10 reasons why appreciation is important

Do you remember the time you were honestly appreciated? How did it feel to you? Amazing, Isn’t it? We all crave for appreciation because being appreciated fulfills us. Yet when it comes to appreciating others, very few of us do it whole-heartedly. We don’t really appreciate others as much as they deserve. Why is this so? Is it because we don’t care about others? No. We do care. Common reason for not appreciating others is we take them for granted. We take their excellence for granted.

Are there any benefits in appreciating others? Yes, there are. Here are the benefits of appreciating others genuinely.
1. Improves self-esteem of others: Appreciation boosts the self-esteem of others. It makes them feel acknowledged for their efforts. Little appreciation goes a long way. Money is a form valuing the work of others, but in life, many times, we cannot pay money for what others do, especially when it comes to loved ones. In such relationships, appreciation is the only way to show how much we value their presence in our lives and their work.

2. Improves relationships: When we appreciate others genuinely, and whole-heartedly, our relationship with the other person improves because when we appreciate, the other person starts perceiving us as a well-wisher and someone who actually cares. So, this helps in improving relationships.

3. Brings recognition: In this world, only a few people appreciate others. If you are someone doing it, people notice you, and you are seen as a cheerful and positive person. You are recognized due to this simple act.

4. Improved innovation: This is a surprising benefit of appreciating others. Your ability to innovate improves, and you end up contributing better in your workplace when you recognize others. Research shows that innovation increases by 33% in employees who recognize others.

5. Strengthening excellence: When you appreciate others for their good work, you are indirectly strengthening this aspect in them and inspiring them to do more of good work. If you appreciate others for their excellent cooking skills, they feel motivated to become much better in cooking and do a good job every time they cook. Whatever you appreciate others, you are nurturing it and strengthening it.

6. Improved productivity: Research has shown that people who recognize others in the workplace have a 22% increase in productivity. This is a great benefit of appreciating others. When your productivity increases, you are recognized and become a valued employee of your organization.

7. Increase in trust: When we appreciate others, we are seen as trustworthy people, and this builds trust in relationships. Trust is an important factor for relationships to blossom.

8. Change in mindset: When we start appreciating others, our ability to see good around us improves. We start noticing wonderful things, wonderful people all around us, and the way we perceive life changes. We become happier and feel wonderful about life.

9. Improves leadership skills: When you appreciate people working for you, they trust you and know that they can count on you when they do a good job. They are inspired to excel in their job, and they perceive you as a great leader. They feel safe to work hard because they know they have a great leader who notices their hard work.

10. Brings happiness: Appreciation brings joy both to the giver and receiver. When you appreciate others, they feel happy, and their happiness, in turn, makes you feel good and happy.

These are some benefits of appreciation. So, whom to appreciate? Here are some pointers.
1. Self: Start your journey of appreciation with yourself. We rarely appreciate ourselves. Every day before sleeping, take out a few minutes and think about the wonderful things you have done in the day. Think where you did a good job and say words of appreciation to yourself. When you appreciate yourself, you strengthen the positive behavior in you.

2. Family members: Appreciate your close family members. Our family members do so much for us in some way or the other. Recognize their wonderful qualities and good things they do and whole-heartedly appreciate them.

Family members
3. Peers: Appreciate your peers in the workplace. When someone does a good job in your team, send out a mail of appreciation. It makes a great difference to the other person. Many people think it’s the job of managers to appreciate others, and its none of their business. You need not be a manager to appreciate your peers. Anyone can appreciate anyone in the workplace.

4. Workers and maids: Appreciate your workers and maids when they perform well. It’s a wrong notion that when you appreciate your maid or worker, they demand more money. On the contrary, their job satisfaction improves, and they stay longer.

5. Anyone: Appreciate anyone doing anything right. It does not matter who they are. They could be your friends, relatives, colleagues, and even strangers. A small word of appreciation makes a huge difference because many people are starving from lack of appreciation.

So, how to appreciate others? Below are some pointers.
1. Be genuine: Appreciate only when the other person has done a good job. Be genuine in your appreciation. When you falsely appreciate someone, the other person stops valuing your appreciation.

2. Be specific: When you appreciate someone, a generic ‘good job’ does not add much value. Be specific as to what made you appreciate the other person. The more specific you are in your appreciation, the more valuable your appreciation becomes. For example, if a child excelled in cricket, you can appreciate as – “I loved the way you have done batting. Your sixer was great.”

3. Be public: When you appreciate someone, do it in public whenever it is possible. Let others know about it. This compounds the value of your appreciation.

4. Be prompt: When someone does a great job, appreciate as soon as possible. When you delay appreciation, it loses its charm.

5. Talk about the outcome: When someone did a great job, tell how it helped you. Mention the value it added to you in your appreciation.

These are some pointers on how to appreciate. Don’t underestimate the power of your appreciation. Your few words of genuine appreciation go a long way in building others. So don’t let your shyness or any other reason stop you from appreciating. Appreciate others and contribute to a positive world.

Stay happy!