Over the last few weeks, I’ve had conversations with a number of people after sharing with them how much I appreciate what they are doing. In each case, I’ve heard many people talking about how much impact the person had on them, how their behaviors and actions have changed and overall gratitude for the person. In each case, I was surprised to hear from each person that they very rarely heard the simple words “thank you”, let alone a more extensive note or verbal expression of gratitude.
A friend of mine is amazing at this – she hand writes thank you notes, constantly expresses appreciation and compliments those around her. It is always genuine, heartfelt and a perspective that shows depth of appreciation. The smile in return shows how much the recipient appreciates it. This topic is an area I’ve worked on over time, and continue to work on and look to people like her to emulate. Whether publicly or privately, I’m not sure you can ever express gratitude enough!