The first time a friend said three words to me, I was shook.
I didn’t know what to do. I probably did the full body equivalent of someone going in for a handshake when the other person goes for a high five.
I just stood there with a weird look on my face – stammering and twitching with seemingly a complete lack of small motor skills.
It was weird.
You know why?
Nobody in my life had ever said these three words to me – “I appreciate you.”
I had gone almost forty years and never heard those words. And when I did, I didn’t know what to do with them.
I didn’t know how to accept the idea that I was appreciated.
Why? Just for being me.
Wow.
We say “I love you” quite often. Maybe so much that it’s just a given in some cases. Almost mandatory.
But “I appreciate you” is on another level. It says, “You are valuable to me and I know it.”
And, it doesn’t need to be reserved for loved ones!
Say it to your barista or bartender after they do an awesome job.
Say it to a co-worker or that friend that always shows up for you.
Watch em squirm! (just kidding)
But expect that maybe they’ll have the same reaction I did.
Maybe they’ve never heard it from anyone either. Maybe they should.
Keep moving forward,
Nick
