Recently I’ve been working with some clients and colleagues from different parts of the world and in particular the USA and I can’t help but feel so attuned to their energy and I always come away from meetings with them with a spring in my step and enthused. I’ve even been pondering how living and working in that company and environment might really suit me… but we’ll ponder any big moves for a while yet!

It has made me reflect on an experience from just before the world shut down for travelling.

On 26^th December 2019 I set-off on an amazing trip with my son across the Atlantic; Destination New York and the Bahamas.

It was an incredible trip where we walked for miles, saw everything we wanted to and more, went on adventures and created some fabulous memories.

Those memories will live on with me forever, but what really sticks with me most is the memory of people we met.

I’m fortunate to meet a lot of different people in my life and work but often, especially here in the UK, you can be faced with ‘mood hoovers’ who are full of negative thoughts and drain the life and positivity out of you.

In New York and the Bahamas I found the same as I do in mainland Europe. Fun, vibrant, thoughtful people who, regardless of their social or economic background, are full of thought, courtesy and a story to share. People that inspire and truly value the work they do; especially those working in the service industry. Their work was a passion and a career, not just a means to an end or until the next job comes along.

I think everyone that I chatted with or had an interaction with left an impression on me and made me feel like an individual, but the thing that really left me feeling fabulous was when several local people in the Bahamas I purchased items from used the turn of phrase “I appreciate you.”

Not “thank you” or “I appreciate your business” but “I appreciate you.” 

That personalisation gave a huge sense of gratitude and made me feel truly wonderful and appreciated; and we all need to feel appreciated now and again.

Gratitude is an important thing and many people would benefit from exercising a little more gratitude from time to time, but imagine if we all adopted that idea of appreciating a person, an individual, humanity a little more as opposed to appreciating a ‘thing’ or ‘action.’

A simple change of a word could honestly change someone’s day.

Why don’t we all try it? Who could you appreciate today? Go and tell them.

I appreciate you for reading; it means so much to me.

Much love

Tabby xxx