A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting an incredible man by the name of Professor Dr. Kevin Storr. Dr. Storr, known as the stood on stage in a crowded ballroom full of some of the top leaders from around the world. His question was simple, “Do you know what it means to appreciate someone?” I was quite sure that I knew the answer but Dr. Storr blew my socks off with his simple yet well thought-out answer. “To appreciate someone means to add value” he shared.
I want to challenge you to think of three to five people in your life that have heard you utter the phrase “I appreciate you”. Now, take a moment and ask yourself how you add value to their life. After all, do you really add value or are you simply thankful or grateful for the value that they bring to you? You many find that you need to make an adjustment in your actions to truly appreciate them.
In consulting Dr. Storr for this blog post, he reminded me of something important. When you add value to others, you also add value to yourself. Dr. Storr had this to say.
“We refer to mentors who help expand us. In so doing we are adding value to them, so that shows we should work towards increasing others, because in doing so we are increasing our own value. It is like a university saying “We educated the president of the United States” or “We educated the founder of Microsoft”. They developed those people by adding value to them, and in turn their accomplishments add value to the institution.”
Today I want to challenge you to truly appreciate someone. Add value to their life and know that, in turn, you are adding value to your own. Second, I challenge you to share the true meaning of appreciation with your family and share one way that you can add value to one another.
To learn more about the work of my friend Dr. Kevin Storr (physicist, professor of value, and peace ambassador), please visit www.kevinstorr.com