3 Ways to Show Appreciation Throughout the Year

How do we show appreciation

Isn’t it funny that we set aside one day a year to honor and show appreciation for the people we care about ?   One day a year, we celebrate and recognize special people in our lives, be it Mother’s Day, President’s Day, a birthday, or an anniversary.  But what do we do the rest of the year?  Does that person stop being important the other 364 days?  Do we show him that he matters on April 24th just as much as he does on Father’s Day?  It’s the regular ho-hum every days that we often most need a little pick-me-up or recognition.  Here are three ways you can show you care when you aren’t told to.

Personal attention

How often do you find yourself with someone, but not really engaged with that person.  Take a look around next time you go out to dinner and notice how many people pay more attention to their phones than their companion.  I’m no expert, but I can bet whoever you are with would love it if you put away your phone, and just focused on each other.  Giving your time and attention is such a simple gift, and it’s 100% free!  The return on investment would have any hedge fund manager jealous.

Flowers

This one is a no-brainer.  Who doesn’t love flowers?  There are so many different arrangements.  Each one conveys a different message.  Red roses mean love, lavender means good luck, and yellow roses are friendship.  My new favorite way to send flowers is through a monthly subscription at BloomsyBox.  They send a unique bouquet every month.  It’s an easy way to regularly send flowers to someone.

Thank you notes

Imagine the last hard day you had, whether at the office or at home.  You are ready to explode at the next person who looks at you.  You are feeling underappreciated and overworked.  That’s when you find a small note: “Thanks for all you do!  Your hard work does not go unnoticed.”  It may not fix the files you just lost when your PC crashed, or the dinner you burned while trying to multitask, but a simple thank you note from someone in your life can make a bad day bearable , or a good day amazing.  Next time someone pops into your thoughts, take a few minutes to write a note of appreciation to them.  You never know the difference it can make.