The Power of Appreciation: Why “I Appreciate You” Matters More Than You Think

Think of someone you truly appreciate. Maybe it’s a friend who’s always there for you, your spouse, a family member, or someone who makes your life better simply by being in it. Now ask yourself this: Do they know why you appreciate them? Most of us assume they do. But thinking it and saying it are two very different things, and the power of appreciation lives in the space between the two.

What Thoth Taught Me About Acknowledgment

In my book Conversations with Thoth, Thoth taught me something I’ve never forgotten: Humans need acknowledgment, and they need to feel appreciated. Those two things, he explained, lead the way to respect and equality.

That lesson changed how I think about appreciation. I had always considered it a pleasant feeling, something warm we carry around inside. Thoth showed me it is far more than that. It is a need every human being shares, and when we meet that need in one another, we open the door to something much greater.

Gratitude and Appreciation Aren’t the Same Thing

We often use gratitude and appreciation as if they mean the same thing. They’re related, but they aren’t quite the same.

I can feel enormous gratitude for having a wonderful friend in my life. That gratitude is real, but it stays with me. It’s something I experience on the inside.

Appreciation is what happens when I tell that friend what she means to me. It’s acknowledgment. It’s seeing another person and letting them know they are seen.

In other words, appreciation isn’t only something we feel. It’s a gift we give when we let another person know they matter. Gratitude fills our own hearts. Appreciation reaches out and touches someone else’s.

The Power of Appreciation Reaches Further Than You Think

Here is where Thoth takes this small, everyday act somewhere much larger. He teaches that appreciation and acknowledgment lead toward respect and equality. And respect and honor, between people, between societies, and between nations, are necessary before there can be peace.

Consider that for a moment. The path to peace doesn’t begin in a conference room or with a treaty. It begins with human beings acknowledging one another. When people feel seen and valued, respect follows. When respect is present, people begin to recognize one another as equals. And when individuals, communities, and nations honor one another, peace becomes possible.

Suddenly, saying “I appreciate you” doesn’t seem so small. Each time we truly acknowledge another person, we add one more thread to the fabric of a more respectful, more peaceful world.

A Simple Way to Practice Appreciation Today

You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to share appreciation. Here’s something you can do today:

• Think of one person you appreciate. Let the first name that comes to mind be your starting point.

• Reach out. Call them. Text them. Or better yet, sit across from them.

• Don’t stop at “I appreciate you.” Those words are a beautiful start, but tell them why. Tell them what they bring into your life. Tell them something you value about who they are, not just what they do for you.

• Tell them while they’re here to hear it. Too often, the people we love learn how much they meant to us only after it’s too late for them to hear it. Don’t let your appreciation go unspoken.

  
  

When you name the specific reasons someone matters to you, you give them something they can hold onto. You let them know they’ve been truly seen, and that may be the very acknowledgment they’ve been needing.

A Heart-Centered World Begins With One Person

A more heart-centered world isn’t created only through enormous acts. Sometimes it begins when one human being truly sees another and says so.

So I’ll leave you with the question I asked at the beginning: Do the people you appreciate know it? If you’re not sure, today is the perfect day to tell them.

And remember, everything you think, say, feel, and do matters, because that is how you create your tomorrows.