The words “thank you” have great power to energize your life
Though kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much.
Blaise Pascal
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
G. K. Chesterton
How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence.
1 Thessalonians 3:9 NLT
David Maddox learned through painful experience what it takes to build a business and then rebuild that business.
David and his wife, Dorothy, moved to California during the building boom of the 1950s. What better place to be if you’re a builder! It was a real wild wild West in those years. With banks almost always unavailable or unwilling to participate in a new project, builders simply put an ad in the newspaper to see if someone would answer, loan them money, and become a partner in the venture. David did a lot of building and began to gain a good reputation with his growing business.
Then he became involved in a large project that almost took his business down. The actual building went well, but unforeseen delays and problems with payments due him caused the company to be drained of all its cash. He was right back where he had started, with nothing to show for all his hard work. In a moment of discouragement, he told Dorothy, “I could have gotten a much easier job for a few hundred dollars a week, and we’d be way ahead of where we are now.”
Dorothy invited David to play a round of golf with her on a nine-hole course near their home. She knew he needed some time to think, and she figured that taking out his frustration by driving a few golf balls wouldn’t hurt either. As they played through that course, he worked through his frustration.
Dorothy didn’t have to say much. David knew from the look in her eyes that she still believed in him. He remembered that God had made him a builder, and that although he didn’t have the resources he wished he had, he did have enough to move ahead.
They decided that day to keep building, and they began to see the business turn around. Though things progressed slowly, with time and patience the business grew. There are many ways to build a business. What is special about their story is how they turned the appreciation of their assets into appreciation for God and appreciation toward others.
David had grown up in Brazil as a son of missionary parents. His brother, Paul, would become involved in ministry as an important part of Billy Graham’s early team. Although he was called to a life in business, David’s ministry was no less significant.
In their gratitude for what God had given, David and Dorothy generously began to bless people and churches all over the world. Many of the greatest Christian leaders of a generation past were encouraged and supported by their faith in giving. Although Dorothy has now been in heaven for many years, David continues in this work of faithfully encouraging and strengthening God’s people.
This ministry was also expressed in personal ways to those David was in direct contact with in his business. In his office he has what he came to call “the desk stained with tears.” Over the years, many of those he worked with came into his office to tell him through their tears that they were facing deep financial burdens. In his compassion, David often found a way to help them get back on their feet. The rebuilding of his own business allowed him to minister to many others when they needed to rebuild.
Where did David find the strength to rebuild his business when it seemed that all his work had been for nothing? What gives a person the energy to keep going when they want to give up? It’s one thing to want to rebuild; it’s quite another to get involved in the work of rebuilding every day of your life. That takes daily energy.
The place to get this energy is surprising in its simplicity. The words “thank you” hold tremendous potential for reenergizing your life.
God devotes an entire chapter of his eternal Word to Nehemiah’s appreciation for those who helped rebuild the wall. We sometimes look at Nehemiah 3 as an easy chapter to skip in our reading because it’s filled with a bunch of hard-to-pronounce names. God doesn’t waste words, and this chapter is one example among many in the Bible of the importance of saying thank you.
We see other examples: Exodus 37 in the building of the tabernacle, 1 Kings 7 in the building of the temple, Ezra 8 in the rebuilding of the temple, and Romans 16 (as at the end of many of Paul’s letters) in the building of the church.
Appreciation is the third key to putting it together again that we learn from Nehemiah. The real value of appreciation is in its result. Appreciation equals encouragement. We cannot rebuild without encouragement. We cannot do anything meaningful in life without encouragement!
Saying thank you results in encouragement both for the person who receives thanks and for the one who says thanks. The encouragement that flows from simple appreciation is one of the keys to the continued energy we need to be able to rebuild.
One of the traps we can fall into when we need to rebuild is to focus just on ourselves. We’re working so hard to put it together again that we don’t take time to think about anyone else. As long as we’re focused only on ourselves, we’re not going to find the strength we need to keep going. To be healthy, we also must focus on others. One of the simplest and most powerful ways to focus on others is to take the time to appreciate them.
