Positively Healthy Gratitude

Saying thank you and graciously receiving a thank you or praise seem to be getting lost these days. Now I’m not talking about the everyday thank you that you make your child say when you hand them something or when the cashier says thank you after a purchase. I am talking about the out of the blue thank  you or praise given to a co-worker or to the barista at the local coffee shop or some stranger. In the January 1, 2012 issue of Parade Magazine John Kralik wrote a wonderful article  about expressing gratitude to those around us entitled "Up Your Gratitude". In the article he talked about how he started writing thank you notes at a time when he thought he had very little to be thankful for and how that simple act has now transformed his life. Since 2008 he has written 860 thank you notes.

Now I must admit that I am pretty good in the thank you and praise department. I may not write very many notes but thank you are two of the words I say often. When I get good service somewhere I don't just thank or praise that person I tell the manager. If the service was above and beyond I call the corperate office. Nothing is more pleasant than talking to someone at a corperate office and telling them you have a nicegram you would like to give someone. This is so out of the ordinary they hardly know what to do. By calling the corperate office good things flow downhill. This type of thank you and praise goes down the corperate ladder from manager to manager until it finally reaches the spot where the good service started. Just think of all the people you have made smile from just one thank you.

What I am not good at is excepting a thank you or praise graciously. I will come up with every excuse in the book as to why what I did was not important. The problem with this behavior is that it not only belittles what I did but also belittles the person giving it. Simplify your life by just saying your welcome and nothing more. Do you see yourself in this picture? How often do you except a thank you or praise graciously?

What are you thankful for in your life? Is there someone you should thank for that? Dust off that old box of thank you notes and join me by starting to write those notes today. It only needs to be a few lines but will bring a big smile to the receiver and I think you will be surprised at how much brighter it makes your day. Remember to be gracious the next time someone says thank you or gives you praise  and don’t make excuses or dismiss the act with “It was nothing.” Just say “You're welcome” and know that you are practicing positively healthy gratitude.


Here is the link to the wonderful article by John Kralik http://www.parade.com/news/2012/01/up-your-gratitude.html