Summary
Overview
Emotional intelligence coach Tim Chiusano shares how observing a manhole cover during one of his worst career days led to a life-changing realization: he was 'addicted to appreciation.' He explains how this mindset—actively noticing and valuing the good in everyday life—differs from gratitude and can transform how we experience the world. Through personal stories and practical examples, he demonstrates how appreciation can become a foundational practice that brings more joy, presence, and understanding to daily life.
A Terrible Day and an Unexpected Epiphany
Tim sets the scene by describing one of the worst days of his career in 2018, managing 270 people through crisis after crisis. After eight hours of contentious meetings and with pending layoffs looming, he receives an ominous email from his boss. Yet on his miserable walk home, something unexpected happens: he becomes fascinated by a manhole cover, leading to a profound question about how his brain works.
- One of the top three worst days of Tim's career, managing 270 people with everyone having meltdowns simultaneously
- Eight hours of unnecessarily contentious meetings with pending layoffs hanging over him
- Received an email from his boss saying tomorrow's 9am meeting would 'suck'
- While walking home in misery, he noticed a manhole cover and became curious about why they're circles and made in India
" I like great As I walking home I go ooh a manhole cover. You know, it's pretty cool that somebody figured out that they would be safer if they were circles instead of squares. "
Defining Appreciation as an Addiction
Tim questions whether his ability to find interest in a manhole cover during such a terrible day makes him an idiot or reveals something deeper. He realizes this wasn't a distraction holding him back—it was the key to enjoying life. He defines appreciation as the act of noticing and valuing good in the world, and explains how being 'addicted' to this recognition fundamentally changes daily experience.
- Tim questioned if this tendency to notice mundane things was holding back his career growth
- Realized he was 'addicted to appreciation' and that without it, life was remarkably less enjoyable
- Appreciation defined as the act of noticing and valuing the good in our worlds
- This mindset gave him benefit of the doubt before cognitive biases could emerge, unlocking a different level of life
" Appreciation is the act of noticing and valuing the good in our worlds. So by definition, being addicted to appreciation means being addicted to the recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something. "
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