The path to a joyful and fulfilling life
is paved with appreciation…
You gingerly walk down the path; the hedge of the maze is too tall to see over and grasp what’s in front of you. You take the corner gingerly, peaking your head around first to look for signs of danger. You gasp at what you see in front of you…
A beautiful forrest pathway stretches before you and there are thousands of fireflies lighting up the sky. You catch your breath at the wondrous beauty of it. You don’t really care for bugs, but these are magical. In fact, so magical that one buzzes right up to you and starts talking.
“Appreciation is the pathway to joy. Follow me and I will teach you three of my favorite appreciation practices.” The talking firefly flutters and dips around you then flies toward the colorful blinking lights of its brethren. You follow, because - well — you don’t want to disappoint a firefly.
“Walk into every experience with appreciation first:
As you begin anything, begin it with appreciation. Appreciation is the act of recognizing the quality, value, significance or magnitude of people, things or abilities in your life. Rather than beginning with judgement and assessment, look for what is ‘right.’ This includes appreciating yourself as well.
Do your best to begin any and all things with appreciation. What do I mean by this? Let me give you some examples: When you wake up in the morning, appreciate that you are waking up in the first place. Then look around and find two to three things you can appreciate - this could be people, your surroundings, your own self (health, sound mind), etc.. When you are moving from one thing to the next in your day, find something to appreciate about what you are moving into. Normally, we look to assess and control - shift that up and look for what’s working and perfectly right, right now.
And then, last but not least, when you lay your head down to sleep, consider what was amazingly awesome about your day — or even as simple as being pleasant, enjoyable or fun. This practice will create the fertile ground of joy in which to grow your life.”
“Five Appreciations a Day
This is a simple practice that has a powerful payoff. When you find yourself complaining, criticizing, whining, or just plain unsatisfied, use your appreciation muscle and come up with five appreciations on the spot. This could be appreciations for others, the things you have in your life, what you’ve accomplished, or simply the beauty that surrounds you at any given moment. Think of it like push-ups — get down and give me five! - only instead of building your pecks, you’ll be building a more fulfilling and impactful life.”
“Imagine you lost everything…
Now, imagine it was all given back to you in this moment, right now. What would you appreciate in this moment of realization? We generally take for granted what we are used to. Most of us have innumerable things to be grateful for and appreciate. Close your eyes and let yourself really feel the loss of the things you take for granted. Feel it deeply in your body. And then open your eyes and look around. It’s all here, everything you are so blessed to have. Now — reach out and share your appreciations with those who you are grateful for.”