Appreciation and Gratitude

Appreciation and Gratitude.

People, make wuna help me o! Why are we like this? Why is it that we do not generally appreciate and celebrate the good things and good people in our lives as much as we should until we lose them??

Take health, for instance. We overwork our bodies, fail to rest adequately, eat junk foods just for convenience, smoke and drink, womanize carelessly, and take other unnecessary risks with our health without giving a hoot the eventual consequences, assumming we will always have a robust health, until the chickens return home to roost. Then we run from pillar to post and put up a commendable show of commitment to healthy living. In most cases its a measure too late.

Then consider a faithful and loyal friend. He or she is there 24/7; dedicated and committed, dependable and reliable. Yet we pay very little attention to such people and invest time, energy and resources in pursuing the friendship of people who are obviously disloyal and see us only as a dispensible option or alternative. Then, one day, the loyal friend decides to move on or is called to glory. We beat ourselves up, announcing to anyone who cares to listen, how we would love to have a second chance to truly appreciate them as they deserve!

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Why can't we just reciprocate the beauty life bestows on us by always doing the right thing(s) at the right time? Why can't we appreciate and celebrate the loyal people in our lives, until we lose them? Why can't we truly value others? Why can't we be there for those that truly need us? Why do we often fail to appreciate people until we lose them?

What most of us do not know is that appreciation is one of the most powerful forces of life, hosting some of the most positively dramatic results that life can post on you. You see, what you appreciate, increases you and what you do not appreciate decreases you. What you value will elevate you and what you devalue will downgrade you. It is as simple and straightforward as that. Yet it is so powerfully profound that it changes your life for good. 

Appreciate and value your health - by eating properly, resting well, sleeping enough, avoiding too much worry and anxiety, exercising daily, avoiding alcohol and smoking, avoiding promiscuity, avoiding risky behaviour and lifestyles - and your health, in turn, will be there for you, enabling you to navigate the challenges of life, to live a long, happy and prosperous life. Health, as they say, is wealth. You will get nowhere or do anything great in life, without sound health.

It is the same thing with people. Appreciate and value people generally - by showing respect and courtesy, faithfulness and loyalty, humility and generosity, empathy and concern, friendliness and trust - and people will generally be there for you, helping you through the lowest and darkest moments of life, into light and great heights, until you stand tall in the fulness of your potential.

In the quest to attain success and achieve greatness in life, value people above money and material things. Money vanishes and material things fade, but people will always be here, because they carry an eternal worth. Use money and material things, but never ever use people. Appreciate and value people, for they are the foundation upon which true and lasting success stands. People, because they are made in the image of God, hold the key to the relevance and success you are looking for in life.

Listen to the following words about gratitude and appreciation:

1. Roman Statesman, orator, lawyer and philosopher, Cicero, has these enlightening words to say about gratitude:

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others" - Cicero.

2. Roman Catholic Benedictine Monk, author and lecturer, David Steindl-Rast, adds the following guiding words:

"It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful" - David Steindl-Rast.

3. French writer, historian and philosopher, Voltaire, writes about the endowing power of appreciation in these comforting words:

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well" - Voltaire.

Learn to show gratitude and appreciation and watch your life turn around for good. Count your blessings and show appreciation and watch as more blessings come your way. Appreciate your life and health and be awed by the flow of strength into your life. Appreciate people and be lifted above failure and all hindering circumstances. 

This is so because appreciation and gratitude opens the door to the realms of serendipity and miracles. The impossible becomes possible where genuine appreciation and gratitude hold sway, because both are expressions of faith and, it is a universal truth that, without faith it is impossible to please God. God is pleased when we show appreciation and gratitude.

I appreciate and celebrate God's Grace in me and, because I do, I have the energy and correct perspective to appreciate and celebrate you more. You all are a blessing to me. Keep growing into wealth in health and in strength.

It is me, Agoso Bamaiyi, your friend for a greater Nigeria and the best things in life.

#Agosotó 

#DrArnobb 

#LifeIsBeautiful 

#livehealthy 

#AppreciatePeople

#BeGratefulForAllThings