Improve Yourself 1: Are You an Appreciator or Depreciator?

This begins a series about how to improve yourself to get the biggest raises & best promotions
We’re going to return to a follow-up on a character we’ve discussed before. Barry worked for the same company for 34 years. He moved around in his career within the organization with revolving assignments managing field operations and working on the headquarters staff with global responsibilities. He moved himself to a very nice field position to finish out his career. For the last three years changes in the organization depressed his passion for the work. Rather than move on, or accept the changes, he became a negative influence on colleagues and co-workers.

Hearing Kevin Hall, The Author of Aspire

We recently heard Kevin Hall, the author of Aspire Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words, speak at a convention. We want to share some of his concepts and encourage you to buy his book Aspire. Two words that touched us deeply were the words depreciators and appreciators .

Depreciators Bring Others Down

Depreciators decrease others. Hall highlighted that the prefix de- means to reduce or make less. Listen to the words that begin with de- decrease, deflate, depreciate, and depress. Each word describes making something small or less. The words themselves deflate our spirit or attitude.
Hall cautions against being a depreciator. At first, I thought he meant thinking ill of others. I had confused the word for deprecate or to put down. Deprecators push others down. Depreciators pull them down. Depreciators, as we understand it, begin in a low spot and pull others down to their level.

Appreciators Lift Those Around Them

Appreciators lift others. Hall indicate that the prefix ap- is a derivative of ad-. It implies direction and increasing such as appear, , appreciate, or aptitude. Appreciators improve or add to those around them. Appreciators express gratitude to others. They also make others more valuable as in appreciating a piece of machinery or a home appreciates in value.
Companies, co-workers, and others reward appreciators.
Wednesday we explore Kevin Hall’s principle of Genshai to not treat yourself or others small
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