Active Appreciation

Last time I was here, I wrote about enjoying the process. This month I would like to share with you a concept that I've recently discovered. Nothing revolutionary -- more or less common sense. However, when put into practice, I believe this is something that can have a truly powerful impact in your life.

One of the things we don't do enough of, in my opinion, is to simply slow down, feel and show appreciation. How many times in a week do you truly appreciate your life and the people in it? It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of every day life. I'm a perfect example of this, often completely consumed and in my own head...with stress, to-do lists, budgets, schedules, etc. As Michael Gerber, author of the E-Myth put it: "Most entrepreneurs are people who quit working for their boss and went to work for a lunatic." Check, that's me.

However, for the past six months or so -- maybe longer -- I've been trying to get on top of this. I've been searching for a mentor -- someone to follow, someone to learn from. And while I haven't quite settled on any one specific person or philosophy, over this time I've learned some really valuable lessons from a number of people. One of them being the practice of "Active Appreciation," that I picked up from Jesse Elder.

Active Appreciation Rule #1:
Appreciate the little things. And show your appreciation of said little things.  When is the last time you commented on your significant other's smile? Maybe you don't like your significant other's smile.  That's cool.  But I like mine...and I used to tell her all the time. So this is a reminder for me to show and share how much I appreciate that.

Or here's another one... When was the last time you just appreciated your neighbors, your door-man, the stillness of the early morning? What, nobody else enjoys getting up at 4:45am?    

If you can't appreciate the little things, you'll never be able to enjoy the big ones. I truly believe that. Said a slightly different way, it's one of our core values here at Windy City.

"We believe in the journey. We take small steps, celebrate the little victories and enjoy the process."

Active Appreciation Rule #2:
Know that you are entitled to NOTHING. Often in our culture we feel a sense of entitlement to have everything and do everything. This notion that "I deserve it all" can take away from the gratitude we may truely feel for what we already have in our lives. A sincere appreciation of your family, friends, co-workers, people on the street is the path to continued growth and meaningful relationships. I've learned that once you can just be genuine and authentic, your relationships will transform. They will be deeper, closer, more meaningful. 

Active Appreciation Rule #3:
True appreciation expects nothing in return. When you are truly practicing active appreciation, you are doing so consistently. It's easy to show appreciation during the holidays, birthdays and big events; however, it's much more difficult to do so throughout all the other times of the year.

While I write today that I've learned these rules, I'm careful not to proclaim that I consistently adhere to all of them. Too often I'm still crippled by own worries, stresses, stuck in my head with the day-to-day TO-DOs.  I'm trying though -- a true 'work in progress.' And I'm treating my practice of active appreciation just like any other goal I've ever had -- with focused determination.

A few examples of how I've recently started to practice Active Appreciation:

• daily time-out -- 10-20 minutes -- to sit, be quiet, reflect and appreciate
• weekly email to a friend or acquaintance expressing gratitude for our relationship
• writing down each night three things that went well that day and why (appreciating the little victories)
• beginning our staff meetings here at Windy City with acknowledgements and appreciation
• sharing my appreciation with Windy City members on a more consistent basis

In closing, I would just like to say how much I appreciate all of you -- the Windy City community.  What a truly special place we've all created together.  

• Staff: Meagles, Sheena, Chet, Dan, Sam, Tony, Doc, Ox, D-Vas, Austin
• Former Staff: Sean E. Cakes, Big Willy, Jen, Vince, Slosh, Husker, Hornet, Al Lampier, Craig, Cori, Cowboy Gill, Jesse, Ashley, KR
• Members and Former Members
• Those who may just follow from afar
• Anybody else who's ever been affiliated with Windy City...and those I forgot

Keep livin' BIG Windy City!

- Justin