There is an old childhood expressions that we all have heard and probably have used with our own kids at some point. “Sticks and stones will break your bones—but names (words) will never hurt you!”

While there is a high degree of truth to that, we all know people, perhaps ourselves, who have been hurt by words. So turning that around, how would it make you feel if someone says they appreciate you? Or appreciate something you’ve done or action you’ve taken?

In Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles ™, you will find 64 principles that, regardless of who or what you are, can be a life molding principles to guide and direct many aspects of your life. Principle 53 talks about “Practice Uncommon Appreciation”.

It was Mother Teresa who said, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”

The same applies to co-workers and employees. If you think about it, it’s a safe bet that you can not name anyone who complains about receiving too much positive feedback. The Top 3 of the 10 ways to really motivate an employee, according to Canfield, are appreciation, feeling “in” on things and an understanding attitude. (The remaining 7 are equally great points; however for this Shoe Gram let’s focus on appreciation.)

A quick personal story—the operations manager of a company where I worked is the guy who gets hammered day in and day out by every other department. One day in the hall, I stopped him briefly and told him, “I just want you to know that I really appreciate what you and your team do. And it’s not just for me; it’s for everyone in the building.” The look on this man’s face went from a look of, “oh boy, what now?” to one of extreme gratitude and a smile.

In your Running Shoe Monday meeting, look for ways to genuinely and honestly appreciate those in attendance and the rest of the people in your company. In fact, we would challenge you to adopt as part of your culture to appreciate an average of 5 people per day. They can be co-workers, clients, people in other departments that helped you; it could be your spouse, your children, and the next door neighbor. It could be the Mail Carrier or the guy who picks up your trash, the bag boy at the grocery store or the helpful floor clerk at the big-box-do-it-yourself-home-improvement store.

The key is it must be genuine and sincere. And tell that person from your heart and mean it. Some days you’ll appreciate 1 or 2 people and other days you’ll appreciate 8 or 9. The point is to attempt to average 5 per day.

You can expect 2 results. First, the people you appreciate will have a little more spring in their step; stand a little taller, smile a bit more. They will truly feel better about themselves and they will feel gratified and satisfied and they will see you as a strong and positive influence. Second, you will give yourself an emotional boost for having done something so beneficial for someone else. It is a Win—Win thing for everyone. And when everyone feels part of the process, our companies become stronger and more unified.