The Art of the Thank You 3: How to Write a Short Note

Thanks for riding this ride with me - notice you can be any height and age to come along on this journey!

Now we know why we should add some gratitude to our lives, let us look at the practical writing of a thank you note.  Everybody who stops by here has a different writing style and I am no queen bee of grammar!  No, no  - double negatives and tangents galore pepper my letters!  But almost all the sources I have checked out agree that brevity (get to the point already!) and a focused statements make a bigger impact than rambling.  Even if you have a huge space to write on and your hand writing is tiny, do not write a marathon!!!  Blank space helps the impact of what you have to say and lets face it, in this techno savvy multitasking global society we live in, brevity holds that moment longer than a note sloshing with too many words!

Here's the formula most agree upon:

1) Say Hello
2) State what it is you are thankful for
3) State how the item or action affects you (briefly!)
4) Mention the future
5) Thank them again
6) Sign it

Simple enough? It really is! 
I'll try to post some I wrote soon.


If you'd like to read more, check out this cute article.

Thank you for reading this, you are my motivation to continue blogging!
-becky
 

The Art of the Thank You 2: Why Write It???

Good to see you back! 
So let's review some surprising statistics today about people who carry gratitude in their hearts daily. 

First let's define gratitude

grat·i·tude

/ˈgratəˌt(y)o͞od/

Noun The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Synonyms gratefulness - thankfulness - thanks - appreciation Okay, now that we are all on the same page of the dictionary let's see what the psychologist say about the subject.  In a quick search, I found references to spiritual contentment, positive brain function, general goodwill to others, and even weight loss (no joke - take a deep breath and say a thanks with every bite of that hot dog, and you may lose some weight, or at least not feel guilty about eating a questionable food substance). To quote Psychology Today article; "Studies show that gratitude not only can be deliberately cultivated but can increase levels of well-being and happiness among those who do cultivate it. In addition, grateful thinking—and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased levels of energy, optimism, and empathy." Things that make you go hmmm (and we are not referring to C&C Music Factory here).  I suspect if you try it, you will feel better!  But too much of a good thing is not a better thing, think of the post Halloween all-you-can-eat candy buffet and that sick feeling in your stomach.  Psychology Today's Gratitude Don'ts When I first started to try to change my mental outlook on life, I would try to think of 5 things each night that I was truly thankful for.  Sometimes it was people, where I was in life, the natural word, or just something that made me smile.  At first it was hard, but now I can zip off a list and focus in on the important things in life.  It takes time and every day I work to be positive.  It's too easy to blame and point fingers these days.  I have that issue same as all the rest, but I realize it, and that is the crux for change. -b

Thanks a Lot - No Seriously! The Art of the Thank You

I recently read a book, A Simple Act of Gratitiude and was moved by how a simple idea such as writing and mailing a thank you note could change one's perspective on life and love.  I think this thought is one all people should all pause upon for a moment and think about.   I have been seeing the Facebook daily thank you's for this month, but you know what would be better?  Actually writing one and sending it!

Being the mailers that we are, I assume (and yes I do know what they say about assuming), that we have a higher ratio of thank you notes than the average person.
But still, when's the last time you wrote a short thank you note?

In the book, this man starts his year with a huge chip on his shoulder and a glass half empty mentality.  Somehow divine inspiration or a voice of conscience tells him, and I paraphrase, "Pull out your writing pen and tell a few people that you think they are the bee's knees!"  Find who your reason to smile is, and say "Gee whiz, I think you need a pat on the back for that!" or at least a piece of paper with something heartfelt scrawled across it - more tangible in the long run really!

He had some surprising results and found that the act of writing 365 thank you's in a year plus a bit, not only made him more content with the life that he already had, but helped him advance professionally, and added depth to the relationships that surrounded him both in work and personal life. 

What are you thankful for?  I think this was such a good book, that I am going to focus the next few posts to why you should say thanks in writing more often!  And not a brief thanks, but a few true sentences why you are grateful for what the person did.

And if you want to come along for the ride, consider writing a true and brief thank you to five people or businesses these next weeks!  Come on it's only 5.  You can do it!

Thanks for reading my ramblings!
Yours Truly!
-b