Saying Thank You Doesn’t Cost Anything
I believe in saying ‘Thank You’. More precisely, I believe in writing thank you notes.
My wife and I have taught our kids to say ‘Thank You’ after receiving anything. Not all note writing is cheerily accepted, but my daughter Addison knows that a thank you note goes a long way. There is a great power in telling someone thank you; we also want to teach them gratitude and to be thankful for the little things.
As a kid, I remember my parents making me and my sister write a stack of thank you notes to our aunts, uncles and grandparents for the gifts we received — birthdays, graduations, Christmas, anything. In all honesty, I hated doing them as a kid. Hindsight is always 20/20 and as I look back to when I was younger (and dumber), I realize how selfish of an act that really was. Telling someone thank you doesn’t cost us anything.
After graduating college, I began to learn how much of a “Thank You Economy” society really is. Many of us get caught up in instant gratification, what can I do to better my position. Too many don’t think about the power that the words “thank you” can give a person.
It can put you in a grateful state of mind. I try to start every week by writing a handful of thank you notes to people who’ve made an impact on my life — both personally and professionally. If I can’t find 30 minutes to sit down and write five notes (as my handwriting has gone from pristine to nearly illegible), I will — instead — fire off a few personal emails. Emails don’t pack quite the personal touch of a handwritten note, but the intent is still the same.
When I write notes to colleagues (and people I don’t know), I’m not expecting to be acknowledged. My intentions are deliberate: to be grateful to those that have impacted me and to, hopefully, uplift others. Sometimes the best things in life don’t require anything in return.
When I do receive a note from a friend or colleague, I always pin it to my “affirmation board” in my office as a reminder to what I’ve done, where I’ve been, what I want to do and where I want to go in both my personal and professional journey.
Be grateful.
Even to those that have wronged us. Writing some notes has helped me move past some difficult relationships. While the recipient may never acknowledge what you wrote, it can offer you peace of mind and the ability to move on. It can be therapeutic.
I firmly believe that the six most powerful words any of us can say in our daily lives and on social media are: THANK YOU, YOU’RE WELCOME, I’M SORRY
Sometimes it’s humbling and refreshing to tell someone ‘Thank You’. What makes it even better is that those people aren’t expecting anything. It’s certainly a lost art and one that I hope I can pass on to my children.
I write far more ‘Thank You’ notes than I receive — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s a good feeling.
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Chris Yandle is the Assistant AD for Communications & Public Relations at Georgia Tech and an Adjunct Instructor in Public Relations at Kennesaw State. Follow him on Twitter at @ChrisYandle. You can also listen to his podcast oniTunes, Soundcloud, TuneIn and Stitcher Radio.