iWork4Him PowerThought

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work? The 4th way people feel appreciated at work is through giving tangible gifts. Giving the gift of words, time, or service is meaningful to many people, but some people just like gifts. And a gift at work could be a simple cup of coffee, a candy bar, or a plaque of appreciation. Sometimes, a gift could be some time off or tickets to a baseball game. When somebody's appreciation language is gifts, all you need to do is find out what's important to them and match the gift. Everyone likes to be appreciated. You can hit a home run every time when their appreciation language is gifts. For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com.

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work? The number three way people feel appreciated at work is through Acts of Service. One of the greatest ways we can show our appreciation for others is by helping others complete a project. It means so much to them when we help somebody at the end of our shift or at the end of our day to finish what they're doing. And sometimes, it's just cleaning the toilet, vacuuming, or helping unload a car full of supplies. Any way you look at it, helping others out of the goodness of your heart with a little act of service can make a real difference in the life of someone you work with. For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com.

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work? The second way people feel appreciated at work is through the gift of Quality Time. Relationships are so important at work. But you can't just build relationships one minute at a time while talking at the water cooler. When you ask somebody how they're doing, mean it. Find out how people are doing. Spend time checking in with them to get to know them. Make sure you have lunch with people and be transparent and authentic with them. If you're a team leader, create time for your team to connect. Make it possible for people to spend time together without a deadline and work hanging over their heads. For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com.

We've all heard of the five love languages, but have you heard about the five languages of appreciation at work? The number one way people feel appreciated at work is through words of affirmation. Words that uplift, words that encourage, words that affirm a person's worth. Words of appreciation spoken by a coworker or a boss mean so much. Almost 50% of the population at work feel that words of affirmation are a gift to them. Are words of affirmation important to you? I bet they are. I also bet they're important to the people you work around. Make sure that those you work with know that words of affirmation build you up and keep you going every day at work And that you could use a few more every day. For more information, check out appreciation at work dot com.

We've talked about it all week. We love to work, period. It brings exhilaration to our lives. We love the thrill of the kill. The completion of a major project. The landing of a major sale. Work brings satisfaction and appreciation in ways that family life rarely can. However, work is demanding. If we let it, work can take control of our lives. If left unchecked work can destroy the relationships with the people we love, the people that we are working so hard to provide for. If we don't keep work under control, it will control us. Nobody on their deathbed has ever said I wish I had worked more and spent less time with my family. If you were lying on your deathbed today, would your life display a love for your family or a love for your work? Protect those you love and get your work under control today.

There have been times in the 37 years of our marriage when one or both of us needed to work a significant amount of extra time to meet a deadline to keep our jobs. The issue comes when that short term becomes all the time. Jim and I started an insurance agency from scratch. We knew that for the first three years, Jim would need to work three nights a week and 4 1/2 days a week to grow the agency's sustainability. We made a point to ensure that we always had a date night and never worked weekends. We agreed together that the investment of time was necessary. But it had a deadline. If your job never stops asking for more and is hurting your family, it may be time to start looking for a new job.

I can't tell you how many times Martha and I have heard this one phrase in a marriage mentoring session. "I work hard so my family can have the things I didn't have when I was a kid." That's all fine and dandy, but usually, we are given that excuse after the spouse feels neglected. That usually spurns a conversation about not feeling appreciated for how hard one spouse works. It creates an argument about all of the stuff they own, which causes them to work so hard to pay for the stuff they own. It's all a vicious circle. You don't need to create a fairytale experience for your children. They just want you. They don't care about all the stuff. Take a step back today and see if your work is hurting the very ones you want to provide for.

I love to work. I love to jump out of bed, get ready for work, and go to work. I spend all day working and come home, and then after dinner, I like to work some more. Working brings energy to me, and working brings satisfaction. I love to work because I love to see things get accomplished. I love checking things off my list. There's a danger in loving work. It's so easy to get caught up in my work that I don't realize that I'm hurting those around me by working so much. There was a time in my life when my job required me to work 60 hours a week—even time on Sunday. Jim and I had to work through balancing my work life and family life. I love to work, but I also don't want to sacrifice everything I love because I love to work.

I love to work. I love to jump out of bed, get ready for work, and go to work. I spend all day working and come home, and then after dinner, I like to work some more. Working brings energy to me, and working brings satisfaction. I love to work because I love to see things get accomplished. I love checking things off my list. There's a danger in loving work. It's so easy to get caught up in my work that I don't realize that I'm hurting those around me by working so much. There was a time in my life when my job required me to work 60 hours a week—even time on Sunday. Jim and I had to work through balancing my work life and family life. I love to work, but I also don't want to sacrifice everything I love because I love to work.

Retirement can be 30-plus years of unemployment, but what do those 30 years look like? Experts from the Retirement Reformation have determined there are three stages of retirement. The active stage is when you start pursuing life with all your energy. It is a time to be passionate about God's call on your life. Stage 2 is the mentoring stage, where people utilize the experiences and insights they've gained to instruct, inspire, mentor, coach, and impact others. In the final stage of our life, the sharing stage, men and women seek to give their wisdom and their wealth to others around them that they love. I think you can see a commonality throughout all these phases. No matter what we're doing or how healthy our bodies are, we are pouring our lives into others. Start preparing for retirement today by getting used to pouring your life into others.