Appreciation for Norbert Mayer-Wittmann ("NMW"):

I wish to express our appreciation again to Norbert for his leadership in helping to set up this Appreciation Project at Omidyar. Without his technical expertise and generous gifts of time, this project would not be here at this time.

Without his continual monitoring and assistance to organize and re-organize the materials posted, and to answer many questions on how to do what in Omidyar, this project would appear more disorganized.

My associates and I are very grateful to NMW for his contributions to the project to provide us with the opportunity to explore, learn, share, contribute and have a lot of fun with this project! Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH NMW!

With appreciation, Diane

Appreciation for Ted Ernst, "Ted"

I wish to express our appreciation to Ted Ernst for his very valuable assistance. Many of his peers highly recommended Ted because of his outstanding specialized IT expertise, experience, wonderful personal qualities, and his ability to communicate to non-tech people.

I am grateful for his willingness to take out valuable time to answer questions and explain to us, even when he is extremely busy with many other good projects. We were lost in many areas and he saved us a lot of time lost in the workspace forest. His directions were very helpful.

Again, thank you so much Ted, for your generosity, kindness and for your valuable assistance.

With appreciation, Diane

Appreciation for Dr. Elizabeth A. Garcia-Gray ("Liz")

I am so impressed with Dr. Garcia-Gray. She is such a beautiful and friendly Spirit. When asked, she contributed 5 points right away to help us start this project here at Omidyar. She has been contributing and assisting on many very important projects like a real angel.

Her personal touch, caring, generosity, awareness, compassion, warm personality and other beautiful qualities distinguish her from other medical doctors. Her friendship is one of the blessings I am grateful for made possible through this Omidyar.net.

With appreciation, Diane

I wish to show appreciation for B. Horst for sharing her beautiful dream with us. I feel that shows a great deal of trust, and I am happy that Barbara is so open and free to experiment with her thoughts and dreams.

:) nmw

We wish to express our appreciation to Pierre and Pam Omidyar and the team members who helped to make the Omidyar. net and this Appreciation Project possible. Omidyar is awesome community and this website is an excellent model and point of reference.

We are grateful for the wonderful people we have already connected with through this website! You are changing the world for the better with genius, talent, innovation, creativity, compassion and magnificent and generous contributions for building a better world!

We look forward to the continued expansion of this Network! It has already led to many amazing outcomes and it will continue to be a source and incubator for new ideas and support for people who want to change themselves and the world for the better.

Allies Building Community Inc. (A.B.C.) by D. Diane Tai, Ph.D., president

I would like to thank Norbert for putting me at ease about the dream I shared. It is true it is like traveling out to the edge where others may fear to tread and people may have all kinds of unpredictable reactions about that. I would like to thank him for shining his friendliness on that further- out-on-the-edge-than-usual-place so others may feel more at ease contributing to that discussion, which of course helps us all. It is so good for the soul, as he is showing himself to be. I would also like to thank him for his enormous creativity and ingenuity that we are all benefiting from to such a huge extent. This is so much fun! Another big warm THANK YOU, Norbert. :)

I have moved this appreciation from the Introduction and Questions and Answers Related to Appreciation to its appropriate place here.

I am so deeply grateful for Dr. Tai's (Diane's) focus on appreciation. Because of her instinctive discovery of me and her ability to acknowledge my contributions, I find myself feeling that I may have found a match of energy that could empower both of us to release our most potent gifts.

Many years ago I assisted a dear and highly intuitive friend in her original body-centered energy practice workshops. After a couple of years of loving the practice and seeing wonderful results, I noticed that my energy was not 100% aligned with the practice enough to pursue it with the same passion that my friend did. Now my friend is traveling across the globe sharing her countless insights and heightened energy. I have watched this for all these years with more than a touch of discomfort as I wondered, "What is it that would draw my best energy out the way my friends' energy work did for her?" I have very strong energy that if it is not absolutely focused on the very highest and best I just can't tolerate it and I go into self-destruct with addictive behavior or mind chatter wastefulness.

I lost confidence many times in finding anyone else of like mind and energy to hook up with around a focus that was uplifting enough to hold my attention and stop the chatter. Thankfully, though the self-destruct threatened, I stayed as affiliated as I could with groups that were as close as possible to what inspired me such as masterminding among many others. My email box was full of daily emails from people who were out there doing their thing as I wondered with increasing desperation, "Where is my special focus where I can share and make a difference and be out there for all the people I feel are such gifts to me?"

