The Power of Appreciation: Moving Beyond Gratitude

We often hear about practicing gratitude, but in this episode, I want to explore something deeper: appreciation. While these concepts might seem similar, their subtle difference has transformed how I view abundance in my career and life.

Key points

• The limitation of gratitude
• The power of appreciation
• The impact on perspective and decision-making in your career
• Practical application

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey friends, this is Jill Griffin, your host of the Career Refresh. Today, I want to talk about the power of appreciation and really moving beyond gratitude. We often hear about practicing gratitude, but today I want to explore something a little bit deeper, and that's appreciation. While these concepts might seem similar, there are subtle differences between them, and my focusing on appreciation has really transformed how I view my life and all the abundance I have in my life. Ready, let's jump in. If you're listening to this episode, when it drops, it's Thanksgiving.

Speaker 1: 0:44

In the United States, thanksgiving offers us a special opportunity to slow down and share our stories and food with loved ones, creating new memories. It can often be a time to reflect on the abundance in our lives and honor both the joyful and difficult experiences that have shaped us over the past years. The tradition of coming together over a meal speaks something deeply human and connecting and, as I mentioned, focusing on appreciation, I believe, cultivates presence and mindfulness by helping us truly see and acknowledge what's in front of us, rather than always thinking about what's next. Appreciation builds resilience. We regularly appreciate our capabilities, our resources, what we have. We approach challenges from a place of strength rather than scarcity. And I want to dig a little deeper around the point that I see some limitation in the word gratitude. Right, gratitude often comes from a place or a belief of like scarcity. It's kind of a whew, I got it. It's a mindset that suggests we barely made it or we're so thankful it happened, and it can inadvertently reinforce scarcity or a scarcity mentality. It often focuses on specific moments or outcomes, like this idea that you just made it or you got by, whereas the power of appreciation starts from acknowledging existing abundance already in your life. It recognizes the fullness of the life you've already lived and it creates a foundation of security and confidence. It allows for clear-headed decision making and it focuses this inherent value on what we have. So when you shift perspective, thinking about gratitude is thank goodness I got this promotion or thank goodness I got this job. Appreciation is I recognize the skills and I recognize the value of what I bring to the table. Gratitude says whew, I'm thankful that we have enough money this month. Appreciation says I acknowledge my ability to generate and manage my resources. When you think about decision-making, appreciation creates clarity about next steps. Decisions come from abundance rather than fear. It enables strategic thinking versus reactive thinking. It builds on confidence and future choices. When you're thinking about practical application.

Speaker 1: 3:22

In a morning practice, they're often told to write down the things that you're grateful for or in an evening practice, write down the things that you're grateful for and I'd offer you a challenge to write down three things that you appreciate about yourself and notice the difference between I'm grateful I have versus I appreciate having, observe how appreciation affects your decision-making process and pay attention to your emotional state when you're thinking about appreciation versus gratitude. While gratitude has its place, appreciation, I believe, opens you up to a new view on abundance and consciousness and mindset. It's not just being thankful for what we've received. It's about acknowledging the richness that already exists in our lives and using that awareness to move forward with confidence. I'd love to hear from you what do you think? Do you have a gratitude or has this sparked you into thinking about an appreciation practice? You can always email me at hello at jillgriffincoachingcom. Friends, I appreciate you so much and I wish you a beautiful day. However you choose to celebrate and honor the day, I'll see you next week.