Funny motivational speaker
Jack grabbed a dirty white pouch out his car door side pocket and began digging through coins to pay the drive-through attendant for his ice tea.
“That’s a nasty-looking little purse you’ve got there, Jack.” Steve teased, pulling down ear flaps on his camouflage hat. Dressed for a day of hunting, they had just stopped for final supplies before getting to the duck blind.
“Let me tell you about this little purse.” Said Jack, who’d just retired from 27 years of working with the same company.
“On my 20th anniversary at work, they gave me this little pouch with four, five-year pins in it. FOUR FIVE YEAR PINS meant to honor my 20 years of service to this company!” Jack sneered.
“Are you kidding me?” Steve responded.
“Nope, they couldn’t buy a 20-year pin, not that I’d do anything with it. Just the fact that they couldn’t be bothered, can you believe it? I’ve kept this little pouch to remind me of their lack of gratitude for my years of service.” Jack mockingly added.
We give commemorative pins to recognize years of service. Thoughtlessly throwing four, 5-year pins into a bag made Billy feel unappreciated and undervalued.
Whatever we get from the work we do, perhaps the most important is the feeling that we truly matter. We want to know that we contribute a unique value, and we want recognition for the work we do.
The good news is that studies show that people do more for those who appreciate them.
Although most of us recognize the importance of appreciation too often, we still fail to convert our invisible thoughts of gratitude into visible acts of thanks. We get wrapped up in busyness and forget that thoughtfully expressed appreciation is one of the best ways to charge up a team and reconnect with our partner.
Studies revealed that more productive work teams had at least three positive interactions for every one negative interaction. The same research showed that the most successful marriages had five positive interactions to one negative interaction. Showing gratitude is a simple way to boost your ratio.
The good news is that showing more appreciation is entirely within your control. Today, look for opportunities to show your appreciation authentically.
