Last week’s Thought for the Week was; “The Anchor of Trust” which was about how the bonds we have with people in our lives are anchored around the level of Trust between us.
You can see all of my previous blogs below.
If you did the exercise last week about what anchors you to each of your relationships, whether with colleagues, professionally or personally, you will appreciate another really important area here is how we communicate appreciation and gratitude.
We are all different of course and where one person would have certain expectations around this, another would see things quite differently.
Saying “thank you” is simple enough – but how about saying it in a truly meaningful way?
How do you show your gratitude to others?
- Through words such as “thank you”?
- Through actions and / or gestures?
- Through tokens of thanks, such as a card, chocolates or flowers?
- You don’t express as often as you would like to or think you should?
What means the most to you when someone thanks you?
For me, what means the most is when someone is genuine in their appreciation, like when they make eye contact, use gestures (such as placing a hand over their heart as they say thanks) and things like that.
Their non-verbal language means a lot to me, more than a gift.
It’s very interesting because how we like people to thank us may be different to what others expect, but unless we know them very well, how would we know?
It will also depend on what it is they did for us as well and the level of gratitude we feel. For instance, if they gave something up for us, we might want to replace it or make up for it in some way.
If in doubt about what to do, I believe the best place to start is by saying a genuine “thank you” (using their name and making eye contact) and why you appreciate what they did, said or whatever.
“The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become.”
– Robert Holden –
[British psychologist, author, and broadcaster, who works in the field of positive psychology and well-being]
And not to forget the balance to giving thanks is how we receive them …
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
– Maya Angelou –
[World-renowned author best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style]
If you haven’t already, l invite you to book a free consultation with me if you’d like to explore this further. Choose your slot HERE
I will leave you on that note and will post again soon with more thoughts and tips.
With best wishes,
