Today’s blog post was inspired by a quote I found while perusing Pinterest (in case you don’t already know, I am obsessed with Pinterest). It completely hit home for me and got me thinking about how important it is to let people know that they are appreciated. It’s vital to an individual’s overall well-being to feel appreciated and needed. Whether someone is doing something because they want to out of the goodness of their hearts or if it is something required of their job, everyone likes to know that they are making a difference.
The automatic response of saying thank you when someone does something for you should be a natural reaction in all areas of someone’s life. When you are at the grocery store, in a restaurant or shopping in a retail store, the people you encounter are there doing their job, but would it kill you to treat them like a human being deserving of respect and appreciation? It takes less than a minute to tell someone that you appreciate their service or their help.
From my experience, employees that feel appreciated in the workplace environment will be happier and more efficient with their time than if they feel like their boss, peers or customers don’t appreciate their hard work and efforts. Now I don’t need my boss or peers to constantly say thank you because it probably wouldn’t feel genuine, but it feels good to hear it every so often. The best manager I ever had was the one that made it a point to say thank you for my hard work almost everyday. Even though it was my job to do what I was doing, she recognized my dedication and passion and praised me for the effort I put into my job. In turn, I felt that the time I spent at work was worthwhile, necessary and important and it encouraged me to work even harder.
If two simple words can make someone feel better about themselves and what they are doing, why wouldn’t you say them? To make someone else feel empowered does not make you any less powerful. It’s like that old saying that sharing the flame of a candle does not dim the glow of your own flame. So to wrap up this post, I challenge you to share your flame and say ‘Thank you’ and observe the way you can brighten someone’s spirit.
Image found on ExtraMadness.com
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