I feared dragging all these people I loved so much through my mind chatter of lack of confidence and resource and that stopped me. Knowing appreciation to be the key, I competed with the chatter by appreciating or acknowledging people around me the best I could, but the self-destruct voice grew right along with the positive things I was doing and thinking and sending to people in whatever way occurred to me at the time.

I was overwhelmed with the various manifestations of the mind chatter that showed up in my life such as forfeiting time needed to get all aspects of my life synchronized for basic survival (finances and time management). During this time, Diane spotted one of my postings and responded in a way that assured me that she cared. I told myself I preferred to get some details organized first. I had gone through a string of people who had responded to that particular post, the engagement of whom did not get me any closer to my inspiration.

One evening, she responded to my phone call after work. It was getting very late hours and even though I had to get up at 3:30am the next morning, I decided to make time to talk for a few minutes. I called her and immediately she began talking about the appreciation project. I was hooked. All my lights went on. "She's got it! She's got the essence as well as the organizational drive! I could really run with this!"

As we pursued the mastermind project that she had originally responded in regards to, I found myself rehashing the mind chatter to mastermind about it to bring clarity to that area. Today I told her, "I don't want to do that anymore. I am inspired only to appreciate. Appreciating is like sending energy like my energy-work friend did. As we send it out, it comes right back around to us full circle. We can track our insights that occur to us along the way in the same way my energy-work friend did and watch the energy build. Rehashing what's going wrong is like chasing my tail (to use one of my friends' analogies). I just want to appreciate." To my surprise, since I had essentially suggested pulling out of what it was that originally brought us together, she was delighted!!! We both liked the simplicity of going straight for the appreciations, no matter what else is happening. We both feel that is the essence of who we are and what we are here on earth to do.

I feel my inspiration has found company. The self destruct and mind chatter and repetition of and attention to what is NOT going optimally can be left behind for someone else who wants to travel that path. I'm ready to experience and promote the essence of life with Diane and the Appreciation Project.

So, Diane, your love of and commitment to your focus of appreciation assisted me in stepping more fully into the light of day. My heart and life pours forth its gratefulness to you for being the essence of who you are providing a complimentary focus enabling both of us to expand the circle of light many times over what we could have done alone.

B

I especially would like to appreciate all of you who have taken time out of your day and made a choice to visit this discussion. By that very small act, you are transforming the world. It is the smallest of acts that makes the real difference and it is our choice of where we put our focus during the day that determines what our day is going to be like. How our day goes affects the rest of the world, so do you see what a difference this seemingly small thing makes to the world??

I would like to appreciate Diane Tai for her acknowledgements of people that come through genuinely heartfelt and full of grace. It’s the feeling that is the energy and that is what counts; that she truly feels what she is saying, and I believe she does. That feeling transmits to the receiver as new abundance in themselves they have likely forgotten about in the usual swarm of life. I believe this is mastery.

Diane, I appreciate your delightful spirit and loving heart. You are showing people that to appreciate is to find the best in others and to value the light they have within. In the process, that soulful refractory mirror ends up radiating light to many more. I also appreciate your openness and warmth. I smile now knowing that to appreciate is to be spiritually and emotionally abundant. Which is why you have so much to give others. Here's to kindred spirits and to friendship. Thank you.

B, I appreciate your openheartedness and honest giving of your feelings and thoughts. Dream analysts do say that everyone and everything in the dream is a part of us. Though we focus on the person in your dream, it makes me wonder if you are the gold in that dream as well. Exactly what appreciations can be. When we appreciate, we give our gold to others. We give them the abundant spirit that we have inside. Sometimes, others may be afraid of the gold for they may not be sure what it truly is. Then when they realize its true worth, people metaphorically treasure what is most precious within us.

I appreciate and value your sense of gratitude and support of Diane and the appreciation cause. Thank you for being here in Omidyar.Net.

I want to express my deepest appreciation for Phyllis Hurley. Phyllis is an incredible lady with an enlightened sense of spirituality who is steadfastly focused on doing good for the world. Having worked as a principal, she has tirelessley uplifted many children's sense of self-worth through a school that she and a friend help establish. Her dedication to foment racial reconciliation in their school and church has been nothing less than inspirational. Though she had a stroke while fund-raising, she amazingly made sure that we got the funds for the NPOs to stop WDI. Today she is undergoing heart surgery and please send her loving thoughts and prayers. For if you meet Phyllis, you will love her compassion, kindness, great sense of humor, humility, sense of service, faith and her beautiful heart.

I would like to appreciate Ravi Arapurakal for being the first person after Diane to acknowledge me and to send me 3 points! It is such a wonderful thing to make people feel welcome. Thank you! I join you wholeheartedly, Ravi, in reclaiming our ONEself - nurturing in character in every way. Thank you for sharing the level of your current understanding and expressing it as beautifully as you have (the timely importance of discovering and expressing from our true self) so that those who have some of that understanding as well or desire for more can go right to the heart of the matter much more quickly in communication with you.

