qualities or characteristics  I noted.

How do you know someone needs appreciation? Just check and see if they are breathing, and if they are, then they are a candidate for appreciation.

And the best setting in which to provide it is when others are around to hear it, for then appreciation is magnified.

One writer reminds us that appreciation, like encouragement, “is biodegradable; it has a short shelf life,” so you need to offer it consistently for people never grow weary of receiving it.

I wonder how many marriages might be renewed, employees retained, and pastors restored because someone took the time to appreciate and value them.

As Sarah Langs reminds us “that’s make appreciation our next project.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom