Yesterday, a friend and colleague gave a speech at our Toastmasters club. We weren’t able to connect after the meeting, so I called her later in the day and left a message since she wasn't home. I told her I didn’t want the day to end without letting her know how well she spoke, how organized her speech was, how her tone of speech matched her body language, and that I appreciated the message behind her words.
Last night, she called me to say she didn’t want the day to end without telling me how my message made her day, and that she appreciated my feedback. A dip into one bucket led to a dip into another. We both felt appreciated for the simple acts we took to acknowledge each other.
According to The Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket (based on How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.), we each have a dipper with which we can fill someone's bucket with positive praise and appreciation, or empty it by dipping in with negative comments and behaviors. In turn, our own buckets are filled when we continually embellish our relationships with acts of kindness and encouragement. What goes around comes around.
If you feel stressed and frustrated by the events occurring in your personal and professional life, and in the larger world, stop, take a deep breath, and notice all the good that is happening around you. Who is responsible for that? What have they done or said to contribute to that goodness?
How will you thank them?
Recent Comments