WEBVTT - Don't be frugal with thanks

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that while being frugal is generally a virtue,

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<v Speaker 1>there is no reason to be frugal with thanks when

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<v Speaker 1>someone does something you appreciate. Thanking freely and enthusiastically has

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<v Speaker 1>basically no downside, and it generates a lot of goodwill.

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<v Speaker 1>This episode is airing at the beginning of November, which

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<v Speaker 1>is a month often associated with Thanksgiving. Those of us

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<v Speaker 1>here in the United States spend a day late in

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<v Speaker 1>the month stuffing ourselves with turkey and generally expressing gratitude.

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<v Speaker 1>It is a lovely idea, but there is there's no

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<v Speaker 1>need to limit this feeling to a single Thursday. Why

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<v Speaker 1>not aim this whole month to give thanks wherever thanks

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<v Speaker 1>is do in a single day. So many people contribute

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<v Speaker 1>to helping our lives go smoothly. Maybe your spouse wakes

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<v Speaker 1>you up when here she realizes that you slept through

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<v Speaker 1>your alarm. Maybe your kid remembers their instrument without your

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<v Speaker 1>reminding them. The bus driver shows up right on schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>The security officer at work recognizes you and buzzes you

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<v Speaker 1>into your building. A colleague spot's an issue in your

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<v Speaker 1>presentation before you give it. A neighbor shows up on

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<v Speaker 1>your doorstep with a package that was misdelivered. The list

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<v Speaker 1>goes on. When the people in your life do things

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<v Speaker 1>that make your life better, it is simply good manners

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<v Speaker 1>to notice and say thank you. And if you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to say a simple thanks, it turns out that an

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<v Speaker 1>enthusiastic one doesn't take much more effort. So if a

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<v Speaker 1>child makes a bed without prompting, you can exclaim, I

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<v Speaker 1>love how you made your bed. Thank you. Our house

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<v Speaker 1>looks so tidy. I know you'll feel relaxed going back

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<v Speaker 1>to your room tonight. When the security guard lets you in,

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<v Speaker 1>you can say thanks, Norm, have a great day, or

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<v Speaker 1>if he isn't swamped with letting everyone else into the

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<v Speaker 1>building at the same time, you can pause and chat

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<v Speaker 1>a little more. When your colleague brings up a potential problem,

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<v Speaker 1>you can express gratitude, Phew, good catch. I am so

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<v Speaker 1>glad you thought through the process and spotted this. Thank you,

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<v Speaker 1>you saved me a lot of trouble. I think sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>people feel like they are doing what they're supposed to

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<v Speaker 1>do and other people should thus do what they are

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<v Speaker 1>supposed to do, without expecting anyone to clap and cheer

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<v Speaker 1>over meeting minimum expectations. And you know what, that's probably true,

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<v Speaker 1>But so what. The security guard is obvious going to

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<v Speaker 1>do his job whether you thank him or not, but

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<v Speaker 1>he will probably feel happier about doing his job when

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<v Speaker 1>he is thanked. And your colleague who is thanked for

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<v Speaker 1>catching your error will feel friendlier towards you in general,

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<v Speaker 1>and much more inclined to share other information as well.

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<v Speaker 1>I like to think of expressing gratitude as a skill.

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<v Speaker 1>There's the basic level of simply saying thanks, but when

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<v Speaker 1>we can work at it a little bit more and

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<v Speaker 1>view this practice as deserving of our mental energy, we

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<v Speaker 1>can figure out ways to get more specific, like thanking

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<v Speaker 1>a bagger at the grocery store for putting all your

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<v Speaker 1>frozen items together, or acknowledging the person running the car

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<v Speaker 1>line at your kid's school by saying thank you for

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<v Speaker 1>smiling every morning. I really appreciate your helping the kids

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<v Speaker 1>start their day in better moods. The specifics show that

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<v Speaker 1>you understand that the person is doing something that matters.

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<v Speaker 1>So this month, think about how you might take your

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<v Speaker 1>gratitude game up a notch. There is no point in

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<v Speaker 1>being stingy with thanks. People aren't going to do a

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<v Speaker 1>better job if you don't thank them, but they might

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<v Speaker 1>be happier about their jobs when you do thank them.

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<v Speaker 1>Daily life and work can be hard and tiring. Everyone

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<v Speaker 1>likes to be appreciated and you have the ability to

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<v Speaker 1>make that happen in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

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