Mother Teresa wrote that “kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” I like those little things that have a big impact.
One of my favorites is someone uttering the kind words of “thank you.”
Thank you…two short, easy-to-speak yet incredibly powerful words:
…if you say and mean them from the heart, and
…provided 100% of your focus/meaning is directed to the person you are thanking.
Offering sincere and heart-felt thanks to a colleague, friend, family member, or the stranger who retrieved your runaway hat is a positive connection moment that leaves both of you feeling uplifted. You for giving, the other for feeling valued.
It’s also an irretrievably lost connection moment if you make the thanks about you instead of what they did. You know, the back-handed tribute that sounds like praise for them but is really a self-accolade in clever disguise. It goes kinda like this: How sweet of you to help me. You must know how incredibly busy I am with the important new project the Board of Directors asked me to take on.
Have you told someone thank you today…and really meant it?
Have you told someone thank you today…and really complimented yourself?
Which kind of thanks would you like to receive today?
Quotes to inspire you to say thank you
By the way, I’m wearing the smile that you gave me. ~Unknown
In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it. ~Ralph Marston
One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind. ~Malayan Proverb
It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. ~
Image source: morgueFile.com
