Expressing Gratitude the Old Fashioned Way
Stephen Hopson is guest blogging for Phil today.
Can you think of all the people in your life that helped you, especially when you were experiencing adversity or when you were at a crossroad of sorts?
Was it……
- a teacher who said the right thing at the right time?
- the person who wrote a glowing recommendation letter?
- mentors who appeared at just the right time?
- the gatekeeper who put your important phone call through?
- a friend who consoled you through a painful time?
- a stranger who did you an extraordinary act of kindness?
- someone who opened the door for you, leading to incredible opportunities?
- the minister who listened to you for hours?
- family members who’ve supported you with love and encouragement?
- your boss who backed you up in the midst a major corporate crisis?
Why not become extraordinary, stand out from the crowd and send these people handwritten notes, thanking them for something they did for you? It will cause a few raised eyebrows, guaranteed.
You say you already sent them an email thanking them? Well, that’s nice but it doesn’t really count. I’m not saying email should never be used to thank people. In fact, we’ve all done it and we will continue to do it. It’s too easy not to.
Yes, you’re very busy. It takes time to write notes. In fact, it just might make your hand hurt since you’re probably so used to typing on a keyboard or dictating into a machine these days!
But, if you think about it, the people who helped you were also busy; yet they found the time to guide you, listen to you, write a letter on your behalf, etc. Imagine the ripple effect your handwritten card would have on them. It would mean so much because they know you’re a busy person. Wouldn’t you agree?
Here are some rules I go by when I want my thank you’s to really count:
- substitute handwritten notes in place of email for significant deeds
- use blank cards (not the preprinted ones)
- insert your business card with a photo on it (they’ll love it!)
- send a card to each family member and watch their eyebrows go up-they’ll never expect it
- keep it short and sweet-don’t blubber your eyes out and cause the ink to run amok
- it’s never too late to send a thank you card
When you get into the habit of expressing gratitude in a heartfelt way, you subconsciously attract more of what you thanked them for. You bring into your life more people who will help you, especially in times of adversity. More importantly, you become more apt to give back and help others, allowing the universal cycle of giving and receiving to continue unfettered.
Food for thought: Imagine you are going to spend a lot of time with one of two people. One person unexpectedly sent you a personal note of thanks. The other did not. They are both of equal background, similar personalities, etc. Which one would you choose to spend time with?
Stephen J. Hopson is a former award-winning Wall Street stockbroker turned motivational speaker, author and the first deaf pilot in the world (yes, you read that right) to earn an instrument rating in 2006. This is a rating that allows him to fly as pilot in command through "bad" weather where radio use is actually required. He recently moved his "Adversity University" blog from Blogger to Wordpress at www.adversityuniversityblog.com If you'd like to see him in action as a speaker, you could visit his professional speaking website at www.sjhopson.com