Appreciation says that what someone has done is needed and noticed. The word appreciation means “to raise something in value”—like a stock holding or a piece of real estate that is growing in value. When you take the time to say thank you, you are raising up the value of a person. That’s why this list of names is worth a chapter in God’s Word, and why saying thanks is worth your time each day.
I tell David Maddox’s story in this chapter because he is one of the most appreciative people I know. You can’t talk to him for five minutes without seeing him find some way to appreciate and encourage you. I have personally benefited from his encouragement and witnessed how he gained energy for what he has built and rebuilt through the choice to appreciate the people around him.
He has a unique way of making his appreciation very practical. When David goes on a trip to encourage believers around the world, he always takes an extra suitcase with him—a suitcase filled with one-pound boxes of See’s Candies.
While involved in more extensive projects of care for the hurting as he goes to Brazil or India, he is also taking time to appreciate the people he meets along the way: a box of candy and a thank you to a flight attendant, a porter, a taxi driver, a cook, and a custodian. These simple expressions of thanks sweeten David’s spirit as much as anyone who receives the thanks.
I asked him where the practice of giving boxes of candy originated, not knowing the deeply emotional answer that would come. The habit began when his wife, Dorothy, was on the oncology floor at the UCLA Medical Center, fighting a cancer that would end up taking her life.
As David spent his hours in the hospital with her during those heartrending days, he noticed how wonderfully everyone was taking care of his wife. “Though I had the pain,” he said, “I wanted them to know I appreciated what they were doing for Dorothy.” So he gathered some boxes of candy and began to hand them out as a personal way of expressing his thanks.
With the loss of his wife, David was now facing the reality of rebuilding something much greater than a business. He would now need to live and serve without Dorothy after a marriage of forty-five years.
He began that process with simple expressions of appreciation. Appreciation enables us to see past our pain to the needs of others and empowers us to see past our successes to the importance of others.
Being able to thank others, even when in pain, is a quality I aspire to. I’m certainly not there yet. David started learning how to express thanks as a child of missionary parents. Obrigado, “thank you” in Portuguese, was a theme of his home. Most of us did not have that benefit. So where do we get started?
Nehemiah 3 gives practical insights for how to begin to say thank you to the people we work with, the family we live with, and the believers we serve with. It shows us how to develop the skill of saying thank you by being specific, sensitive, and searching.
BE SPECIFIC IN YOUR APPRECIATION
The first thing Nehemiah teaches us about being specific is there is great power in using people’s names. Instead of saying, “Hey, guys, great job,” say, “John, great job!” “Susan, that was awesome!” “Joe, unbelievable!” “Jan, wow!”
Just look at the list of names in chapter 3—the people Nehemiah calls out as those who helped rebuild the wall. I’m going to list them here, and you’re going to be tempted to skip over them and move on to the next section. But if you had been involved in the project, you would read every name to see if yours is mentioned!
| Eliashib | Malkijah son of Rekab |
| priests | Shallun |
| men of Jericho | Nehemiah son of Azbuk |
| Zakkur | Levites under Rehum |
| sons of Hassenaah | Hashabiah |
| Meremoth | Levites under Binnui |
| Meshullam son of Berekiah | Ezer |
| Zadok | Baruch |
| men of Tekoa | priests from surrounding |
| Joiada | region |
| Meshullam son of Besodeiah | Benjamin |
| Melatiah | Azariah |
| Jadon | Binnui |
| Uzziel | Palal |
| Hananiah | Pedaiah |
| Rephaiah | temple servants |
| Jedaiah | men of Tekoa |
| Hattush | Zadok |
| Malkijah son of Harim | Shemaiah |
| Hasshub | Hanun |
| Shallum | Malkijah, a goldsmith |
| Shallum’s daughters | goldsmiths |
| Hanun | merchants |
| residents of Zanoah |
For most of us, this is the Bible chapter of our nightmares. The nightmare? Going to a small group Bible study on Nehemiah where the host asks you to read chapter 3 for the group!
