Can you write at least one thank you?

On January first of this year, following up on the Happiness Advantage work of Shawn Achor and inspired by John Kralik’s book; A Simple Act of Gratitude, I decided to take on the ambitious task of writing 365 hand written thank you notes.  I find myself at the beginning of my fourth month and to date I have not missed writing a single note.  

So at the end of March, I have written 90 thank you notes.  Of those 90 notes, half of the people receiving them have responded back to me – even though I had no expectations.

There have been no remarkable comments to highlight, other than I continue to feel motivated and determined to complete this inspiring journey.  I read a quote from a daily meditation on the website www.livinglifefully.com that really stuck with me about persistence and success…roughly translated it is about “doing something in life longer than anyone else in order to become successful.”

At every possible opportunity I share my journey, challenging people to write at least one “thank you”.  I like to talk to people about the one person in their life that they feel deserves to be thanked.   Most people comment to me that they do not know 365 different people.  I share with them that as an introvert my circle of reach and influence may not be all that broad, but I believe there are certainly 365 people in my life that have helped me – some I may have not met yet; I have no doubt that I will.  

My challenge to you as a leader: consider taking a 21 day challenge by writing out thank you notes to the people who have made a difference in your career.  I further challenge you to stretch and reach out to strained relationships, as well.  See what happens…you just might be pleasantly surprised! 

My Happiness Project – February Month End Update

As the month of February ended, I remained ever committed to finishing my project.  I kept the names of each person in a Word document separated by months and numbered by days.  Recently, I discovered that I am somewhat of an over-achiever in that I have already started filling the month of April with names.

It’s interesting to note that I have heard back from approximately 50% of the people I sent notes to by the end of February.  There were a couple of funny stories that went along with a few of the people I acknowledged.  One person became concerned that since it was only my name that appeared on the thank you. He wondered if I had somehow ended the relationship with my fiancé.  Another person responded with condolences thinking that I was dying of cancer and wanted to make amends before it was too late.  While I find the responses amusing, it also tells me how unaccustomed people are to receiving sincere forms of gratitude.

Two people whom I had chosen to acknowledge involved strained relationships.  Both of their responses however, will keep me motivated and inspired to finish the journey.  This Simple Act of Gratitude really does heal wounds and builds bridges.  It was amazing and completely unexpected to hear from both them.  One of them shared how deeply touched he was by my note and the fact that I took the time to hand write it.  I had not spoken to the other person in over six years and I had left no contact information, yet she went out of her way to reach out to me.  It was a tearful event for me – hearing her voice after all that time had passed.

My personal experience of this journey so far can best be described as energizing and exhilarating.  Quoting the famous Zig Ziglar –

“The healthiest of human emotions is Gratitude!”  

I totally get that – it does feel healthy to continue to do this every single day…and so my journey continues.

For more information on how to use these and other practices to enhance your life, please contact me at info@crossthefinishlinecoaching.com.

Improving Productivity & Employee Engagement

Many companies struggle with getting the “more out of less” from their employees and can benefit significantly by taking on the following 21 day challenge that is guaranteed to improve employee: moral, engagement, productivity and ultimately success.  The fact is that it will not take more than 10 minutes daily to complete the three simple tasks.  Research has clearly demonstrated the benefits that these actions, when taken consistently, will deliver all that is promised.

In no particular order the three simple tasks are as follows:

1. Exercise – You don’t need to join a health club or run a marathon – e.g. consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator; park your car a little farther away from your office; do some push-ups.

2. Meditate – Meditation is defined as spending quiet, uninterrupted time focusing on a single concept or nothing at all or as some yoga practitioners refer to it as “quieting one’s mind”.  There is a plethora of meditation websites on the Internet if you need something more structured – [e.g. www.livinglifefully.com].

3. Hand Written Thank You Notes – on a daily basis you are responsible for writing one hand written thank you note.  It can go to anyone – a boss, a spouse, a partner, an enemy, someone who has made life your easier, happier or whatever.  The only rule is nothing electronic such as emails, texts or iMessages – it has to be hand written or printed.

Try these simple task for 21 days.  I, as well as many others, would be interested to read about your amazing, and in some cases, life-changing stories.  Please feel free to leave a comment. 

For more information on how to use these and other practices to enhance your life, please contact me at info@crossthefinishlinecoaching.com. 

Happiness Project - 2014: The year of living gratefully

Through A Simple Act of Gratitude!

Last fall I was introduced to Shawn Achor’s TED talk on The Happiness Advantage. (See my post from November 25, 2013) With the gentle urging of a good friend, we decided to take on the 21-day challenge outlined in his talk. Each day, without exception, for three weeks we: Exercised; Meditated; Practiced Random Acts of Kindness; Chose Three New Things Each Day to be Grateful; and Kept A Journal About One Positive Experience. The results were, as claimed would happen, I was more productive and yes, happier! Since I consider myself to be pretty optimistic in the first place, it was nice to discover that I could be even happier.

Now the real challenge for me came after the 21 days were up and how to maintain that level of happiness and productivity. Wanting to build on an Attitude of Gratitude, I decided to look into John Kralik’s book: A Simple Act Of Gratitude. As his life seemed to be spinning out of control, he was inspired to write a thank you note everyday for 365 days.  The actions that Kralik took as a result of his life’s desperate circumstances is what intrigued and inspired me to take on my own personal journey of hand-writing 365 notes for this year.

With January behind, I wanted to share my experiences to date with this ambitious goal. The first thank you note that I wrote went to my fiancé. I felt it was the only “appropriate” way to start such an adventure with the person closest to me and on whose love and support I count on most. Each day as I write the note, I record in a Word document the name of the person I honored that day. A few of the written notes brought tears to my eyes as I think how much I value this person or how much she or he has helped me in my life. Even though I have no expectations other than to be able to give freely of my thoughts and feelings, I have received many blessings in return.

I have received a few kind words in return and one in particular was from a person I had worked with but had not previously sent him a thank you. I have been complimented on my work, had two pieces of business renew and have strengthened some friendships. One very unexpected surprise came from one of my recipients who I have not been particularly fond of – after receiving the note, he purposely told me how moved he was by the gesture and even more so because it was hand written. In that experience alone, I found a surge of inspiration and motivation to continue my quest.

I am not a procrastinator when I have a stated goal and this is no different. I have allowed myself to write a few days into the future but always finding time daily to write at least one thank you. I am following Kralik’s pattern pretty closely in that I will not use any electronic means to communicate my gratitude. I will either hand deliver or use postal mail. I am not restricting my reach by geographical boundaries even though I live in the United States. One of my recipients lives in Bangkok. I have not exhausted notes to my family or friends and have given notes to those that have been kind to me whom I did not know. Since I keep a list it is fun to look back and now that one month is already past to see who I had chosen to thank that day.

So if you could only write one thank you today – who would be the most important person in your life that you would want to express your gratitude towards?

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