What You Appreciate, Appreciates: A Firgun Day Field Report from the Subconscious
Every July 17, I find myself oddly emotional over something most people scroll past with half a glance: International Firgun Day. I say “oddly” not because emotional responses are rare for me (they’re basically my job), but because in a world flooded with performative positivity and algorithm-approved self-promotion, a day entirely devoted to genuine, ego-free joy in someone else’s success feels—well, quietly revolutionary.
The word firgun (פירגון), for those not steeped in Hebrew or social nuance, is a cultural gem. It roughly translates to “taking sincere pleasure in another person’s accomplishments,” with no trace of jealousy, agenda, or subliminal self-insertion. Just real, glowing praise for someone else being brilliant, brave, hardworking, lucky, or all of the above.
It’s a concept that started in Israel but has been gaining traction worldwide thanks to Made in JLM, a nonprofit that launched International Firgun Day in 2014. They even made a web tool called The Firgunator (because of course they did), where you can generate multilingual compliments with the push of a button. It’s like ChatGPT, but for pure-hearted flattery.
But here’s where it gets interesting for me—not just as a journalist and cultural observer, but as a clinical hypnotherapist.
Firgun, it turns out, isn’t just nice manners. It’s psychologically disarming.
In the subconscious mind—the murky realm where self-worth, envy, and old comparison wounds like to camp out—success is often seen as a finite pie. If you get a big slice, surely there’s less for me, right? It’s a scarcity script that runs so quietly we often don’t notice it until someone else posts their vacation photos and we suddenly feel irrationally under-accomplished in our sweatpants.
But firgun cuts straight through that. It rewrites the script. When I practice firgun, I’m not pretending to be happy for you—I am happy for you. Your win becomes mine, in the best kind of boundaryless way. As a therapist, I can tell you this simple emotional shift creates a new neural pathway—one that says, “I can celebrate others without losing myself.”
Which brings us to the social consciousness piece.
Imagine, just for a moment, a world where we normalized firgun. Where children were praised for supporting each other without competition. Where workplaces handed out spontaneous kudos that weren’t tied to performance metrics. Where people could say, “You did something amazing,” without needing to say, “And I’m working on something too.”
Utopian? Maybe. But sometimes change starts not with a revolution, but with a reframe.
On International Firgun Day, I like to think of myself as a kind of emotional field correspondent—roaming the wilds of the human psyche with a metaphorical mic, observing the subtle beauty of people appreciating each other without conditions. There’s something stunning about watching someone light up because they’ve been seen—not for their productivity or polish, but for their effort, their courage, their trying. Even better when it’s unexpected. A surprise compliment hits different. (And no, not in the “I’m suspicious of your motives” kind of way, but in the “Oh! You really meant that?” kind of way.)
This year, July 17 falls on a Thursday. Which feels cosmically correct. Thursday is the week’s middle child—often overlooked, not quite Friday, but quietly holding everything together. In that way, it feels like the Firgun Day of weekdays. Understated, generous, kind of wise. And let’s be honest: any day that gives you an excuse to message someone “I admire how you handled that meeting” or “You inspire me with how you show up” is a day worth celebrating.
Now, I won’t pretend that firgun comes naturally to everyone. If you’ve been socialized to compete, to protect your value by downplaying others’, or to believe that praise is a transactional act, this might feel unfamiliar. Uncomfortable, even. But that’s the beauty of it. Firgun is emotional exposure therapy. A soft rewiring of the heart. A chance to witness what happens when we stop trying to win and start trying to lift.
There’s a line in hypnotherapy we often repeat: “What you appreciate, appreciates.” On July 17, let’s appreciate the people around us so they, too, can grow. Firgun is free. It is immediate. And it’s powerful.
So send that message. Give that compliment. Tell your friend she’s handling single parenting like a goddess. Tell your colleague he leads with quiet strength. Compliment a stranger’s laugh, their playlist, their resilience.
Because in a culture increasingly allergic to vulnerability, genuine praise is a small act of defiance. It tells the subconscious, “We are not in competition. We are in this together.”
And if nothing else, it’s the best kind of dopamine hit—no scrolling required.
How to Celebrate International Firgun Day 2025 (Mindfully)
This year, on Thursday, July 17, take a conscious pause. Think of someone—anyone—who has grown, succeeded, tried something new, or simply kept going when it wasn’t easy. Then do something radically simple: tell them you see them.
Some ideas:
- 💬 Give a Compliment: Authentically. Specifically. No strings attached.
- 🌐 Use the Firgunator: Need inspiration? Visit www.firgunator.com to generate kind words in languages like English, Hebrew, Arabic, and more.
- 📱 Post Positivity: On social media, tag someone who’s inspired you. Use #FirgunDay or #InternationalFirgunDay to join the global wave.
- 🧘♀️ Anchor it with Intention: In your meditation or journaling, reflect on the emotional blocks that might keep you from expressing or receiving firgun. Release them.
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