“How many of us have had things taken away in life, only to appreciate it when it was gone,” is the opening line that Mike Robbins gave in his Ted Talk: The power of appreciation.
In this TED Talk, Mike Robbins, a former professional baseball player, discusses the power of appreciation. He discusses how he put years and years into playing baseball, and then one day, he threw a pitch and tore his ligaments in his elbow. His baseball career abruptly ended. In this talk, he discusses how he was so focused on the next step and becoming the best that he wasn’t able to appreciate the journey and the joy that baseball brought him.
Appreciation is a pivotal part of life.
I don’t think we realize how much of an impact appreciation has on us. Sometimes in the pursuit of our goals and dreams of where we are headed, we forget to appreciate the present. Appreciation impacts our relationships and how we feel about ourselves. However, the sense of feeling valued enables people to remain at workplaces and feel fulfilled. Appreciation is felt when people pour into each other. Mike Robbins espouses that it is not about recognizing results and performance. Recognition is limited and based on performance whereas appreciation is about recognizing the value of people.
Mike Robbins talks about three things that can help introduce appreciation into an environment:
1. Understanding what makes us feel appreciative. Often times it is something simple and personal like a compliment or the happiness we bring to others.
2. Practicing appreciating others. This means recognizing the value of others without having to be best friends or even liking someone. This means checking in with people on how they are doing, not just what they are doing.
3. Start receiving compliments. This is a way that we accept that we have value and we model appreciation.
When you have a moment, I highly suggest taking time to watch this TED Talk.