B

I would like to appreciate Julie Caldwell for being the 3rd person to welcome me and to acknowledge me with 3 points! Julie, I am intrigued with the Prayer Wheel and am looking forward to learning more. Thank you for sharing so much about your passions! One thing that stood out for me that I especially enjoyed and that will remain memorable is in your Geographic Bio where you say "Work where I am most valued, needed and wanted" That may not seem special to you or others here, but many people don't stop to create a context for work like that. For whatever reason, it touched me and I love that you look at your work that way.

B

I am most appreciative of Elizabeth Garcia-Gray for her warm welcome to me, the points she shared with me and MOST especially for her contribution to the development of this appreciation board! It is such great fun to have you along Liz! Your comment about dreams was thought-provoking as well. Thank you for being such a support and inspiration for volunteers around the globe. I can tell you are a true stand for the soul of every human being. Your energy is contagious. Thank you for sharing your wonderful picture so we can know you visually as well. B

2. Horst, you are a practical visionary!

I really appreciate your unique touch which is so rare and magical! I generally try to respond to criticisms with, "I LOVE criticisms," just to prevent an automatic knee-jerk defensive response on my part. In this exceptional case.... your appreciations remind me that between receiving criticisms and appreciation, I think I LOVE receiving appreciations much more! Thank you very much for your generosity and your kind thoughts.

You have a talent in bringing much joy to others through appreciations. Your skill and talent will soften left brain types, and heal many broke hearts on earth. I know how busy you are currently. Therefore I would like to especially thank you very much for taking the time to share your appreciations and to support this Appreciation Project at Omidyar. There is a special room in my heart for pioneers and founding members who contribute and support this Project during its initial stage of development. Congratulations and thanks again for your contributions!

Appreciation for Norbert Mayer-Wittmann, Our Chief Technology Officer!

We really appreciate your ongoing attention, participation, and technology skills to design and support the infrastructure of the project and shape it as the project grows. The project looks so much better after you organize the content and make the needed changes to facilitate discussion among participants in response to their comments.

Again, we are grateful for your leadership, IT skills, vital contributions and overall support which are critical to the success of the project. You have brought much joy into our lives. May this project provide some of the pipelines and connections so that part of the oceans of abundance of the universe can flow to you.

With gratitude, Diane

I would like to express my profound appreciation and gratitude for Dr. Ashis Brahma. Ashis, a colleague and now a dear friend, has the qualities of a consummate physician. The work he continues to do serving the Sudanese refugees in the Oure Cassoni camp in Chad has been heartwarmingly inspirational. He has courageously served as a human shield and a respected voice for the voiceless, not losing sight of the importance of empowering the refugees for self-sustainability. He compassionately uplifts the strength and the indomitable spirits of our refugees helping them daily to rise beyond their tragedies. He humbly learns from them and he is a champion for those who suffer.

I appreciate Ashis' innate ability in bringing out the child-like joy in people. And he understands the meaning of laughter being great medicine and that affectionate irreverence can oftentimes bring out familial smiles in many. His delightful joie de vivre is balanced by his seriousness in encouraging the world to rise up and take action to stop genocide now. He is insightfully and astutely aware that medicine is not just about science or pharmacology but about the healing of body, mind and spirit. From experience he knows that prayer and meditation are important for spiritual growth and for a path towards a life purpose - Truth, Harmony and Unity.

What I appreciate most about Ashis is his deep Love for people. His love, especially for children and animals is well-known. His willingness to learn and keep his heart open for all possibilities make him a natural teacher. To a kindred soul. Namaskar, Ashis. From Liz.

I would like to share with all of you my heartfelt appreciation and love for my grandparents. Although they are now gone from this earth. I believe that their unconditional love for our family vibrantly lives on.

My paternal grandparents raised the bar for Love. They were a joy to see together. So kind and loving to one another. And of course they had ten children who gave them a brood of grandchildren and great grandchildren. My grandfather was a lawyer and professor and my grandmother was a teacher. I appreciate the sacrifices they made to ensure the education of their children and grandchildren. They instilled in us the meaning of love of God, family and friends. They taught us that compassion and service to others are vital. And that to those much is given, much is expected.

