Today is day three of the Relationship Challenge. I hope that you had a chance to use encouragement and kindness over the last couple of days to try and lift someone up and motivate them in a positive manner. You will find out when going through these exercises that the little things mean more than you really think in most relationships and friendships. Continue to work on the past days exercises and progress forward and continue to experience the difference they make in your own life.
There are times in life when individuals do little things to help others out and it is not really recognized or acknowledged by others. This tends to be interpreted by that individual over time that they are not making a difference or that the other person doesn’t really care about what they do. This can be in a job, friendship, relationship or about any situation that you find yourself in. For example, a manager that lifts up their employees and lets them know that they are valued, will typically get a different response from employees than one that does not take that approach. This leads into todays exercise of appreciation.
Todays challenge is to participate in at least one act of appreciation. If someone does something for you and they know that you appreciate it, it will be taken in a more positive manner and will result in them continuing to assist you or help you. When appreciation is not given, it usually doesn’t take to long before the person helping out feels that they are doing it for no apparent reason and it slowly goes by the way side. I have seen this happen in many relationships.
When people get together, they are real excited to thank the other person or let them know that they liked and appreciated what the other person did for them. It doesn’t take long for someone to maybe just not continue to recognize it or to assume that the other person just ‘knows’ that they are appreciated. This is a downward spiral trap that you want to avoid. If someone does something for you, it doesn’t take much energy to acknowledge it with some sort of appreciation. This will keep their spirits high and let them know that you are thankful for them. So make it a point today to let others know that you appreciate what they do for you and see the difference that it makes in your own eyes.