Most of us might have offered a chocolate or a candy to a kid in our family, and the immediate response that we might have heard from the parents/guardian telling to the kid is “Say Thank you”. That’s the initial learning that all our parents and we all as parents might have given to our kids- the learning and the ART of saying Thank you !!
It seems so easy, doesn’t It? But do we really use this word religiously now?
What happens, when we grow up from kids to adults, when we have abundance of those gifts, our frequency and the gratitude towards using these two words “Thank You” and showing those gestures diminishes significantly. For the first time, when we receive even the tiniest of things, we feel so humbled and full of gratitude towards that individual and Say Thank you ! As & when our number of fulfilled needs/desires have gone up, the usage of these 2 powerful words has come down significantly & this is not only applicable to the organizations/institutions and probably every sphere of our lives.
When was the last time, when your action or words brought a big smile on someone’s face? Probably we don’t remember, But think about the last time, when your words and actions have led to trouble with your colleagues your friends, families,probably half an hour back ! Each one of us is earning our livelihood by utilising our skills/competencies/expertise and getting a return on that through monetary benefits/perks/salary etc, that we are earning & this will continue for ever. However the missing link in this entire ecosystem is that irrespective of the money that you might be earning, there is always an expectation of receiving positive stroke. After all, we all are human being and every one of us expects that.
We might have availed the services of a rickshaw puller sometime in our life, Have you ever said a Thank you to him (apart from giving his due fare), and seen the smile on his face. It works wonder, It gives that individual a belief that -Yes – His work (however small it may be) is appreciated by someone. You might have told only two words to him but for that individual , it might have worked wonders.
There had been numerous scientific studies done on gratitude and the benefit associated with that. Some of the research done on this field suggests that gratitude may be associated with various benefits for individuals, including their psychological and physical health, more happiness, greater work satisfaction, even some of the studies suggests that people who scientifically follows the art of showing gratitude by keeping gratitude journal, expressing more gratitude are more happier and less materialistic.
Hence, the need of the hour is gratification, appreciation, where Millennials are expected to overcome the boomers this year across the world and hence more the need of instilling that positive stroke amongst them and instilling a culture of reinforcement that saying Thank you , showing gratitude for the good work done or any help does not commensurate of bracketing individuals as high performers or superman. It simply means you are acknowledging a person’s help for his/her commitment towards their duties and instilling a sense of accomplishment and boosting an individual self esteem.
I have heard and witnessed many so called leaders saying that if we appreciate too often, the essence of appreciation is lost. But the point is no one is asking you to fake appreciation, it’s a genuine gratitude. It can be as simple as Thank You or even a pat on the back – say Good Job. You have to give positive strokes to individuals so that the entire ecosystem is full of positivity. Make someone else feel good, let’s make a day for an individual. It’s a very strong psychological boost, you create around your environment when you instill the culture of appreciation , culture of care, culture of belongingness and trust. It starts from your home. Make their day by acknowledging efforts starting from your housemaid, sweepers, your security guards, office boys, your families, your employees, as each of these deserve and need more positive strokes in their life. Create a culture & atmosphere, where individual is wanted and needed and valued for what they are.
Be Humane first and then become leaders.Let’s not focus on only one date for this ,let it be a culture , a tradition and a core value within each one of us !
Don’t go to the grave of deceased person and tell over there, how good a person he was. Express the same , once he is alive.
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not gifting it.
Its rightly said, The thankful heart is always close to the creative forces of the universe, carrying countless blessings to flow towards it by the law of reciprocal relationship, based on a cosmic law of action & reaction !
