Most parents tell their children that life goes by quickly. I know I do, my partner does, and most of my adult friends agree. Life flies by at a vast rate of knots.
Kids often ignore this advice until one day they find themselves giving the same advice to their children. We have a limited number of days on this planet. Because of this, you should appreciate the people in your life, especially those closest to you that you love.
When you start to approach middle age, sadly your older relatives are going to pass away. You will regret not having spent more time with them while they were still alive. Life gets busy for all of us, but, we need to make time to spend with and appreciate the people in your life. Their time is more limited than ours, all things being equal. And as they age, they need the love of family. They realise, more than people who are younger, that they won’t be around much longer.
Conversely, we need to appreciate our kids and encourage them to spend time with us, for the very same reasons. Your mid years will soon turn into your advanced years. Before long you will be the one realising that there’s not much time left.
Aside from family, we need to have friends as well. Our friends complete us and give us a more rewarding life. Appreciating friends is just as important as appreciating family. In many instances, friends will move away and we don’t hear from them again. It’s important to make an effort to keep in contact although this is not an easy task. But this is a great time for technology – emails, Facebook, Skype can all help you catch up on a regular basis.
Appreciation is about being grateful. It’s about taking the time and thanking them for being a part of your life. Always be willing to help your friends and family when they need it. Be grateful for the little things that people do for you, as well as the big things.
Make sure you let the people in your life know you are there for them. Don’t just say the words – show up for them. Take appropriate action, if needed. Sometimes, people don’t like to ask for help (aren’t most of us like this?). Consider showing up even if they say they don’t need help. Often, they admit that you helped and made their lives easier. That’s what friendship is all about – being there for someone even if they don’t ask.
Sometimes, appreciation is simply listening to others and finding out what they truly want or what they dream about. If you can later help them realise their dreams, they will be just as appreciative of you as you are of them.
If you want to be appreciative, be willing to give more than you take. This will set the stage that you are a caring person and it shows that you appreciate people. It’s easy and rewarding at the same time – you will feel great for helping someone that you care for.
