Gratitude Week Day 4 : Steph Weibring

I Want to Thank You

Have you ever gotten a surprise note or gift in the mail weeks or even months after your birthday or a holiday had passed? Sometimes those are the best kind! I'm Steph and welcome to day four of Gratitude Week.

Today I'm going to be sharing a book that I love called "I Want to Thank You," and it's by Gina Hamadey. It's how a year of gratitude can bring joy and meaning in a disconnected world. It kind of piggybacks on what Megan talked about yesterday, and I love this chapter about writing notes to people that were mentors or impactful in your career. And it goes a little bit off the traditional path of writing it within a certain time, and it's more focusing on getting the act done no matter how late or tardy it is, and the surprise reaction that it gets from someone. So let's see what she says.

"There's no statute of limitations on a thank you note. During my food month, I contended with a squirmy feeling you have to overcome when sending a card to someone you haven't seen in years. The feeling was ever present as I was writing to incredibly busy, successful people. CEOs, television stars. Would they find it weird that I was referring to things that happened so long ago? Thank you note etiquette rule number one almost always involves timing. That note should be sent out within a week or two, and always within the month. But for a full nine months in, I understood that what worked for those transactional notes didn't apply to more enduring expressions of gratitude. For those thank yous, a delayed letter means more. That's what made the note stand out: how out of the blue it was, says Chandra Turner."

It just kind of goes to show you that taking some time out of your day to send a note to someone that meant so much to you in the past or helped you get to a place in your life and you reflect on it even months or years later, can always make them feel good.

So I urge you to think about someone that helped to pave your path. Send them a note, a text, a LinkedIn message, anything really, and see what the response is. You just never know. See you tomorrow!