Sincere Appreciation

When I was a senior in high school, my FFA advisor presented me with an opportunity to take a Dale Carnegie Training Course. I leaped at the opportunity because students who had taken it in previous years found it to be very enjoyable. I loved this class; in fact, I looked forward to it every week because I liked the people who were in the class with me and the concepts we learned in it have proved to be invaluable time and time again.

My favorite thing of all that I will never forget from the class is how to show sincere appreciation. When the activity was introduced, we all had time to write a thank you to someone who had made a difference in our lives. Then we practiced giving sincere compliments to our classmates. This was our week 8 class, and it was by far my most memorable class. It amazes me how quickly you can pick up good qualities in a person that you've literally only seen 7 times prior--in fact that's why I think this was even so much more powerful to do at that point in time. Giving a sincere compliment involved 1) looking the person in the eye; 2) giving them a 30 second compliment; 3) coming up with something that no one else had pointed out. We did this in groups of 4. To my surprise, I found it more challenging to receive the compliment than to give it. I'm naturally a person who gives a lot of compliments so maybe that's one reason why I found it easy. Another reason I found it easy was because it felt so natural to tell people how amazing they are as an individual.

This year, while serving as a state officer, I cannot even count how many thank you notes I've written. And to be honest, I'm glad I can't count. To me, a thank you note speaks volumes and when it only takes 2 minutes of your day, it's worth it to go that extra mile. I wish more people truly saw a value in showing sincere appreciation. Think of the "feel good moment" you have when you receive a thank you note that compliments you...or think of a time that someone tells you that your clothes are cute, that you smell good, or that you're having a good hair day. Even the simplest of compliments can go far. Next time you give a compliment, go the extra mile to give a sincere compliment. And always, when someone does something to help you, always show them that you sincerely appreciate it. Your actions speak louder than words.

I want to quick talk about my latest "feel good moment." I was at a chapter banquet on Friday night. At the end of the night, I had a chance to talk with the officer team and tell them what a great job they had done. The chapter president, Joy, pulled me aside and said it meant so much that I had come and how my speech had such a good message. Then she kept talking about how much of an inspiration I had been to her over the past year. She told me that many officers in the past had seemed fake to her, but she thought of me as very real and genuine. I was already smiling big time by this point because she was making me feel so good about myself. Then she told me that she always is thinking of how she could be like me and how she strives to be like me. Wow, what an amazing thing to have a person tell you. I'm still on a high from the things she told me that night. It only took her a few short seconds to tell me those things, but the impact of those seconds will last a lifetime for me.