There is also encouragement, which focuses more on the future compared to praise. Do you do that with your girlfriend?
Praise is a great form of acknowledgement and encouragement.
I think every one needs motivation in their lives at some point. Interesting thought. Motivation is what gives people their needs and desires. Yeah I recently started leaving messages for my girlfriend and she loves them Motivation is also what gets someone to repeat behavior. exactly it helps both of us its a win win. Another idea is praise, or positively evaluation another person's actions or attributes. Yeah, I kind of do that with drawings I make. She seems to love them.
Praise is distinct from acknowledgement or feedback, which are more neutral forms of recognition, and encouragement, which is more future oriented.