Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to say thank you more than please.
Speaker 1: From childhood, we are prompted to say please and thank you,
Speaker 1: and that's great, but one breakthrough insight of adulthood is
Speaker 1: that you need to say thank you a lot more
Speaker 1: than you say please. That is, you need to express
Speaker 1: gratitude much more often than you make requests. Making sure
Speaker 1: this ratio is right, we'll lead to a much better life.
Speaker 1: This episode is first airing on Halloween. My kids love
Speaker 1: going door to door to collect candy, and they say
Speaker 1: trick or treat pretty regularly. The thank you parts sometimes
Speaker 1: takes a bit more prompting. We practice beforehand, but there
Speaker 1: are still times when a little costumed creature is racing
Speaker 1: off immediately after grabbing the candy. So it goes with kids,
Speaker 1: there are fewer thank yous than requests, but as we
Speaker 1: get to our adult lives, it is really important to
Speaker 1: watch this ratio. We need people to do things, and
Speaker 1: using please as good and thank you should naturally follow.
Speaker 1: But it is even better to thank people when you
Speaker 1: haven't made a specific request. That's when the ratio starts
Speaker 1: tipping toward the right direction. So, for instance, when someone
Speaker 1: in your household does a chore without you asking, that
Speaker 1: should inspire a big thanks. Someone who does something extra
Speaker 1: should be noticed. Even something that is part of a
Speaker 1: job can garner a thank you. And it great when
Speaker 1: people do their jobs, and if you are just feeling
Speaker 1: grateful in general, that is worth letting people know thank
Speaker 1: you for being wonderful. Perhaps that sounds cheesy, but I
Speaker 1: wouldn't mind hearing it a few more times, and my guests,
Speaker 1: as you'd probably like it too. There are a few
Speaker 1: reasons to watch this ratio. First, I think it gets
Speaker 1: us out of the mindset of taking more than giving.
Speaker 1: About a year ago, I did a Before Breakfast episode
Speaker 1: on Dorry Clark's rule of no asks for a year.
Speaker 1: In other words, when you are networking with people, don't
Speaker 1: ask for favors until three d sixty five days have
Speaker 1: gone by. In this context, we are talking about saying
Speaker 1: thank you, thank you for a year with your professional
Speaker 1: acquaintances before you ever get to a please. Let's just
Speaker 1: say that if you're please comes after that many thank yous,
Speaker 1: it will be treated a lot more seriously. It is
Speaker 1: the rare person who wouldn't try to help you if
Speaker 1: they could. But beyond that, it feels good to express thanks,
Speaker 1: and it is a gift to the world that really
Speaker 1: doesn't cost anything. Even if you can't give other resources,
Speaker 1: you can give thanks in abundance. Why not thank the
Speaker 1: grocery store bagger for being cheerful? Why not thank the
Speaker 1: crossing guard for their work? Why not thank the postal
Speaker 1: clerk for taking your mail. You never know when your
Speaker 1: thanks will really matter to someone, so there is zero
Speaker 1: reason to be stingy. It's like being able to give
Speaker 1: money away over and over talk about feeling rich, So
Speaker 1: make sure to say thank you more than please when
Speaker 1: you express your gratitude. The people who contribute to the love, productivity,
Speaker 1: and smooth operations in your life will know that you
Speaker 1: value them and what they do. You'll contribute to a
Speaker 1: culture of appreciation, not a culture of demands, and that
Speaker 1: is a culture to be grateful for. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me. On Twitter, Facebook,
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com
Speaker 1: that before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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