Let me give you some tips about what to do if you’re ever asked to read a long list of names in the Bible. Read the names confidently. No one else knows how to pronounce them either, so if you’re confident, people will think, Oh, that’s how you say that name.
You could do that, or you could be more honest and when you get to a name you don’t know, just say, “Hard name.” “Nehemiah and hard name and then hard name and hard name and hard name and the priest and hard name and hard name and the goldsmiths and the merchants rebuilt the wall.” Everybody will laugh because they don’t want to read those names either.
Forty-five different personal or group names are used in this chapter. Using a name says, “You are important.” There is nothing sweeter than hearing your name attached to an appreciation. Of course there is work for us to do here—because we don’t always remember all of the names. Taking the time to gather and remember the names is well worth the effort.
But what if you forget someone as you thank people by name? Never let the fact that you can’t recognize everyone equally keep you from recognizing someone personally. Sometimes we don’t use a name because we think we might leave somebody out. Nehemiah didn’t worry about that.
Look at Nehemiah 3:31–32: “Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants . . . and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.”
Nehemiah singled out one goldsmith as he noted that they all made repairs. The others could have felt jealous that Malkijah was highlighted. Or they could have rejoiced that one of their own was appreciated. That was their choice. But our choice needs to be to use people’s names when we say thank you.
What are the names of people you’re grateful for? The place to begin to appreciate them is to bring them to mind right now in God’s presence. Tell God you’re grateful as you say their name in prayer.
A second way to specifically give thanks is to focus on the details of what someone has done. Look at the details in this chapter! Nehemiah talks about walls and gates and beams and towers and bolts and bars. He’s recognizing each part of what the rebuilders accomplished as they built.
Mentioning a name says, “You are important”; mentioning a detail says, “What you did was important.” Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific. When it becomes specific, it has greater power.
There is little power in saying, “Thanks, everyone; great job!”; there is great power in saying, “Joe, thank you for showing up early to make sure all the tables and chairs were in place for this meeting. We had a better meeting because of what you did. We all appreciate you, Joe.”
When you take the time to give specific thanks, the research shows that it gives you a new energy for life. A Harvard Health article notes just a few of the studies that almost universally point to the power of gratitude:
Two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.1
One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Another leading researcher in this field, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tested the impact of various positive psychology interventions on 411 people, each compared with a control assignment of writing about early memories.2 When their week’s assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month.3
Suppose your doctor told you a new pill had been discovered that would give you greater happiness and energy. This pill had zero negative side effects and would cost you nothing. You’d ask the doctor to write out a prescription as fast as possible.
That’s the power of gratitude, except you don’t need a prescription or a trip to the drugstore! Take a moment right now to say thanks to the person whose name came to mind a moment ago. Include some detail as you thank them in a call, note, text, or email.
BE SENSITIVE IN YOUR APPRECIATION
Being sensitive in giving thanks means looking past the surface of the action. When we can include a comment about the motivation behind what was done, we are being sensitive. When we can take note of the significant role of the person who did it, we are taking appreciation to the next level. There are four ways to be more sensitive in saying thanks that we see modeled in Nehemiah.
Recognize the Heart behind the Action
First, recognize the heart behind the action. Nehemiah said, “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart” (Nehemiah 4:6). As he saw the heart behind what they had done together, Nehemiah specifically noted the heart of two men, beginning with Eliashib. “Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel” (Nehemiah 3:1).
What is this about building a gate and then putting doors on it? At first reading, this sounds very confusing. We think of a gate like a garden gate that swings on hinges. In that day, gate was a term that referred to the entire entry courtyards of a city. The gate of the city was an outdoor patio with divided areas where people would conduct business. So the gate had a door.
Nehemiah sees the heart behind the action when he says that Eliashib and his fellow priests not only built the gate but also dedicated it as they built it. That’s the kind of appreciation that lets someone know how deeply grateful you are for them. You recognize the heart when you see a person’s purpose. You recognize the heart when you state not just what someone did but also why they did it.
