The Appreciation Blog

It seems that appreciation is more thought of than expressed.

I think that the reason for this is the mindset of individuals that if something is repeated too often, it's not special; the statement becomes "cheap."  What I mean by "cheap" is that it holds little to no value to the person receiving the compliment since he/she hears it all the time.  I think we should all take a minute and think about this.

If asked in an interview what one of my greatest strengths is, I'd probably respond with my strong work ethic.  I think that's a common answer for most of us, and since a lot of us use it, it doesn't make us stand out from the crowd.  After I say that, I ask for a moment to explain.  For one thing, I'm my worst critic when it comes to my work, and I think that's what forces me to work harder to do my job.  It's as if I'm competing against myself to win some sort of challenge.  I'm always trying to outdo myself.

I usually leave this part out of my answer, but in order to do this, I tend to overwork myself - work when I'm sick (yeah, I'm that person), stay late, work through my lunch hour, work at home, etc.  Some of you probably think this is a shame.. and some of you are the same.exact.way.   

If asked in an interview what one of my greatest weaknesses is (even though I've only been in one interview that this question was asked), I'd say that in order to thrive in my position, I need positive reinforcement for performance.  Some of you probably don't think that's too bad, but it's actually kind of embarrassing.  I wish I could say that I don't care what other people think, but it's not true.  I really care what other people think.  I care so much that if I do something or produce a piece of marketing material, I need to find someone to show it to so I can receive that positive feedback.  And if I don't receive the positive feedback, I'm often left feeling disappointed.

In the non-profit world, your salary doesn't reflect how much appreciation your employer has for you, and because of that, the positive reinforcement makes that much more of an impact.

The reason for this blog is to tell you two great things that were said to me today about my performance at TBY.
1.  "You are the best thing that has happened to this Temple in years.  I have no idea how you could be so young and be so good at what you do.  We're so lucky to have you."
2.  "I don't know what we would do without you.  Do you know how great you are?"

Now, this blog wasn't written to toot my horn or ring my bell.  It's supposed to remind us of an important life lesson.   Just like you tell individuals you love that you love them, tell the people that you appreciate that they are appreciated.  Tell them everyday... tell them in different ways.  Give reasons for why you appreciate them.  Saying it over and over does not cheapen the compliment.  Appreciation is no good unless it's expressed. 

And who knows, you'll probably make someone's day... and they might write a blog about it.