Expressing Appreciation for a Fellow Man or Woman

There are many occasions in life when you can express your appreciation for a fellow man or woman. Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, successfully completed projects, or just because you feel like it.

Giving appreciation, but also experiencing it, can greatly enrich and deepen the relationship between people and help them establish a stable basis to build upon. [If you want to dive deeper on this one you’ll find more information in the blog post about “Importance of Appreciation in the Workplace” by CCE (link).]

The internet is full of many sayings and pre-formulated texts, but most of them are not very personal. So how do you manage to express your appreciation for a fellow man or woman in such a way that it lands with the other person as it is really meant from the heart?

Below is a suggestion in 5 simple steps.

1. The Atmosphere makes all the Difference

Consciously take your time, go into silence. Maybe light up a candle and put on some quiet music. Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee if you want. Sit down, take a few deep breaths, and calm down.

2. Make mental Contact

Close your eyes and visualize the person you want to express your appreciation for. Look at the person with benevolence and notice how you feel.

3. Let your Mind wander

A couple of questions to suggest:

What did you experience together? What did the person say or do that you remember?

What did that spark within you? How did that make you feel? What did it do to you?

What qualities do you attribute to the person? What are they good at? What is special or unique about them? What do you see in the person that they may not see themselves?

What are you grateful to the person for?

What do you know about the other person’s desires? What do you wish for the person? What do you wish for your relationship? What are you looking forward to experiencing with this person?

4. Write everything down

Now summarize all your thoughts in writing. If the occasion is a specific one, add to your text accordingly.

5. Convey your Appreciation

Now you can refine your text a little as necessary until it appears appropriate to you. Finally, read it through again and feel yourself in to see whether your appreciation is fully expressed. When you’re done, you can think about how you want to get your message across – e.g. on a greeting card, by email, or even in person.

I hope that this suggestion will help you to express your appreciation for your fellow men and women in the future and I hope you will enjoy the process.

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