The Importance of ‘Thank You’
I’ve been very blessed to have wonderful people in my life. My parents, brother, friends, co-workers, my inner circle, and the community that is Portland, ME. As wonderful as everyone in my life is, towards my personal and professional life, I have not followed through on one thing enough.
“Thank you.”
This can be as simple as saying it for the littlest favor, to a hand-written thank you card, to a gift for their time towards your life. Doing this not only makes for a continuous strong relationship with those individuals, but in order to be a better human being, it’s a necessity.
I have not made this a priority nearly enough in my life. This is so important realize with every interaction you have. If someone goes out of their way to have a meeting with you, send an e-mail, a hand-written card, anything to show your appreciation, whether you’ve met them once or have known them for years.
If your family goes out of your way for you in any capacity, make that a priority. This is where I fail a lot of the time. It is so easy to take your family for granted, and to expect them to be there for you at every turn. But no matter what, make this your priority first. They don’t have to be there for you, but they choose to, and that’s an important thing to recognize, understand, and appreciate.
Aside from understanding and saying ‘thanks,’ it’s also just as important to be there for those in your network (personal and professional) for them to give the opportunity to say “thank you” in your direction. I’m not saying that you deserve the thanks, or wait for them to give you that recognition, but to do the right thing and be available for them so that it is recognized as a two-way relationship, not just a “take” relationship.
It’s just 2 words. But those words and actions can make all the difference for the rest of your life. Take the extra 5–10 minutes every day or every other day to show your thanks, but in person and through gestures. I need to do this much more, and am extending this invitation to you all to show your thanks for those in your network.
So to you all. Thank You.
Kevin ‘KO’ Oates (@rockorchestras) is the founder of the following:
- Maine Youth Rock Orchestra (@myrockorchestra)
- Rock Orchestras of America
- Empire Youth Rock Orchestra (@empireorchestra) coming 2017
- American Youth Rock Orchestra (@ayrorocks) coming 2017
- Bach to Bock (@bachtobock)
- Rock the Classroom: How to Reinvent Your Teaching to Encourage Rock Star Leaning: releasing 2018
- Bach & Roll: A Young String Players Guide to Being a Rock Star Musician: coming 2017
