Instead of Thank You - Use These Three Words

There is a lot of power in a simple Thank You, especially in our day-to-day things. I always make it a point to thank the car rental shuttle driver, the people wrangling carts in the parking lot, the people tearing my ticket stub at the theater. It sometimes surprises them, which is disappointing but a good reminder that a Thank You can go a long way. However, Thank You is almost an automated response. If you grew up in Texas or the South (yes, those are two different things) - please, thank you, yes ma'am, no ma'am got ingrained early. I think it makes a big difference in how we treat each other but is often just an automatic response.

Because of that, what is sometimes lost is the recognition that someone has gone out of their way. Thanks, Thank You, Appreciate It, are all well and good, but when someone does something that has made a difference for you "I appreciate you" is a great way of acknowledging someone. Think about the power of that. How much of a difference does it make in someone's day for the simple act of appreciation?

As I was checking out at HEB last night (our local Texas grocery chain and the best in the country) I talked briefly with my cashier, an older gentleman with a firefighter pin on his name badge. He told me how he was a firefighter for a few years in his 20s before changing careers after falling through roof (probably one of the best reasons for a career change I have heard). He had just renewed his EMT badge and was going to a local university in the evenings to get a degree that would allow him to do grief counseling for EMTs and firefighters. I shook his hand and said "I appreciate you. That is such a great thing to do for our community". I swear he almost blushed and was a little flustered, but I could tell it meant something to him.

This is how I try to engage people on a daily basis. Recognizing even small acts of service or kindness with "I appreciate you". This recognizes not the act, but the person doing it. It's a subtle but important difference that says "I see you. I see what you are doing and that it is making a difference". I've noticed the ways that it changes my interactions with people, especially service folks. I always get a brighter response even if it is just on the phone with an airline representative or making an appointment for my daughter. They often respond with "and I appreciate you." It's a simple act that can make a difference.

As we move away from more people interactions as a society - ATMs, pay at the pump, self checkouts, kiosk checkins, home delivery, etc. - we lose a bit of those loose connections and webs of people that used to enmesh us as a community. Bringing back a little more humanity, empathy, and connection to these encounters could go a long way towards making the world a little better place.

I appreciate you for reading this.