I’m a big believer in the sharing of ideas and challenging of one another that guest blogs and community interaction can bring. One has to look no further than the month-long Inconvenience of Change series at Life Without Pants as a testament to what a group of innovative, forward-thinking people can do when they unite for a common goal.
Samantha is a rarity in the blogging community – she isn’t focused purely on social media, marketing, Gen Y, PR, or anything that you’re used to being bombarded with all over the Web (not that any of those topics are bad things – I’m involved in, and passionate, about all of them). Instead, Life’s Chocolates stays true to its name – you never know what you’re going to get. But, above all, she forces you to take a step back and think – in this case, about what we appreciate in life.
Appreciation can be interpreted in many different formats, but one thing that comes to my mind, and that is relevant to my current life situation, is the appreciation relationship between manager and employee.
Think about your own career – what are you doing with your life? Where are you working at this very moment? Do you feel valued, appreciated, and important to the overall team? Or, are you just another easily replaceable cog in the system? I could easily tell you to go find a job where you’re seen as irreplaceable, but more often than not, especially early in our careers, that’s much easier said than done.
Give people a reason to appreciate you
No one is going to appreciate you if you don’t give them a reason to do so. Presenting your value to a company starts with you. It involves going above and beyond the call of duty and saying, ‘This is why I’m an invaluable member of the team. This is why you need me here. This is why you SHOULD be appreciating me and what I bring to the table.’
But, it’s not all about you – you have to be appreciative of what you’ve got. Far too often we say it’s “just a job,” but there are millions of unemployed people out there who would be thrilled to be in your full-time position. Be grateful for what you have, what you earned, and that appreciation will show in your overall work ethic.
Appreciation isn’t given, it’s earned. It’s easy to forget, but so important to remember. If you want people to see the value in you, you have to live that value in everything you do. The appreciation revolution starts with you!
Appreciative Revolutionary: Matt Cheuvront (@mattChevy)
Bio: Matt is an entrepreneur, freelance writer, and social media enthusiast. See how far the rabbit hole goes and check out his blog, Life Without Pants, today.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip
I appreciate Matt’s kindness, his commitment to community, and his eagerness to teach, learn and share with fellow bloggers!
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Wow, Matt! As always I can count on you to look at something from a different perspective. I never would have thought to spin an appreciation topic into a post about career and being appreciated in the work place. Awesome job!!
Great post! It takes guts to speak up, be confident and bring something to the table. But it's worth a try!
Matt: First of all, thank you so much for your kind words about me and my blog. I'm so happy to have you as part of this series!
I think you're totally right about appreciation in the workplace. Not only do we have to add value to our company, but we have to make sure our supervisors can see that value. Especially in this economic climate, the last thing we want is to be easily replaceable.
Your point about appreciating what we've got is true outside the workplace as well. In fact, that's the entire point of this series. Life may not be perfect. We may be going through some tough stuff right now, but we're alive, and that's no small thing. No matter how busy we are, there's always time to appreciate what we've got. Great post!
I'm echoing what you said about Sam, it's so true. Kudos to her
I have a question, do you think that you have to give people a reason to appreciate you? Aren't there ways to just be you…who you are and people who you love and love you in return will appreciate you? Sometimes thinking about working so hard for appreciation can sometimes seem false. I understand what you're saying and I see it for sure in the workplace. We can't take anything for granted, that's for damn sure.
Just a thought I had…great post. This entire series makes me smile non stop!
Wow, I actually just got a chance to read this, and I must say very insightful, Matt! As always you put a different spin on the concept and bring your own perspective to it. I loved the idea that appreciation is earned, because I really think it's true – whether it's in personal relationships or professional career or personal branding.
Wow, I actually just got a chance to read this, and I must say very insightful, Matt! As always you put a different spin on the concept and bring your own perspective to it. I loved the idea that appreciation is earned, because I really think it's true – whether it's in personal relationships or professional career or personal branding.
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