A New Trend – Thank Yous For Everyday

A new year just started, a new decade begun, and resolutions are swirling everywhere. One great one that has come up on many people’s list is to connect more with those around them. For many people, connecting means talking on the phone or meeting for coffee. An even more retro take on this is to break out the personalized stationary and start corresponding with loved ones via letter.

In this day and age of email, text messages and social networks, personalized stationary seems quaint and silly. Who needs to send a letter when you can send a quick email? Why waste the time and money to pop off a note to a friend across town? Any mail that comes through which isn’t a bill is a welcome sight, and getting a note from a friend is heartwarming and kind.

People love to be told they are appreciated, and using personalized stationary to let them know is a great way to do this. One woman started writing a little note to friends and business associates any time she recalled a thing they did for her that was helpful or kind. Sometimes she would recall instances way in the past in which a friend was helpful. Those moments were small – a kind word when she was fearing for her job, or helping her pick up and move new furniture – but they meant a lot to her.

Sometimes spoken words aren’t enough. Thank yous often come easily when you see someone face-to-face. They become like water – necessary but not really fully appreciated. Find the time to write down your gratitude. A man who had a lukewarm relationship with his boss decided to send a small note thanking him for especially sage advice on dealing with a difficult client. This man had made the resolution to send more actual letters versus email, so he sat down at his desk one day and jotted a quick and genuine thank you. His boss was so touched that their relationship began to warm.

A few months down the line, the boss began throwing more valuable work in this man’s direction and letting him take the lead on a few more projects. The boss later told the man that by taking the time to send that note, he proved that he was thoughtful and could build relationships around the office and with clients.
Sending notes and thank yous shouldn’t be a means to an end. This sort of correspondence can have a great effect internally. Knowing that you are sending something that won’t just be deleted or archived in an email folder can be incredibly satisfying. Stepping away from the computer screen is a satisfying reward for the sender the receiver alike.