It’s saying to a group of volunteers at a hospital, “I know you did this because you really care for the patients and their families.” It’s saying to a police officer, “I appreciate your heart for keeping us safe in our community.” It’s saying to a group of parents at a child dedication, “We all know you are dedicating your child because you want to see them grow up knowing Jesus Christ, because you have a heart for them to be close to God.”
Another example of recognizing the heart behind what a person does is found in Nehemiah 3:20, where Nehemiah reports, “Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.”
Nehemiah has mentioned by name each person and the section of the wall they repaired. When he gets to Baruch, he says he “zealously repaired.” In your mind’s eye, try to picture somebody zealously repairing something. That was Baruch—he was putting his all into repairing that wall. You recognize the heart when you note a person’s character. Nehemiah recognized a character of zeal in the way Baruch lifted and placed the stones.
You’ll often see people’s character in the little things. For instance, you can see a person’s character in the way they drive a car. That’s an “uh-oh” for many of us! Let’s stay on the positive side and say you can see a person’s thoughtfulness and care for others in the way they drive.
You can see character even in the way someone eats popcorn. Some people carefully eat popcorn, one kernel at a time. Others zealously eat popcorn—handfuls of popcorn with kernels flying everywhere.
When you take the time to see a person’s character as you thank them, it shows that you’ve gone past the surface to see the heart. Jesus did this. Jesus saw the heart when he recognized a little child’s humility (Matthew 18), a poor widow’s generosity (Luke 21), and a rebuffed woman’s worship (John 12). He looked past the action to see the heart and thus teaches us to be sensitive as we give thanks.
Recognize Those Who Put In Extra Effort
A second way to be sensitive in your appreciation of others is to recognize those who do more of the work. Nehemiah writes, “Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section” (Nehemiah 3:4). Then in verse 21, he writes, “Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib’s house to the end of it.”
This is one of a number of examples of people who repaired more than one section. Nehemiah takes the time to mention all of them twice in his report. Those who go the second mile deserve a second mention. He wasn’t afraid other people might be jealous of the special recognition. They gave extra effort, so he gave an extra thank you.
Single Out Leaders for Special Recognition
A third way to be sensitive in the giving of thanks is to give recognition to the leaders. Nehemiah mentions leader after leader. Leaders are the ones who must solve the problems and face the criticism, so they’re very much in need of thanks. No one has been leading so long that they are not energized by words of appreciation. They may not do it for the appreciation, but they are certainly strengthened by it.
Leaders are important because of their influence on other people. When you say thank you to a leader, your encouragement multiplies to many others. Leaders are important because of their visibility. When you thank a leader, you are recognizing their entire team. A wise leader will take that appreciation and quickly pass it on to the people they’re leading.
As a pastor and leader for many years, I can easily see how important appreciation is to me. I don’t serve for the appreciation, but I honestly don’t think I could serve nearly as well apart from it. We’re made to need the encouragement that comes from this appreciation of others. This is why 1 Thessalonians 5:12 (NCV) reminds us, “Now, brothers and sisters, we ask you to appreciate those who work hard among you, who lead you in the Lord and teach you.”
Yes, our need for encouragement can too quickly slip into an obsessive need for notice. But the fact that we sometimes struggle should not cause us to miss the importance of the encouragement that needs to be given.
Appreciation has the power to remind leaders of what’s important. A number of years ago, Saddleback Church’s members wrote brief notes of appreciation to Chaundel and me on the occasion of one of the anniversaries of our being with the church. As a teacher, I would have loved specific appreciations about some point I had made in one of my messages—even better, if they could have quoted it perfectly and remembered the date it was taught!
The notes we received did not talk about messages, but about unscripted moments in which we had run into someone at church or in the community—about us being among the first people they had met at church or about a word of encouragement we had been able to share. More than anything, the appreciations were for brief words of prayer on the church patio for hurts they were facing.
Reading these appreciations was a powerful reminder for those many times when I might feel too tired or too busy to spend time with people on our patio. Their appreciation guided me into what’s truly important.
