APPRECIATION

Sorry for the long break and thanks for your time again. This promises to be an eye opening and interesting write-up that will get you thinking, so let’s go!!

 Appreciation can simply be put as recognizing (admiring, respecting, valuing, regarding etc.) the good qualities of something or someone. We should always take out time to show appreciation to people who have affected us in some way or the other and even to ourselves too (I’m pretty and I know it!! Not waiting for conviction from anyone anywhere. *giggles*).

The opportunity you have to appreciate someone might just be the last. I lost a dear friend last Friday and still haven’t gotten over the fact that he left without hearing some important words from me *sobs*.

Have you ever had the chance to say a simple ‘Thank you’ to your parents for stuff they’ve been through to see you come this far; your siblings for being so wonderful or maybe for not being worse than you may think they are (at least they haven’t killed you... lol); those friends who have made little little impacts on your life somehow; that colleague that always wants to get you out of a bad mood; that neighbor that always inquires about your well-being; those friends that don’t see checking on you as a waste of call credit (even your flashers...hehehe); that kiosk owner that gave you back your money when you mistakenly overpaid him/her; that little child whose funny input saved you from a costly mistake…… and the list can go on and on.

Below is an interesting story I came across and would like to share:

John went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the initial interview, and now would meet the director for the final interview.
The director discovered from his CV that that John’s academic achievements were excellent. He asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?” John answered “no”. 
Director: Was it your father who paid your school fees?
John: My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid my school fees.
Director: Where does your mother work?

John: My mother works as clothes cleaner.
The director requested John to show his hands and he showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect. the director asked if he had ever helped his mum wash and John replied "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, my mother can wash clothes faster than me."
The director said, “I have a request. When you go home today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning"
John felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back home, he asked his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son.
John cleaned his mother’s hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother winced when he touched them. This was the first time John realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him pay the school fees. The bruises in his mother’s hands were the price she had to pay for his education, his school activities and his future. After cleaning his mother's hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother. That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

The next morning, the Director noticed the tears in John's eyes, when he asked: “Can you tell me what you have done and learned yesterday in your house?”. John narrated how he had cleaned his mother's hands and finished washing all the remaining clothes. then he added “I now know what appreciation is. Without my mother, I would not be who I am today. By helping my mother, only now do I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done on your own. And I have come to appreciate the importance and value of helping one’s family.”
The director said, “This is what I am looking for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life.”
“You are hired.”
John worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and worked as a team. The company’s performance improved tremendously.

Don’t see people’s goodness to you as an entitlement!! A child who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted would develop an entitlement mentality, and would always put himself first irrespective of what it would cost other people. He would be ignorant of his parents’ efforts and forget that there are parents who don’t care how their children are fairing. He would want everything to be about him and expect everybody to listen and attend to him at his own time. Some parents are so protective in showing love that they completely drive appreciation away from their children. You can let your child have all the good things in life but let him learn life’s little lessons too. When you are cutting grass, let them have a little experience of it; when school is on break let them go shopping with you and see how expensive those stuff they use lavishly could be; let them see how you cut down on costs so that they’ll have regard for money when it’s in their care; after a meal, let them wash their plates (not because you can’t hire a maid but because the maid won’t be with them everywhere and all the time); teach them appreciation. Let them understand that no matter how rich their parents are, one day, these parents will not be there to pamper them anymore, that these parents will grow old and need to be taken care of by their children. The most important thing is that your child learns to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and the child learns to work with others to get things done, appreciating each person and knowing that every little effort is a plus to the big success.  

Have the appreciation spirit if you must receive more. Always bear it in mind that anywhere you find yourself in life is not a parking space but a passing phase, what you do with the people you meet there will greatly affect what they’ll do with you when things turn around.

Question: If the least member of your staff stumbles on information about a gang up against you, will he/she reveal it to you?

I'll love to hear from you, so kindly leave your comments. Thanks