Five Simple Words

Please, thank you, you're welcome. Sound familiar to you? If your answer is no, you're not alone. When is the last time you've said "thank you?" How about "you're welcome?" I rarely hear those words anymore. Many people seem like they can't be bothered. Five simple words.

I always make it a point to say "please" when asking for something or "thank you" when receiving something. I would expect most people make it a point to say "thank you" or "please" when interacting with friends and family but how about people you don't know? Just because we don't know someone on a personal level, does it mean they deserve any lesser respect than people we know and love?

Recently I've started to pay closer attention to my everyday interactions and have observed a particularly interesting phenomenon when interacting with strangers and; in particular, with service employees. This includes wait staff in restaurants, store clerks, box office staff, flight attendants to name a few. What I've observed is a noticeable reaction of surprise as a result of our interactions. This is usually followed by a smile, like I made their day just by having a conversation with them. It's subtle but definitely noticeable; in a good way.

I've thought about why people seem to be reacting to me in this way and then it dawned on me. Most people, particularly people you don't know, aren't used to hearing any of the "five simple words." To say "please," "thank you" and "you're welcome" takes about one second per phrase. One second of your time and effort that can make a person's day seems like a simple and easy thing to do. For me, it's as natural as breathing.

I remember hearing somewhere that it takes 21 days for something you do to become a habit. If it's not already habit for you, I challenge you to start today using the "five simple words" as part of your normal, everyday conversations. This applies to online interactions as well. It's easy once you get started. How about it?

Five. Simple. Words

Photo Credit: graur razvan ionut

Posted via email from Marty McPadden