11 - 18 Ways To Add Value To People
Continued from previous post to discuse any ways to improve your value to other people.
11. Offer the unexpected, anonymous gift. Bring coffee to your co-workers. Arrive to work early and leave a small gift on someone’s office chair. Leave a gift card on someone’s windshield. I love this one…balloons are my signature surprise; it is a joyful and very visual way to celebrate someone you value. For a few dollars you could flood someone’s office or dorm room with helium balloons and uplift their mood and “value quotient”.
12. Find out what kinds of hobbies people have and send them ideas, brochures, or flyers on that subject. People are often passionate about their hobbies. What if you discovered a way for them to make money with their hobby? Perhaps they could consult or teach others? Help them figure that out. Show them what other people who have a similar hobby are doing. Is there a trade show or expo coming in the future that would be of benefit to them?
13. Write a song or poem expressing how much someone means to you. I had a boyfriend in high school that wrote poems for me…he was very creative and sincere…and HOT….I fell for him hard and kept those poems for twenty years! He had me in the palm of his hand! Oh the words he wrote! He made me feel valued like no one else ever had! Writing something to someone you care about is wonderfully received. If you choose to write love letters - Please be sure not to let it be known that it is your modes operandi. Something is taken away when you find out your special someone is writing sonnets for the whole cheerleading squad!
14. Smile at people. Smile when you talk to them. Smile when you walk by them. Smiles are contagious and free! Some people will wonder what is so funny, or what you are up to! Isn’t that worth it? You can give a stranger a smile and possibly make their whole day brighter! What have you got to lose? Remember: a smile is free; and your day goes the way of the corners of your mouth!
15. Say “hello” to people when you walk by them in stores, malls, street corners, coffee shops. In the middle of our country everyone greets each other whether or not they know each other, maybe that is another reason that it is called “the HEARTland”! When friends of mine have been in New York or Los Angeles for the first time they always say how cold the people act, no smiles, no hellos - everyone is just rushing by! Let’s help to make the world a little warmer by sharing a greeting with each other! Let’s let everyone we encounter know that we see them and recognize their specialness!
16. Imagine a “Make Me Feel Important” sign is hanging around the neck of each person that you meet. Work to treat them that way and they will respond in kind. Instead of walking around thinking that you have learned it all, and know it all; try going out into the world seeking what others have learned as well. Try leaving your ego at home and treat others as if they can teach you something! This will convey a sense of openness on your end and will allow the person you are talking with feel valued.
17. Express gratitude for the ways that people specifically add value to your life. Sometimes our struggle isn’t with giving of ourselves, but being able to receive good when it comes our way. Learn to say thank you from a grateful heart. Showing our appreciation makes the gift giver feel appreciated. Showing gratitude to another offers proof of their value and the significance they bring to the relationship.
18. When you learn something new, decide on which three people you are going to share this new information, idea, or practice with. Read or listen to someone and you can learn something. But take what you’’ve learned and turn around and teach it to someone else and you’’ve taken this thing to a whole new level. By passing on new information, ideas, or practices you empower someone else, but you also deepen your own learning. It also speaks volumes to someone else when you come across something and let them know that when you discovered it, you thought about how much it would be of value to them.
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