As the Cornerman, I focus on helping people develop a championship mindset. I spend a lot of time teaching people how to implement effective personal daily habits and transform their thinking to achieve lofty and ambitious goals. I stress personal accountability and commitment, and collaborate with people to reach heights they never knew possible.
There’s another side to all that, though: no one ever does it alone. Behind, beside, and around every champion is a community of family, friends, and training partners. They’re crucial to success. And just as crucial as their presence is that they know they’re appreciated.
You can’t just assume they know how much you appreciate them. You may think it’s obvious. You may think it’s unnecessary to tell them outright how much you appreciate them. You may shy away from the mushy stuff, and assume it’s all better left unsaid.
Don’t do that.
Give Thanks
What might be crystal clear to you – what’s crystal clear in your mind – might not be so obvious to others. You may think your feelings are thoroughly demonstrated by your actions, but that’s not always the case. People are not mind readers. Even the most confident person in the world needs to know they’re appreciated, and to know it, they need to be hear it.
Sometimes the person you appreciate the most has no idea how much you truly value everything they do.
There’s a simple fix for this: tell them.
You don’t have to say anything fancy. Although it should be a little more than your customary daily thank you. Find a moment, take them aside, and lay it out. Use the words. Something like this: I appreciate all the work you put in. Or you can go more basic: I just want you to know how much I appreciate you.
That’s all. Once you do that, the people around you will have more faith in humanity, more appreciation for you as a true friend, and they’ll be more likely to be charitable to the other people in their life because of your example.
That’s a virtuous cycle we need more of in this world.
