The Power of Appreciation

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough” — Oprah Winfrey

Gratitude means “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

Appreciation is a feeling of contentment brought on by the discovery of something or someone of value. It’s a state of mind that makes you happy and inspires you to take action. However, it’s far from empathetic.

Possessing a grateful mindset can have a profound impact on your overall health and happiness.

According to science, being grateful for everything life throws at you has numerous benefits. As a result, it raises your self-confidence, improves your mental health, lessens your ‘fight-or-flight’ instincts, and helps you sleep better.

You owe nothing to life. Stop taking things for granted and start appreciating what you have.

The Buddha discussed four things we can feel admiration and appreciation towards:

• The good within yourself
• The good within others
• The blessings of being born human
• The many advantages and opportunities you enjoy

Being appreciated has tremendous power. The receiver is the one who is most affected by your actions, not only yourself. Gratitude has an impact on even the most ordinary aspects of life, such as email response rates. 

The Ability To Appreciate Little Things In Two Steps

My school had this hymn, and we sang on most days. It goes like-

When upon life’s billows,

You are tempest-tossed

When you are discouraged

Thinking all is lost

Count your many blessings

Name them one by one

And it will surprise you

What the Lord has done

However, we typically fail to see them. We fail to fully recognise them, forget them, or take them for granted.

We lose sight of them, which is a grave error.

In actuality, even minor factors have a significant effect on our life. Therefore, we must learn to discern their worth.

Appreciating the small things in life involves focusing on what nourishes and supports you. On everything that provides you with even the slightest pleasure.

It also involves cultivating appreciation by recognising the things you take for granted on a daily basis.

Appreciating the little things in life will not prevent horrible things from happening. However, you will learn how to quit focusing on the significance of negative events in your life. It doesn’t mean that you have to appreciate every moment – life occurs, and it’s not always pleasant – but when you can appreciate the little things in life, the big things won’t seem as devastating because you’re surrounded by so much good.

Consequently, you’ll find a valuable source of mental well-being.

The internet is flooded with 10-step guides to be love life for you to read. Let’s simplify living with appreciation in simple two rules. 

1) Be Easily Amazed

It doesn’t have to take much to be easily impressed.  By deliberately focusing on the positive aspects of our surroundings, we can be readily awed by the splendour of life.

To be easily amused and find value, we must:

Look for the best (it certainly is not easy, but let’s try). Appreciate the often tiny marvels that occur all around us. Concentrate on the positive qualities of individuals and situations. Let go of conceits such as “I already know that”, “I’ve seen it all” or “It’s no big deal.”

When we are difficult to please, we make it difficult for ourselves to be happy, appreciative, and fulfilled, which are essential components of a good existence.

When we are grateful for the things around us, we feel happier, have more energy, and are better able to recognise the goodness in our life. It facilitates happy feelings, strengthens connections, and increases life appreciation. It also results in increased optimism and decreased pessimism, and can even alleviate depression.

When we allow ourselves to be readily impressed, life becomes significantly more entertaining and engaging.

Appreciation is subjective at its core. People and things are only valuable (or not) if we perceive them to be so.

If you want to live a life filled with passion, achievement, and gratitude, it is in your best interest to constantly allow yourself to be really impressed.

Remember that life is a marvel and that human beings are extraordinary. You are fantastic.

These things are only significant if we pay attention to them and allow the greatness of life, people, and ourselves to influence our lives.

2) Give No Judgements, Take No Offence

Being difficult to offend does not require us to abandon our values and beliefs. It is more about choosing to accept other people and things just as they are, without judging them.

So many things that have nothing to do with us are taken personally by us. The more we respond to a situation, the less freedom and tranquilly we have.

Take a time to consider what offends or irritates you. Exist specific events or individuals who set you off?

If I make it all about the other person or the item I’m focusing on when I’m “triggered” by someone or something, I usually miss the genuine gift, the lesson, and the message (i.e., the shadow or mirror that this “bad” thing is revealing me about myself and life).

When you take the time to examine your inner self and identify your triggers, you become more self-aware and are able to comprehend what causes your feelings and emotions.

We are not helpless victims of the people and events in our lives.

It is essential not to give others control over your emotions and sentiments. People must be accountable for their own emotions.

