Today is Tuesday, so this post is about Positive Personal Impact.
Eileen McDargh has an interesting article on a simple, common sense way to make a positive personal impact – thank you notes. I’m a big believer in thank you notes. I write (not e mail) them all the time.
Thank you notes are a great way to make a positive personal impact. This is especially true today, when a well written thank you note is a rarity. If you take the time to hand write thank you notes, you’ll reap the benefits a hundred times over.
Read on for Eileen’s article…
Eileen McDargh on Thank You Notes
I've watched hula hoops, "Father Knows Best," and Dick Tracy watches vanish into the pages of history with nary a whimper. I've stood by and shed not a tear for the demise of beehive hairdos, outsized cars, and sexual stereotypes. But now I must protest. What has happened to all the most gracious of gratitude's—the thank-you note?
I must admit, I grew up thinking it was mandatory to jot a short note for any party, or gift, or particularly thoughtful gesture. I was forced to write the thank-you note.
And then I really grew up. I think it was when Mother found some old letters in Nana's dresser drawer. Yes, included in that musty bundle were a few thank-you notes in a childish scrawl. Could it be that such a scruffy, short expression of gratitude carried such meaning? Could it be that putting pen to paper meant more than a brief response over telephone lines? I decided the answer was "yes."
But with the passage of time, it appears that those of us who scribble acknowledgements on anything from memo paper to gilt-edged informals are moving into the same category as the passenger pigeon and dodo bird. Surely it must be true.
Why else would friends and colleagues make such a fuss and exclaim with astonishment, "You wrote a thank-you note!" Why would I be so pleased and amazed when one out of 20 guests takes the time to slip a message in the mailbox? Granted, I also learned long ago that true giving expects no thank-you in return. But maybe it's a rule that we should learn to bend. Aren't we more willing to go that extra mile the second time around for someone who appreciates the effort?
In this hurly-burly, pressure-cooker world of ours, perhaps we need the touch of parchment, the permanence of ink, and the one-of-a-kind words that let us know we have counted at all. The thoughtful thank-you note would move from pending extinction to a value-added gesture that could reap untold benefits.
© 1998 by Eileen McDargh. All rights reserved.
So, use your common sense and write a thank you notes to people who have been kind to you.
Don’t know the type of stationary to use? Rex Montague, owner of Montague’s card shop in Denver, CO puts it this way. “A gentleman uses a card with his name printed at the top. Ladies use fold over notes with their names printed on the front.” When I asked him the reason for this, he said “in general men are more brief in their notes, while ladies usually write more”. “But”, he hastened to add, “women in business are beginning to use the same type of cards as men”.
Who says that the rules of etiquette are inflexible?
The common sense point: get yourself some nice stationary – cards or fold over notes – and get busy writing thank you notes.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my other blogs: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a business, and www.CommonSenseDay.com to learn more about Use Your Common Sense Day -- November 4, and to read stories of common sense in action; and my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open. Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.
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