‘Thank you’ is a prayer and it suffices
Gratitude makes you feel good. “Mental sunshine will cause the flowers of peace, happiness and prosperity to grow upon the face of the earth. Let’s be creators of mental sunshine.”
This graffiti on a wall in Berkeley, California, rings true today and will ring loudly in the coming days, when an attitude of gratitude becomes the central theme that guides and defines how you live your life. It talks of the simple joy of living from a grateful heart, where you are encouraged never to forget to say a word of thanks to those who have been nice to you and even to those whom you believe you should be nice to, even if at some point they have disagreed with you or have put you in troubling situations.
“Thank you” is an expression made up of two simple words and should not be difficult to utter and give with sincerity. It could spell the difference between a functional and dysfunctional society. There are always reasons to say “thank you.” Here are just a few:
It’s important to learn how to genuinely say it, particularly to those who share your resources. “Thank you” helps repair the spirit and mend the fabric of your human interfaces. You may think it shows your vulnerability but in truth, the openness you exude every time you say it lends itself to an emotional outpouring — appreciated or not — that preserves your personal well-being. Gratitude spawns kindness and generosity. Spiritual teacher and life coach G. Richard Rieger stated, “Our workaday lives are filled with opportunities to bless others. The power of a single glance or an encouraging smile must never be underestimated.”
“Thank you” brings love and light. It is a great way to start, grow and preserve friendships, keep respect and honor in place, and joy overflowing. It is the foundation of success for anything you get involved in, any connection you make, embrace and nurture. It is extolling an assistant or your fellow executives who have done something good. It is identifying the explicit actions of a driver, security guard, bank teller or cleaning lady found to be admirable, which you share with others, not just the person being appreciated. It is handwriting a note, giving a warm handshake, presenting a gift or treating somebody to lunch to express your pleasure for a good deed or a remarkable performance. It is sharing success stories with others — not to brag but to inspire, to motivate and move them to action. It is letting people know what your work means, how it helps and the kind of impact it creates.
Expressing a word of thanks is a manifestation of good manners and right conduct. But more than that, it is simple decency in action. The person receiving it feels appreciated, and the person giving it feels grateful. It is an affirmation of an act of goodness, be it deliberate or random. It balances, completes and empowers the act of compassion and giving. And since the expression reflects indebtedness, it evokes a sense of humility in the person giving thanks, as it arouses and empowers the generosity of the spirit of both the receiver and the giver.
“Thank you” becomes more powerful and important if you speak it. Realize the impact of your actions on yourselves and on your respective communities. Take responsibility. Accept the challenge. Take the time. Know that you are, that you will, or that you can be a role model to someone and are setting the example for others. Verbalize your grateful feelings because, undoubtedly, there is power in speech! Giving is one thing but saying it is another. Just do it! A basic “thanks” can also be a heartfelt personal discussion. Thus, you should verbalize, verbalize and verbalize.
Giving thanks is beneficial from a logical and business perspective. It could go above money to motivate people. Acknowledging the work force with a “thank you’” and other little expressions of gratitude provides psychic income, a fundamental but important human need. It answers the need for social acceptance, a heightened sense of worth and improved self-realization. It brings a long-term influential effect, which can be more valuable than cash rewards.
“Thank you” allows you to make more money. Believe it. Economic benefits can be earned from it. Get inspired by this case study from the Journal of Applied Psychology: “Servers in restaurants frequently use the tactic of writing ‘thank you’ on the backs of checks before delivering them to dining parties. Servers also frequently personalize their interaction with dining parties by signing their first name below the gratitude message. The effectiveness of these tactics in increasing tips was examined. In a field experiment conducted in an upscale restaurant in a large Northeastern city, a server wrote on the backs of the checks, either nothing, ‘thank you,’ or ‘thank you’ plus her first name. The addition of ‘thank you’ increased tip percentages, although personalization by adding her first name had no effect. It was concluded that the commonly employed low-cost tactic of expressing gratitude to customers by writing ‘thank you’ on the check can produce a worthwhile return.”
Retail stores also derive advantages from the influence of a “thank you”: “One jewelry store enjoyed a 70-percent increase in purchased goods from customers after calling past customers for a simple and sincere “thank you.” That study also established that if the “thank you” call came with some kind of promotion, the customer’s increase in purchased goods only rose 30 percent because the call appeared less sincere. Sincerity makes all the difference.
For nonprofit organizations that depend on fundraising efforts to generate resources, thanking volunteers can improve the work they do. In a Wharton study it was discovered that fundraisers made more calls when their managers sincerely thanked them for their help. These effects are greater now more than ever before since the advent of social media. In his book, The Thank You Economy, Gary Vaynerchuk said, “An attitude of gratitude intensifies the customer’s relationship with a brand. This makes it more important than ever to thank your customers and to ensure that your customers walk away saying ‘thank you’ in return.”
“Thank you” makes you more sensible and more joyful. Thanking others has been shown to help prevent psychological confusion. People who articulate their appreciation often feel less stress than others and they are inclined to cope better in nerve-racking situations. “Thank you” can also improve your overall psychological wellbeing. It can help you sleep better and improve your overall health because you’re more focused on the positive things in your life. Mother Teresa proclaimed, “Joy is prayer … joy is love … joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. He gives most who gives with joy.”
Gratefulness improves the health of a society. If everyone is a whole lot more pleasant and polite, it makes others feel socially valued and proficient and encourages future helpful behavior. Saying “thank you” more often will make you richer, happier, healthier and nicer. It can be viral, too. County lawyer Sharon Huffman declared, “Feelings of gratitude release positive endorphins throughout the body, creating health.”
ABS-CBN says “thank you” in this year’s Christmas station ID. Kapamilya stars demonstrate gratitude to important people in their lives and honor inspiring people in the newest Christmas station ID of ABS-CBN: Thank You Ang Babait Ninyo (Thank you, you’re all so kind), which premiered last Nov. 13. The theme has been imprinted in the Christmas tradition of Filipinos for many years now. It is an expression that is well known to almost everyone, especially the generation that grew up on caroling during Christmas time. This phrase has become the essence of the new station ID, but it goes beyond just being grateful for coins accumulated from singing yuletide carols. The ID also conveys to its viewers that no matter what happens, there are still many things to be thankful for — things you often take for granted and people whose importance you sometimes fail to appreciate.
If you find it difficult to say “thank you,” look inwardly and find out why you have trouble saying it. Explore your thoughts and feelings about it. Talk to someone you trust to get another perspective on the way you behave. Discover its importance as well and get spiritual guidance if you need to. If you don’t embrace the spiritual aspect, try talking to somebody higher in position, or better yet, somebody you respect. Gratitude connects us to a higher spirit. German theologian and philosopher Meister Eckhart emphasized that, “If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”
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