The more you write daily, physical thank you cards to strangers, the easier gratitude becomes in general.
Daily? Physical? Strangers?
Yes to all 3, and here’s why.
Because if this habit functions right, it will turn you into a Thankfulness Titan. An Appreciation Animal. A Goliath of Gratitude.
Also, any good habit is worth doing daily.
First, nobody does this anymore so it makes 10x the impact on the recipient than an email or text thank you.
Second, in the world of everything being digital, there’s something very satisfying and mood-enhancing about creating an analog product. The slower pace of the writing causes you to reflect more on what you’re saying. You’ll have a stronger emotional connection with what you’re writing. And using good old pen and paper sparks creativity.
Because if you only write to people you personally know, you’ll eventually run out of people to thank or reasons to thank them.
And when I say “strangers”—I’m mostly talking about public figures:
- book authors (I can attest: I love a random “thank you” note from a stranger)
- the director of a film that moved you. And it doesn’t have to be recent. You could reflect on the impact that the first “Rocky” has had on you—and you send a note of gratitude to Sylvester Stallone.
- government officials—big and small
- the CEO of the company who makes that specialty soap that your allergic-to-everything kid doesn’t get a rash from using
- a professional athlete who sets a good example on the field or off
- a local baker who makes the once-a-month donuts your boss brings into work
- a barista who served you great coffee with a smile. Just catch their first name and then drop a thank you in the mail to the store, addressed to “manager”—and be sure to include the person’s name and the day you were there.
Plus, writing to strangers can remove all pretense that you’re doing this to get something. Which reminds me—make sure you don’t include any ask in your thank you. None.
Give it a try for a month. Here are some tips.
- Buy a box of 50 plain “Thank You” cards: $10
- Buy 50 first-class stamps: $36.50
- Put these and your favorite pen all in a shoe box near your desk.
- Be ready to do a quick Google search for the contact information for public figures. But don’t get lost in research. I usually find this info in less than a minute. For VIPs and celebrities or athletes, it’s almost always an address for a management firm that handles fan mail. Don’t think, “They’ll never see this, so why bother?” because remember: practicing gratitude is its own reward.
- Try to write at the same time each day. Almost like a journal.
- Keep it to just the inside of the card. That’s 50-100 words tops, depending on your penmanship.
- Speaking of penmanship—do your best, but don’t sweat it if this isn’t your strongest talent. Seriously, the message is the message here.
- Pull out your phone and take a picture of your finished note before you seal the envelope. This is just for you—not for social media. Don’t virtue signal. Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. If you take a pic, you’ll be able to go through these notes again later and perhaps feel the same sense of gratitude again. Plus, for me at least, I often can’t remember if I already sent a thank you note to a person—so this can act as a file cabinet for your brain.
Look, the purpose of this post isn’t to lay some guilt trip burden on you. If this sounds like a good idea—give it a try. But as with anything I write: “Eat the meat. Spit out the bones.”
