Appreciation of abundance in life

Do you really appreciate the abundance in your life by the universe? How do you feel if you have really worked hard on something, and nobody acknowledges it, leave alone appreciates you for the service? Then someone comes along and recognizes what you have done and admires your sincerity. At that moment, what’s the feeling inside you? Do you feel valued, encouraged, worthy, and inspired to serve more?

This just reveals how powerful appreciation is. You could make an enormous investment in a relationship by simply offering encouraging words. And it costs you nothing. And the gains are tremendous- heart felt blessings of the other person.And if we could resolve to genuinely appreciate and thank at least five people every day, for what they are doing, and for who they are, you’d be amazed by the blessings that you earn.

This is rather different from flattery, which is simply an insincere technique to manipulate others. Appreciation on the other hand is sincere; it’s a universal principle that spreads goodness and love, within and without. Soon we’d realize that gratitude and appreciation is the best gift we give not to others, but to ourselves. Studies have shown that the greatest emotional need of human beings is to feel appreciated. And paradoxically, when we offer this gift to others, we receive abundantly from the universe.

Unlike money, which if you give away you get poorer, giving appreciation makes you emotionally as rich as the person receiving your thanks. I learnt this lesson recently when after an unpleasant management meeting I was travelling in a taxi. I was disturbed in the mind, and meanwhile the ride, which usually takes a half hour, took longer. I was irritated by the events in the meeting, and also angry at few people. I tried to relax, but found it difficult, as my mind, agitated by the preceding events, grumbled on. In my disturbed state, I noticed the roads were overcrowded with cars blaring their horns, and pedestrians rushing on the roads, in utter disregard to traffic rules. However my driver was sensitive to not honk at other vehicles. I was surprised to see my cabbie patient with the traffic.

And after we reached the destination, I paused to thank him for his considerate driving. I also confessed I was disturbed, and his quiet tolerance of other vehicles helped me reorganize myself mentally. He felt elated; he profusely thanked me for appreciating him, and then made a candid confession. When he started the car, he had seen me from his rear view mirror, and realized I was piqued at something. He consciously chose to please me, and he was glad it helped me. I felt touched, and again thanked him. Soon we parted, never to meet again. That very instant I felt all my frustrations evaporate. Offering genuine appreciation and receiving kindness had a magical effect on my consciousness.

Moreover, the rest of the day passed on smoothly as other services engulfed my mind. That evening as I reflected on the day’s events, a realization dawned upon me. If an occasional positive exchange with a stranger made me so happy, what incredible treasure awaits me if I make appreciation a regular practise with people who matter to me? It’s true that sometimes what we receive from others could be the opposite of what we give in this world. However if our spiritual practises are strong, then a lack of appreciation from this world is a temporary trial. And to pass this exam we need to understand that appreciation is not an isolated practise.

We’ve to integrate it with patience and fortitude; patience to hold on till God reciprocates, and heroic courage to face criticism or lack of reciprocation from others. But everything will soon fall in place; the world is an echo, and we eventually get back what we give. We are persons who never appreciate our mother's for a yummy dish, subordinates for a good work, teachers for a good lecture, priests for a great sermon, siblings for their achievements ; no wonder you won't believe my first statement.

We can criticize Di Caprio for his acting, James Cameron for his direction, Barack Obama for his leadership, Roger Federer for his serves, Yes! we can! On the flip side, its hard like hell to appreciate any of them for their achievement in front of others. I know many of you did appreciate these famous people but what about the people near and dear to you? Human beings are always hungry for appreciation and recognition. Most of them want to establish themselves as an achiever and get rewarded for that. These same humans are ignoring the fact that others are also like them.

Rewards do not necessarily mean anything materialistic, it can even be just a "good job" from others. Even Yogis wish to be called a 'Yogi' which, in a sense, is an appreciation for the way of life they are leading. So why are we reluctant about appreciating someone? Aren't we rude to those people who have achieved something worth at least a mention, when we turn dumb and shrink our gesture to a plain smile?Ego has to be nurtured and maintained well, no doubt on that. Cheers!