Offer Words of Correction When Necessary
A final way to be sensitive in expressing appreciation is to offer words of correction when necessary. Nehemiah writes, “The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors” (Nehemiah 3:5). As Nehemiah mentions those he appreciates, he also takes time to note those who didn’t do any of the work.
Honest correction can add real power to your appreciation, because people then realize you’re not just saying thanks to anyone and everyone so you can all have a feeling-positive experience. Our expressions of thanks are shown to be more genuine when we recognize that some are missing out on the blessing because they haven’t joined in the effort.
Those words of correction need to be kept in balance! Nehemiah didn’t make the mistake of spending the whole chapter talking to the people who didn’t work. He focused on the positive giving of thanks, but he wasn’t afraid to take a moment to give a word of correction. There is one verse of correction in this entire chapter of appreciation, which is a pretty good indication of the right balance.
When you give thanks for others specifically and sensitively, you’re doing some of the most important work in rebuilding. The words of thanks you give have power to strengthen people for continued growth. Stop for a moment and give specific thanks for someone right now.
Father, help me to express sensitive thanks to others. Remind me of the character behind someone’s action. Remind me of a leader who’s made a difference. Remind me of someone who’s gone the second mile. I give you thanks for them right now, and I ask you to show me an opportunity to pass that thanks along to them in some way today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
BE SEARCHING IN YOUR APPRECIATION
It’s one thing to talk about giving thanks for others; it’s quite another thing to actually do it. It’s all too easy to forget. Too often, we focus more on the fact that we’re not being appreciated than on how we can appreciate others. We need some practical ideas for remembering to say thank you.
As we read Nehemiah 3, we see that one of the ways Nehemiah remembered to thank everyone was by using a simple system. We can see it in verses 17–18: “Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. Next to him, the repairs were made by their fellow Levites under Binnui.” “Next to him . . . beside him . . . next to him”—Nehemiah remembered by going around the wall.
To become an expert at expressing thanks, you need a way to think about your thanks, to prompt your appreciation. The next few paragraphs contain some ideas about systems that can aid your memory.
Some people use the days of the week. For instance, they focus on their family on Monday, those they go to church with on Tuesday, people around the world on Wednesday, people they work with on Thursday, and government leaders on Friday.
If you are more space oriented in your thinking, use the rooms of your house or the places you go during the day. When you walk through the living room, give thanks for your family; when you go into the kitchen, give thanks for other believers; when you leave the house, give thanks for your neighbors. You can also use certain streets you drive by or subway stops to remind you to give thanks for specific groups of people.
If you are schedule focused, use your weekly planner. In each day’s schedule write a specific group of people to show appreciation toward. Or you might put on your to-do list five people to specifically communicate your appreciation to this week. You might start with just one if you’ve never done this before. One is better than none!
It helps a lot of people in this system of giving thanks to use special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. Instead of just signing your name in a card, take an extra moment to say a specific word of appreciation. How often have you received a card with just a signed name? We don’t know what to write on a card, so we pay Hallmark to do it for us. Instead, spend a few minutes jotting down appreciation for a specific action or character quality: “I’m thankful you helped me through a tough time last year.” “I’m thankful you are a kind person.” “I’m thankful you have a character marked by integrity.” Just one short sentence can make all the difference.
These systems help many people, and they may help you. There are two even more powerful ways to motivate yourself to say thank you: first, appreciate others when you’re being appreciated, and second, appreciate others when you’re feeling unappreciated. These are the two most powerful ways to motivate yourself to say thank you.
When you’re being appreciated, look for someone else to appreciate. Don’t just take it in; pass it on. I’m not talking about deflecting the thanks by saying you don’t deserve it, as if the person thanking you has made some kind of mistake. Instead, receive it with gratitude, and then give it to someone else.
Even more motivating is saying thank you when you’re feeling unappreciated. If you’re feeling that no one is noticing what you are doing, there’s someone else who feels the same way. So instead of focusing on the thanks you’re not getting, start to look for the person who needs the appreciation you feel you’ve missed out on.
