3 Jedi Mind Tricks to Feel Better in a Nanosecond

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30 August 2009
Posted in Getting Real

altAppreciate others, be happier. Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Steve of Freedom Education.
 
This strategy works so well and it’s so simple.  You can do this at home, at work, with friends, family or even with anyone at all.
 
You could even do it with a stranger.  What the heck am I talking about?
 
I’m talking about feeling good.  There is something you can do right now that will make you feel better almost instantly and here’s how to do it.
 
In order to feel better fast, you want to stop thinking about yourself and you want to turn your attention to others.  You want to start thinking about someone else.  And when you do this, you want to do something very specific… you want to tell that other person how much you appreciate them.
 
It’s sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
 
Well it works and here’s why.  When you tell someone how much you appreciate them, you make them feel better; and when you make someone else feel better, you also feel better.
 
That’s the trick.  Make others feel better and you’ll feel better - and what better way to make others feel better than by letting them know that you appreciate them.
Here are 3 ways to show your appreciate for others and feel better fast:

1. Appreciate your Boss.
I remember this one time when I was working full time as an engineer.  All the employees received an email from the president.  It was about Christmas time and the president of our company decided to give everyone an extra two days of paid holidays.  ”Wow, is that ever nice of him!” I thought to myself.  Then I walked over to the presidents office and personally shook his hand and thanked him.  That put a smile on his face and it put one on mine too!
 
In some cases you might be the boss - maybe you run your own business.  In that case the best way to appreciate the boss is to do something to nourish yourself.  I love playing hockey so what I find works for me is setting some time aside to play hockey - when I put my interests first is shows greater appreciation for what is important to me.
 
2. Appreciate your Parents.
Just the other day I was in the grocery store and saw two University students in line at the cash.  It made me think of the time when I was in school and had very little money.  It was at this time that I borrowed money from my parents so I could put food on the table and pay the bills.  I felt such a deep appreciation for my parents that I decided to phone them up.
 
I got on the phone and dialed.  My dad picked up:
Dad: “Hello”
Steve: “Hey dad I just saw some students at the grocery store and it reminded me of that time when I had no money when I was in school.  I just wanted to let you know that if I didn’t have money for groceries and living I wouldn’t have been able to finish my degree.  I really appreciate what both you and mom did, working those extra hours to put me through University.”
I think my dad was stunned because there was silence on the phone.  Then he suddenly spoke again,
Dad: “Well, it was the right thing for us to do and your welcome.”
That made me feel awesome, and I think it gave my dad some of that awesomeness too :)
 
3. Appreciate Your Neighbor. My neighbor John is a very hard worker and a really handy guy.  He knows his tools and always has great advice for making house repairs, doing landscaping, etc.  Without John life would be much more difficult.  He’s the type of guy that every neighborhood should have because he makes life easier.
John just loves beer.  So one afternoon I was driving home and I thought, “I’m going to pick up John some beer,” and so I did.
 
I remember the look on his face when I gave him the beer.  He was shocked and all I said was, “I really appreciate the extra effort you make to help us out with house repairs, letting us borrow your tools and that sort of thing so here’s a case of beer to show our appreciation.  Thank you so much.”
 
He looked so happy and I felt happy too.
 
These are just a few examples of how I’ve shown appreciation for the people in my life, but there are many others.
 
How do you show appreciation for the people in your life?
Read more from Steve at Freedom Education - Mind Power for Your Personal Growth, or see his ebook, The Genius Within YOU.