There are two words that are capable of improving your personal relationships, helping you grow professionally, and making it possible for you to achieve more power and support in your life. Those two words have almost magic-like qualities, as they are able to not only help you gain more power over your own life – they also make others feel better around you.
Those two words are “thank you.”
It’s not uncommon to take gratitude for granted. This is especially true if you’re growing professionally. Studies have shown that the more power you have (for example, by being promoted) the less likely you are to thank others for their contributions. The same thing happens at home – when our partners do things that we expect them to do, it becomes second nature to simply ignore the contribution.
But research has also shown something interesting – that those that are willing to show gratitude, whether it is with a genuine “thank you” or with public recognition – often find that they achieve greater power, have stronger relationships, and are more likely to have people work hard for them.
Adding Gratitude to Your Vocabulary
In addition to the benefits that saying thank you has to others, gratitude can also be a powerful tool for yourself. When you say “thank you” and mean it, you:
⦁ Notice What You Have – Gratitude reminds us to slow down and appreciate what we have. It’s so easy to take things for granted. Not only does taking someone or something for granted hurt the other person, it also makes us less happy, because we stop appreciating the gifts that we’re given in life.
⦁A Happy Statement – It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day stressors. Thank you, by default, is a happy and positive statement. When you take the time to thank someone for something they have done for you, you are breaking any negative cycles you may have found yourself in.
⦁ Stronger Friendships – Just as those you thank feel as though they should continue to support you in the future, so too does it become easier to feel the friendship that people bring you when you are able to thank them.
Of course, when our friends feel like they can support us, we feel more support as well. So by thanking those in our life both personally and professionally that bring value to us through favors, hard work, and more, we are both lifting them up and making it possible for them to lift us up.
The Value of a Thank You
If you have found that you are not experiencing or sharing enough gratitude anymore, you’re not alone. It’s become too easy to take things for granted, especially if we are either used to receiving them or if they are coming from a place that doesn’t necessarily require thanks, such as in the workplace.
But it’s clear that there are many very real benefits to improving our gratitude, saying a meaningful “thank you” when something is done for us, or showing appreciation in some form (especially in public in professional work environments), can have a great impact on your own life and those around you. It is worth fitting in a few more thank yous in your life whenever possible.
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