During this time of thanksgiving many people take the opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation to the people in their lives and for what they have as well. When we express gratitude or appreciation it’s good to remember to be specific. For instance, instead of saying “thank you for being in my life”, you could consider saying “thank you for being in my life and always inspiring me to be a better version of myself”.
Specificity matters. Instead of simply acknowledging to someone “You look lovely," you could consider rephrasing the sentiment so that you are more specific by saying “You look lovely. I like what you’ve done with your hair.”
Being specific tells the other person to whom you are expressing gratitude and appreciation that you are aware of how they’ve contributed to your life in a unique way. Narrowing in on the "how" and "why" of your gratitude toward another reflects that you have taken the time to really look at the other person and the ways that he/she has affected your life. By sharing this understanding to the people you appreciate, you are making a difference in their lives by reflecting back their greatness.
I’ll leave you with a quote from my guru on gratitude and appreciation. He truly taught me so much about this simply by being a wonderful example of a person that lived with these qualities always in hand. He always made me feel that he appreciated everything that I did. It truly is one wonderful way of telling someone you love them.
So, show appreciation for every little thing that comes your way. Whether you express this verbally or not you can still express appreciation inwardly by acknowledging to yourself how grateful you are for what you have in your life.
“Gratitude and appreciation are the key virtues for a better life. They are the spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt and sadness, the medicine which heals subjective states of mind, restoring self-respect, confidence and security.” ~ Gurudeva
