August Word of the Month: APPRECIATE

          APPRECIATE is a powerful word simply because you need to learn to do it. You need to have an attitude of gratitude. Learn to APPRECIATE everything. Time, money, possessions, relationships, family, and even your talents and abilities.
           Time with family is precious and needs to be APPRECIATED. Even if you only have a small amount of time with family, make it quality time. Life is a series of moments. When we leave this earth people remember and tell stories about those moments. So make them great stories. Remember to laugh and to cry and to laugh so hard that you cry!
           Many people don't APPRECIATE their money. All they think about is needing more. If you don't APPRECIATE what you have and mange it well, you will not be trusted with more.  So learn to budget money. Put your money towards things that show your priorities in life. Don't dwiddle away money on small immediate gratification. The bigger price you pay in immediate gratification the large a harvest you will reap when it's time to bring in your crop.
           If you APPRECIATE things, then you take better care of what you have and you work harder for the things that you want. You also have more respect for other people's property. For example, if you own a book, how do you treat it? Most people dog ear the pages. The binding of their books is split and pages are almost falling out. However, if they borrow a book from a library they return it in good condition. They don't want to have to pay for the book because of damages. Some people are so selfish that this works the other way. They treat their stuff like it was made of precious gold. Other peoples stuff doesn't matter to them. Therefore, they treat other people's property poorly. They throw it into a dirty seat in the car. They mark on the pages. They tear pages as they turn them. Other people just don't care about anyone's property. They will trash their stuff and other people's stuff. These last two type's are the people who write on bathroom stalls. There is a sub-group of these people that really bother me. They always write W.W.J.D. on the walls. My thoughts when I see that are, "Probably NOT write on public property!" If you APPRECIATE things and are grateful for what you have and the blessing people bring to your life, then you can truly appreciate the things you don't have and will work harder to get them. Plus, like I said before, the better you take care of what you have the more with which you will be trusted.
           Learn that everyone in your life can teach you something. Everyone you meet has value for that reason. Then you APPRECIATE everyone that comes into your life. Show that you appreciate people by having an attitude of gratitude. You show this attitude by listening to and serving them. When they express a need, try to fill it. That attitude of gratitude will make others APPRECIATE you more as well.
          Also APPRECIATE your own work. Take pride in what you do. If you live a life of significance that is based on principles, you will take certain actions. Gratitude that you are able to take that action and an APPRECIATION for the significance of that action gives you a sense of purpose!