Learn to Give Thanks and Appreciation to Those People Around You
Learn to give thanks and appreciation to those people around you.
Music: “Fusion of Peace” by Luc Gaylie
Learn to give appreciation to those around you: In everyday life you have many oppotunities to give appreciation. Growing up with cerebral palsy and being special needs has taught me to be appreciative to all of the people around me. In daily life, I am thankful for the help I recieve from my family, my friends and every action I am able to do. This past week, I celebrated my twenty-third birthday and I received an outpouring of support from my family, friends and followers on social media.
Especially during trying times such as these, it is especially important to find things to appreciate in daily life. As I am not able to do a lot of things that I would normally do over the summer, or in daily life due to restrictions, I have to work that much harder to find things to appreciate in life. I appreciate all the supportive people in my life near and far. I appreciate the supportive network of people in my life via social media; I appreciate the people who allow me to walk, excercise and bike every week.
While your life may not have, as obvious challenges, as mine, we all have challenges; where someone, directly or indirectly, has influenced it for the better; and as a result, we should be thankful and appreciative towards them. Perhaps in your life there is a online friend, or classmate whom you talk with. There doesn’t have to be anything directly tangible, but if you enjoy spending time with that person, you should thank them for hanging out and tell them that they are appreciated. The positive effect that this brings is tremendous.
What you put out in the world, you get back. When people feel appreciated you make them feel better. As a result, you feel better too. This not only improves your mood, but also your productivity, lowers your stress, and improves your quality of life when you are able to tell someone that they are appreciated.
Unlike my previous example, you don’t have to know the person all that well. You can tell the mail person or the pizza delivery driver. No matter who it is, if someone is doing something for you that you benefit from, you should tell them that you appreciate them and thank them for their support. This holds true no matter how small of an act it may be.
I give thanks to everyone for every small action, even a ‘hello’. Simply being recognized is something I am appreciative of. It may not be a verbal thank you as I take a long time to communicate with my VMax computer; however, it may instead be a genuine smile from me to others. For able bodied people it can be a quick ‘thank you’ or ‘I really appreciate that’. Whatever it may be, you feel better when you are appreciative for things in life.
People always say that there are two types of people: positive people and negative people. While the world is not as white and black as this, I subscribe to being a positive person. I will always be appreciative no matter how bad something may be. If there is someone doing something extra; or someone, who is able to make a bad time, no longer be, a bad time alone, I thank and appreciate them.
In your own life, you may not face challenges like mine, and I may not face challenges like yours. I’m certain there are countless challenges that we all face each and everyday alone, or seemingly alone. If you feel that there is no one who shares your challenge, that may be true, but you can share it with them. Ask a friend to listen to you, vent for a few minutes, or hire someone to hear you vent, and give you proper counsel. Regardless, if you share your challenges, you may find that other people share your challenges as well, and then you should thank them and tell them how you appreciate everything that they’re doing for you.
At the end of the day, no one is alone, no one is an island. It may feel that way sometimes and there will be both bad times and good times. However, if you show appreciation and thanks to others, whether you’re trying your best pushing through challenges as a special needs public speaker with cerebral palsy; or a ‘normal’ human who feels that there is no one with proplems like them. If you show appreciation and thanks to those people around you, you will be able to fend off the challenges just a little bit easier. With the people around you becoming a support network for each other.
They support you and you support them, just like you all did for my birthday this past week. Thank you! I really appreciated it 🙂