Think of the last time someone gave you appreciation. Remember how good it felt to know that someone noticed and valued something you did? Today, you’ll have the opportunity to give appreciation. Here’s how:

• Think of something that happened recently that meant a lot to you. To whom might you give credit for this event? Hold this person in your mind.
• Write down two or three sentences that expresses appreciation or admiration to the person you identified.
• If the statement is about the other person, rephrase it to be to the other person. Hint: check pronouns; these should be worded around “you” not she or he.
• Next, examine your statement for what it says about the other person. If necessary, rephrase the statement to be about your experience of the person. In other words, instead of saying what the person is, tell how the person’s actions impacted you or what it meant to you.
• Check over your statement. Your statement should be very specific, aiming to communicate what happened and how it impacted you. Thus, your statement might say something like, “I learned a lot from listening to your presentation.”
• Now, go find that person and tell them you’re practicing an exercise from 40-Days Forward, ask their permission to participate in your growth by hearing a statement of appreciation. Deliver your statement (not memorized, not read from the page, just simply spoken) and watch their response. If you want, ask them how you did. How did they experience your words?