Remember that others do not possess the ability to offend us.

As Eleanor Roosevelt so brilliantly stated, “No one can make me feel inferior without my permission.”

This phenomenon also applies to being insulted. It is a decision, and we have the ability to choose not to be offended in nearly all situations.

It is necessary to learn to appreciate life’s tiny pleasures. It will help you live a happier life and enable you to be far more appreciative of the “major things” that occur. When you are attentive to the present moment, life does not feel as hectic or mundane.

Unfortunately, the majority of us have these two things inverted. In other words, we are frequently difficult to impress and easily offended. As you may have observed, this does not serve us or others around us well. By enjoying the simple, we can begin to reverse this trend and become more easily impressed and more difficult to offend.

Living A Life From The Space of Gratitude and Appreciation

Take a moment right now to pause and enjoy all of the small things you may appreciate right now.

Look around you, go within yourself, and examine the present, concentrating on what you value. You can think about these things, discuss them with others, or write them down on a piece of paper, in your notebook, in a word document, on a blog, on social media, and in other places.

It makes no difference what guise it takes. It’s about focusing our awareness on some of the numerous little things we may appreciate right now.

While “basic,” some of these details about your health, job, and most important connections may be significant. Even if you focus on the basics, such as the fact that you have a computer or device that allows you to access this article, that your eyes are clear enough to read it, that the electricity or battery power that powers your computer or device is sufficient to keep it running, and so on, your ability to recognise and appreciate the “good stuff” in life is directly related to your level of fulfilment and enjoyment.

Make each day a day to express gratitude, gratitude, and thankfulness for what you have. You will build an abundance vibration around yourself as a result, attracting even more things to be grateful for in your life.

As you do this, you will see how lovely your life is, and the incidents that have plagued you in the past will fade away and become unnoticeable.

Change your mindset to one of thankfulness and appreciation. Then take these ideas and put them on paper. You will so reinforce the vibe of gratitude and appreciation.

There are numerous things for which you should be grateful. Things that are most physically visible in your life are probably the first to spring to mind. However, go deeper and appreciate what lies beyond the physical realm.

Examine your own and others’ attributes, characteristics, and qualities, and respect and admire them. Accept other people’s differences and be grateful for the contrast they bring to your life.

You are not required to accept it as your own, but you must allow that person to be a unique personality that they are. Allow their individuality to shine through.

Then dig a little deeper. Appreciate and be grateful for your mind and the ability it has given you to freely build your life as you like.

Be grateful that you have the freedom to create whatever you choose. Be grateful that your mind’s power is limitless. Your thoughts and beliefs of restriction are the only things that limit you and your thinking.

You will unearth a treasure chest of wealth beyond your wildest dreams if you explore and use the power of your mind and erase your restrictions. Learn to use your mind like a highly tuned tool, since it is a resource that will grow in power and refinement as you use it. You will become more powerful in creating the life you desire as a result of doing so.

Be grateful for the gift of your mind and all that it can accomplish for you. Recognize that your ability to create comes from within, not from elsewhere. It is a gift provided to you as a creative resource.

3 Questions to Appreciate Life More

“These two people are hard to find in the world. The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” — Buddha

Your viewpoint broadens as you stand on top of a mountain. Rather than focusing on your expectations, you look at the big picture. That is exactly what happens when you live with appreciation.

Naikan is an organised method of self-reflection that allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your life. Three basic yet strong questions must be answered to cultivate gratitude:

What have I received from ____?

What have I given to ____?

What troubles and difficulties have I caused ____?

Fill the blanks with whatever you want to reflect on — relationships, objects, moments, or any other aspects of your life. With these simple answers, you will be able to stem more gratitude in your everyday life.

Tapping Into The True Essence of Appreciation with TCC 2022

We’re all more needy and vulnerable than we prefer to think. Genuinely appreciating others can improve your self-esteem and enhance the likelihood that they will invest more in their work and in you. Humans have a strong desire for reciprocity.

People are lifted up when they are really recognised. It makes us feel protected at the most fundamental level, which allows us to accomplish our best work. It’s also invigorating. When our value is threatened, as it frequently is, concern takes over, draining and diverting our energy away from creating value.