Daily Reminder #1 : Appreciation

I don’t remember things well. Important lessons don’t always stick with me right away. So I have a section of my notebook titled Daily Reminders. Quotes, ideas, concepts I like and want to keep top of mind daily. Here are two quotes that weave together and make me better:

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated, the desire to be important. -William James

If you tell me how you get your feeling of importance, I’ll tell you what you are. -Dale Carnegie

I can do a better job each day making the people I love most feel important. And I can do a better job staying centered on what makes me feel important. The trap is thinking money, status, fame or things provide a depth of importance. They each have a plateau, meaning increasing from n to 1 is likely meaningful, but 1 to 2 is less meaningful, same with 2 to 3, etc. When you have enough, you have enough.

Loving and giving to the people around me is the opposite. Unlimited depth.

It’s taking every ounce of self-restraint in me to not end this post with Don’t Hate… Appreciate.

See what I did there?

-Nick