All too often we’ve gone through situations where a ‘thank you’ was more than deserved, but it was never received.  You may not be able to make others say it, but don’t let it stop you from being thankful and expressing that.  One of the healthiest and strongest emotions we can have is gratitude.  It shows up when someone goes out of their way to be helpful, causing a sense of appreciation for that action.

A couple of notes on saying thank you:

Be Sincere! –

When someone’s holding the door open for you, it’s easy to slip through and give a muddled thank you and continue on your way, but instead take the time to look at them directly, smile, and say thank you.  If it’s someone you know fairly well, take a moment to ask how their day is going.

Do it Right-

For those times when someone went more than out of their way to help you out, try to match that kindness with something just as nice.  For professional settings, the best thing may be to write a thank you note to the individual.  Remember that everything you put out into the world is a reflection of yourself, so take the time to finds good quality thank you notes to use.  Personally I find that Crane & Co. makes just the right impression when sending the boss your appreciation for the promotion.  The second important thing is to write something with a little power in it; make it something that they want to hang on to because of how well you chose each word that went into the message.

Aside from thank you notes, try to find something that is meaningful to that person.  Perhaps if they love a particular restaurant, you could give them a gift card to enjoy, or even better, take them there for lunch and pick up the tab.

Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.    -Jim Rohn