I appreciate the many special unforgettable memories they gave us. They lived in a home that was surrounded with many fruit trees, plants, and tropical flowers, like orchids. It was so tender to see them look at each other, dance with each other and appreciate each other. They were there for us through joys and sorrows, always hopeful, always loving. They encouraged us, they nurtured us and they believed in us. I remember going into their home and saw them dancing to a waltz and looking at each other's eyes as if noone was there watching. Sweetness. I will never forget that.

When they passed away, eulogies were said but not truly necessary. Most of our extended family members are quite open and have given my grandparents ongoing appreciations and tributes for all that they are and have done for us while they were alive. It reminds us of the beauty and depth in not letting an opportunity pass to appreciate and tell people how much we love them. Both in words and in actions. Let us say our appreciations now. To our loved ones. Families. Friends. Each other. Today. For in the end, I believe that only Love matters.

I would like to extend my profound gratitude for Pierre and Pam Omidyar and all of their little and big elves. You have provided an incredible free communication opportunity at Omidyar.net. It is a quality place to be and an amazing service you have done for us. The point system in ingenious. I am new here, but the longer I play around with this space, the more my gratitude grows. Pierre and Pam, you have attracted the best of the best. Thank you for your wonderful creativity and intentions now actualized and the generous sharing of your obvious mastery of the internet and many other skill sets.

B. Horst, You have expressed our positive feelings of gratitude for Pierre and Pam Omidyar so beautifully. Thank you so much!

[Edited by group owner: ~Diane T.~ on 01 Feb 2007 12:12 PST: Many of us feel the same way as B. Horst, thank you B !]

Well said -- and I wholeheartedly agree!

interesting link nmw pos 10

insightful link nmw pos 10

BTW: there are some people who I appreciate so much that perhaps this cannot be expressed in words at all. The last person on this list is a fictional character (I think) and is really meant to "lighten up" on the previous three (who have had a profoundly positive impact on my life -- and probably will continue to have a profoundly positive impact on my life until the day I die).

<choke>

;) nmw

In the opening ideas expressed in this discussion, "appreciation" is defined as: Appreciation = Power (like generating electric power.)

I have been thinking and thinking and thinking about this topic...wondering at its definition...trying to tie it together in my own thinking. Probably it is something that I have been making difficult when it should be easy...

In the opening, Diane then says: "The book, "The Hidden Messages in Water" by Masaru Emoto introduces the revolutionary work of internationally renowned Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto, who has discovered that molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words and feelings. Since humans and the earth are composed mostly of water, his message is one of personal health, global environmental renewal, and a practical plan for peace that starts with each one of us."

Thinking of the idea that "Appreciation is power" and coupling it with the idea that we can change the characteristics of even molecules such as water by our focused thought--(reminds me a little of TM and changing the world via meditation)--I now want to share about someone whom I appreciate as having had these influences on my life.

My wife.

She has allowed my water molecules to take on new beauties even though at times there has been boiling tempests with steam rising the result has been quite profound in many ways.

Thank you.

Appreciation for John Stone,

When I joined Omidyar to see what it was about, and I saw so many wonderful people and projects, I started to acknowledge them by giving them positive points as part of the feedback. Several times, my bank became completely empty.

This was a new experience for me. In real life, my bank accounts are never empty, except twice when someone forgot to record a big check they issued.

In Omidyar, after my "bank" was empty several times, it appeared like a miracle, John Stone kept rescuing me by giving me points with a good guideline, "just promise, no negatives."

I did not know who he was or what his guideline meant. Now I know he is one of my angels in disguise. And I am following his guideline, which has profound wisdom imbedded in it because it keeps me out of engaging in left-brain arguments which undermine my energy.

I love to "be right" like many left-brain logical/analytical types. I love to debate which is a favorite left-brain analytical exercise. However, from Dr. David R. Hawkins, I have learned that logic and analysis will not achieve the outcomes of Love, Joy, Peace-in-Mind, Friendship, Appreciation or Enlightenment.

We have to choose with awareness when it does NOT serve our purpose to think from the logical side of our mind. John Stone asked for a commitment to "promise, no negatives." That is a very wise and excellent guideline if we wish to remain in the domain of joy, love, peace and appreciation.

Therefore, I am grateful for John Stone's assistance and wisdom, and especially his early assistance and ongoing support in his own unique way. Thanks sooooooooo much, JS!

With appreciation, Diane T.

nmw said:

Well said -- and I wholeheartedly agree!

tag/meta (search)

interesting link nmw pos 10

insightful link nmw pos 10

Norbert, Could you translate this and each of the above items into Chinese-English or non-tech English so I can understand what this means and can appreciate better its contribution to the project? THANKS soooooooooooo much!

[Edited by group owner: nmw on 01 Feb 2007 10:42 PST: META +1 interesting]