APPRECIATION
I read an article by Barbara Glanz (Author, Speaker and Consultant) today. I thought it had a very important message I wanted to share.
Barbara asks: "can you remember the joy you received from being appreciated when you needed it the most?" Then asks: "close your eyes and think of some person who at some time in your life rekindled your Inner Light." She goes on to relate the story of a gentleman who attended one of her events and did just that.
He thought of a teacher he had in High School who helped to foster a undying love of literature. He thought of the years of enjoyment he received escaping into the pages of a well written novel and decided to write her a thank you note. He had no idea of the impact his leter would have.
She wrote him back:
"You will never know how much your letter meant to me. I'm 83 years old and living all alone in one room. My friends are all gone. My families gone. I taught for fifty years and yours is the first "thank you" letter I have gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter till the day I die."
When you consider the fact that this teacher was the one that was discussed the most at reunions, was everybody's favorite and most loved teacher, isn't it a shame it took so long for someone to tell her?
Kindness is a language we can all understand. Even the blind can see it and the deaf can hear it. "Mother Teresa"
Our own Ms. Maki showed many of us who attended the "Goal Setting" seminar last week, the impact of a simple hug. Why don't we all share the impact with each other of a simple thank you.
Thank someone who has touched your life TODAY!
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Thanks Duane that is very inspiring. I try and say "Thank you," all the time and as Preston True said at a networking event about Networking. It is always best to send out a hand written thank you. That instance proved the point and she can read it over and over.
Thank you
Thanks a lot for sharing duane. A lot of time we forget or even do it as a routine to say "Thank you'.
But a true appreciation from the heart not only conveys some thing special but also can touch people ina special way.
Nice tip /reminder for all who are caught in the whirlpool of busy life !
If you let people know that you are thankful for what they do it benifits you and them. When someone appreciates what you have done for them doesn't it make you feel that your job or task has meaning and worth? When people are appreciated their level of commitment to the job or task seems to go up in relationship to the pride they feel in a job well done. You make someone feel pride in themselves and what they are doing and usually they return the favor with improved service. You both win. Isn't that what they call a "win, win" situation?
Just a thought.
Thank You Duane for sharing. I believe it is important to thank those around us for their time and effort. Although, a thank you can never truely express the impact individuals have in our lives--its a start.
I'd like to add that giving gratitude for those individuals is also important. I have to say, I did have a teacher that influenced me greatly. I have no idea where is she today but I am grateful that she entered my life when she did.
I don't personally receive thank you notes from others but I am consistent about formally sending them out myself. I like to think the opportunity to share myself and to help my friends and clients is my thank you from them. And that I am grateful for.
Wonderful story and a good reminder that people who impact us need to hear that they have made a difference. It means allot. When I first was published in a national professional magazine, I contacted one of my High School teachers who was encouraging me to write. She actual would tell me I should become a poet. I smile each time I think of her, Sr. Mary DeSalles. She was the only one in my life who could see the poetry in my soul.
I called her, to my surprise she remembered me. I invited her to dinner. She accepted. We went to a local restaurant shared all that had been happening in the years since high school. I mentioned the article and gave her a copy of the magazine. I think that she was surprised and pleased. There is much to be said about giving back and telling those who have meant so much the legacy that they leave. You may never know how much this may be just the encouragement that someone may need at a challenging time.
I have not explored my inner poet, but will some day and when I do. I will think of Sr. DeSalles, her strength, encouragement and loving insight to my soul.
Duane-
Great topic. It's very similar to one I saw on LinkedIn the other day. Both have hit me when I needed a pick me up. Thank you!
My grandparents both retired about the same
time my parents began their divorce process. My father put me, at the
age of 13 in a horrible position by anointing "the man of the house." I
took it seriously because he said it. Too seriously in fact. I became a
very demanding, hot-tempered and occasionally violent kid.
While most other people in my life yelled at me about it or tried to
fix me in some other way, my grandfather took me golfing. This sounds
strange, but he had one basic rule. Although we went golfing almost
everyday, we often did not finish nine holes because I would loose my
temper. His rule was when I let my temper get the better of me, we
stopped golfing.
It might not sound like much, but he was the only adult who just
listened. I knew he cared because he was consistent with me. I knew he
cared because he listened. I knew he cared because he always believed
in me. His approval still means the world to me and he has never abused
that. I look back at those few years before mom moved us to northern
Michigan and realize just how much time he spent with me when he
certainly had better golf buddy options.
He has battled pancreatic cancer valiantly for the past three years, an
incredible feat for anyone diagnosed with this disease. I call and
visit as often as I can. I go to doctor visits when he wants me to and
sometimes when he doesn't. I go with him to the hospital every time he
goes. It is the least I could do for him considering how much that time
we spent together meant to me. Our family has come so close to losing him so many times the past three years that I always make sure to tell him just how much his guidance and love has meant to me!
David, I'm sure it means a lot to your grandfather. I'm sure it means a lot to you as well. Isn't it great when things don't go unsaid?