Hearing the works "thanks"

It can be such a challenge when you are working within a community group and hearing the works “thanks”. It doesn’t have to be publicly but at least hearing it from someone that it from the committee can make a big difference.

What made me happy is someone from within the community thanked both my husband and I for the work we do for the community and that makes me feel so good. It shows that someone sees what we are doing and appreciates it. I know that is just such a small thing isn’t that major but when you haven’t heard from the committee or other individuals for a while it makes such a difference.

We have been involved with this community for over 15 years now and we do spend quite a bit of time working on various things and donate quite a few hours a year to helping them out. I know that not everyone is going to fall all over and thank us for what we do but at least getting an occasion thanks would make a bit difference. There are times when we either can't be at a meeting, or we get to a meeting a little later than planned because of work or transit so we can't help that time and it needs to be understood that we cannot do everything every time.

I know that a lot of people think that it is a given that you are thanks for what you do, but honestly if you don’t hear the works “thanks” it is hard to know that you are appreciated, especially when someone else is fallen all over for the little bits of stuff they do. Hearing the words “thanks” or “thank you” can make a lot of difference. There are going to be times when you cannot help at an event for a given reason and needed to know that the committee understands why makes a big difference instead of feeling that you should be helping no matter what.

Yes, hearing the works “thanks” does make a big difference and it can either keep someone helping within a community or the lack of thanks can make the person walk away because they don’t feel they are being appreciated.

 

Please, thank you and those simple words

There are times that I think that some of the younger generation thinks that they are very entitled and that the simple words like please, thank you and the like are missing from their vocabulary.

I have had the opportunity to work with two different younger people and have had two entirely different experiences with them. It can be an interesting time when you can sit back after the experiences and compare what the two young people were like. Now, to give you a bit of background about these experiences, I had one individual who was a female university student and the other individual was a male college student. Yes, both of them were going to post secondary school when I had the dealings with them so they were very similar in one way but different in other ways.

The female university student was someone that I felt would be very appreciative of having the help in the various challenges that she was facing. The communication was quite simple as she would ask for some help and I would try and give her the guidance that she was asking for. This is where the problems started and I should have been able to walk away from helping once I saw some behaviour that I didn’t agree with. The female student, of course I think, really appreciated the help that was given to her but the words “thank you” were something that wasn’t said by her. Maybe she figured I would know that she appreciated the help but not hearing the words “thank you” got to me. Of course, this same student when faced with a number of assignments at a given time got extremely moody and was difficult to talk with. I tried a number of times to show that the challenges she was facing in university was just a sampling of what she was going to face in the real world once she graduated.

The male college student again was also someone that I felt would be very appreciative of having the help in the various challenges that he was facing. The communication again was quite simple as he asked for some help and I was able to provide it. Now, here is the big difference between the two individuals as the male student repeatedly said “thank you” for the help that was given to him. I know the words “thank you” aren’t huge but it does show that the person appreciates the time that was given to them and the knowledge that was passed onto them. The male student was even in a bit of a panic trying to get an assignment completed when he asked for the help but did remember that the words “thanks and thank you” do help. It didn’t matter when I was speaking with the male student, I always heard “thanks” when I was giving him even the slightest bit of help.

I have seen it more and more that some of the younger generation feels that they are entitled to everything and things are just handed to them. The younger generation should have to earn what they get like we did. In schools now, students aren’t failed like they were so that shows the students that they don’t have to do the work to advance anymore. These two students are just a couple of examples that I have seen as I have seen tons of examples. Some employees in stores don’t use the words “thank you” either and of course if they demonstrate that they feel they are entitled to the job and aren’t willing to work then that is a store that I won’t shop at very often.

Making sure that the words “please”, “thank you” and the like are used in communication can make a big difference in how you are treated. These words don’t have to be over used but hearing them sometimes in a number of interactions can make a big difference as to how you will be treated in the future.

Where has the word "thanks" gone

Yesterday, when we were out and about, I heard a very interesting comment from someone.  "Where has the word thanks gone."  That is so true because so often people don't remember to say a simple thanks when you do something for them.

Maybe I think about this the wrong way, but I think part of this is the "entitled generation" that expects people to do things for them without having to say thanks.  I know not everyone in that generation is like that, but it is frustrating when such a simple word is missed.  A simple word can really make a difference on how you are dealt with and respected.  The situation yesterday was an eyeglass salesperson adjusted a girl's glasses that had been bent out of shape.  Something that does take a few minutes and meant the girl could see better once it was done.  Neither the parent nor the girl said thanks, and considering there were no cost, thanks would have been really nice.  The sales person then after not getting a thanks turned and said "you're welcome" making it known that the family hadn't said anything.  The father looked a little shocked and then said thanks, but the girl never did.  I guess it really says a lot about how people deal with others.

I know the word "thanks" isn't a big deal, but it can make such a difference to how people respect you and deal with you.  Maybe just acknowledging what someone did for you with those 6 letters could make a big difference.  I know when someone says "thanks" to me for something that I have done, I feel appreciated.  Sometimes what I did wasn't such a big deal, at least I know the person appreciated what I did for them.

Remember, say "thanks" and let someone know you appreciated what they did.

Knowing you are appreciated

So many times, in our lives, we don't hear the works "Thanks" and I think that is something that is missing in the world today.

I know that hearing that single word can really make a difference to how I feel about things and where I will spend my time and effort.  Recently, through the different things that I do, I have had the chance to hear that word a few times, and it makes me want to help out just that little bit more. 

So many people say that they are too busy to acknowledge the effort of others, but I think these are the people that don't understand that if you want someone to go that extra mile for you, let them know, you appreciate what they do for you.  It doesn't take a lot of time to say "Thanks" so even a quick message/e-mail to let them know you appreciate their work can go a long way.

This week was also a little different as I saw some people that I hadn't seen for a number of years and I found out how much they cared about me, as a person.  A simple hug, or even a smile and a good hand-shake, says a lot.  One person made me realize how much they valued my friendship when I surprised them at work, and I got a lot of hugs from him.  You don't always need the hugs, but sometimes it sure does help when you are feeling a little low.

So next time when you appreciate what someone else has done, make sure you say "Thanks" so that they know they are appreciated.