Stanley F. Bronstein – Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. (John E. Southard)

Thank – To express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment to.

Thank You – Used to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment, as for a gift, favor, service, or courtesy.

Help – To give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; render assistance to; cooperate effectively with; aid; assist.

Thank You Are Some Of The Sweetest Words Ever Spoken

To me, the words “thank you”, are some of the sweetest words in any language. Unfortunately, I believe those words are often underused.

By way of an example, it is 1:00 PM my time and I believe I have told people thank you at least 7 or 8 times today. When I visited my doctor this morning, I told him thank you for taking care of me, despite the fact he made me wait for an hour before seeing me. When someone in traffic was nice enough to let me move over into their lane, I waved at them to say thank you. Even after I got mad at my cellular telephone provider for crummy service, I told them thank you after the problem was solved. The bottom line is simple, no one ever got in trouble for saying thank you.

Saying thank you is such an easy thing to do. All it requires is being conscious. If we are conscious of what others are doing for us, then saying thank you should become automatic.

Never Miss An Opportunity To Say Thank You

One of the reasons I believe I say “thank you” so much is that I was trained to do so, from a very young age. Quite frankly, my mother would have “whupped me silly” if I didn’t tell someone thank you. From a very young age, I was constantly taught to say thank you. I want to take this opportunity to thank my mother (and others) for teaching me that so long ago.

Why Do So Many People Miss Opportunities To Say Thank You?

I’m not totally sure, but I suspect it is because they were never taught to say thank you. I also suspect it is because many people feel a sense of entitlement and when you are helpful, they feel as if you are doing your job, NOT as if you are doing them a favor.

For example, I corresponded with a newspaper reporter yesterday and gave them some useful information. They wrote back, NOT to say thank you, but to request additional information. I promptly provided the additional information and have not heard back since. Not once did it occur to them to say thank you. Now, the question is, should I be mad, or should I learn from the experience. I believe I should learn from the experience.

What Can You Learn When Someone Does NOT Say Thank You?

To me, there are 2 main things you can learn in that situation:

1) You can learn that you need to do what you think is right, whether or not someone says thanks. If you sit around waiting for someone to say thanks, you might be waiting for a long time and you might grow bitter while you’re waiting.

2) You can realize how it makes you feel and decide to not repeat their mistake. Every chance you get, you should thank someone. Quite simply, it’s easy, it’s free and it works wonders.

The Quote

Today’s quote suggests several things. One, it suggests that revenge is a bad thing, by saying you should never spend your energy trying to get even with someone, UNLESS it is someone who helped you.

Two, it suggests that when someone does help you, you should try to get even by either helping them or by helping others.

How Many Ways Are There To Say Thanks?

My guess is that the number of ways to say thanks are virtually unlimited. Notwithstanding, here is a website I found that lists 460 different ways to say thanks.

Today’s Video

For today’s video, I refer you to Law #3 of the Laws of Positioning ™, which is Position Yourself To Be Appreciative. If you click to that link, you will see a video by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones who sums up this entire topic when he says: “If you’re not grateful for what you have today, what makes you think you’ll be any more grateful when you have more?” You can also watch the video by clicking below.

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