Because all of us feel underappreciated at times, this one action is a complete game changer. If our feelings of not being appreciated cause us to turn inward, pretty soon no one will be giving thanks. But if they cause us to turn toward others, words of thanks and appreciation will multiply exponentially. So instead of dwelling on how unappreciated you are, encourage yourself and the other person by saying thank you to them.
THANKING GOD
In a chapter about thanking people, we cannot forget that the most important person we give thanks to is God. Let’s take some time to thank the most important Person in our lives. In these principles for thanking people, you can see some wonderful truths about how to thank God.
Nehemiah taught us to use names. So when you thank God, use his name. Jesus taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). As you use the name Father, you are thanking God that he is the caring Creator. The Bible gives many names for God that you can use when giving thanks. Here are just a few:
• Jehovah Shammah means “the LORD is there”—God is present with you. Thank him that he is present in every circumstance.
• Jehovah Rohi means “the LORD my shepherd”—God is your good shepherd. Thank him that he cares for you and guides you.
• Jehovah Shalom means “the LORD is peace”—God is your peace. Thank him for the inner calm and confidence he gives.
• Jehovah Jireh means “the LORD will provide”—God is your provider. Thank him for the way he meets your needs.
Nehemiah also taught us to talk about the details as we give thanks. Take time to delight in the details as you praise God. Psalms 103–105 provide great examples of how to do this. In these psalms, we learn how to talk to God about the details of our health and to thank him for the healing he gives. We also see how to give thanks for God’s provision of details—like air to breathe and the sun in the sky. When was the last time you thanked God for the sun? When was the last time you thanked God for enough air to breathe? When you start thanking God for the details, there is an endless supply of things for which you can give thanks.
We learned from Nehemiah also to talk about a person’s heart as we express thanks. As you express appreciation to God, don’t just talk about what he’s done for you; thank God for his character: “God, thank you that you are the God of peace.” “Thank you for the wonderful beauty you create.” “God, your power is way beyond what I could ever imagine.” “Thank you for being such a caring and loving God.” Taking time to thank God for who he is apart from what he’s done is a very spiritually healthy thing to do.
Finally, Nehemiah modeled for us the idea of using a system to remember to say thank you. It helps many people to have a trigger that reminds them to praise God. Some use a special coin they put in their pocket or purse; others use a wristband of some sort. For many years, I’ve encouraged people to set an alarm on their phone based on their date of birth as a prompt to praise God. If you were born on January 23, you set an alarm for 1:23. You could set it for 1:23 a.m. if you’re incredibly spiritual! But right after lunch at 1:23 p.m. would work better for most of us. When you hear the alarm go off, it reminds you to take just a moment to thank God.
As we come to the end of the chapter, let me remind you that you will not have the energy you need to put it together again apart from the encouragement that flows from your thanks to others and to God. Ungrateful people stay stuck where they are; grateful people move on into God’s blessings. It’s just that simple.
Take a few moments before moving on to the next chapter to once again give thanks to God:
Father, I thank you. Thank you for who you are—the awesome God, the almighty God, the God above all, and the God I can trust in every circumstance. Thank you for what you’ve done—the provision and peace and care and guidance and love that you show every day. Before I thank anybody else, I thank you. Out of my thanks to you I pray for the grace to show appreciation to those around me. In Jesus’ name, I thank you. Amen.
APPRECIATE OTHERS: My First Steps
BE SPECIFIC IN YOUR APPRECIATION
Who specifically do you need to appreciate, and what specifically do you need to appreciate them for?
BE SENSITIVE IN YOUR APPRECIATION
How can you express your appreciation more strongly by seeing the heart in what someone has done or by recognizing the extra effort they’ve given?
Is there a leader you need to express appreciation toward?
BE SEARCHING IN YOUR APPRECIATION
What plan will you set up to make appreciation a regular part of your life?
Pick up the phone right now or write a note—before you do anything else—to express your appreciation to someone.