Today’s Mandala Message: Appreciation Without Gratitude is Disingenuous
This week I’m working through Principle #53 “Practice Uncommon Appreciation”. I set my intention today to ponder how gratitude and appreciation go hand in hand. Continuing with more nuggets from an article by Sarah Kristenson on HappierHuman.com about gratitude vs appreciation, she states: “There is no genuine appreciation without gratitude. Gratitude is the soil that appreciation is sown into and grows out of. There is no appreciation shown to a person without first being grateful for them and how they add value to our lives. … No one wants to be on the receiving end of praise when it is not from a place of authenticity and gratitude.”
I think I said this in a previous post this week how gratitude is more of an inside job while appreciation is more of an outside job. If we’re unable to show appreciation for whatever reason, we can at least feel gratitude for those who help us or whose actions have improved our lives in some way. It behooves us, though, to, whenever possible, let others know we truly appreciate them and how grateful we feel. The more we can live this way, the better all of our lives become. It’s an excellent way to raise our vibration, rippling that energy outward, and uplifting the planet one being at a time.
A good mindfulness practice would be to notice how gratitude and appreciation go together.
So how about you? Have you ever received appreciation knowing that gratitude was missing from their delivery? Have you ever appreciated someone without feeling gratitude? Can you see how the two go hand in hand?
“When eating fruit,
— Vietnamese Proverb
remember the one
who planted the tree.”
Blessings,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
All Things Mandalas
An Invitation
I invite you to color along with me this year as part of what I’m calling “The Year of Self-Exploration and Expansion” with all of my “Mandalas of the ___” (day, week, month, year). If you’re interested in more of a self-exploration approach to coloring, check out my “Coloring Mandalas as Meditation”. You can download this mandala at MandalaoftheWeek.com.
Mandala of the Day 