Two Letters to Santa
Welcome to the seventy-second edition of “In-Touch”. As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please let me know what you think in the comments below.
Story of the Week: “Two Letters to Santa”
Last Christmas, Christos Kapsokefalos sat down with his 3-year-old son Yiannis to write a letter to Santa Claus. In it, Yiannis asked Santa to bring him a bicycle.
On Christmas Day, the boy was thrilled to see that Santa had granted his request and, even before jumping on his bike for the first time, he turned to his father and said, “Dad, let’s write Santa a new letter to thank him for bringing me what I asked for!”
Yiannis’ words filled Christos’ heart with joy; they say a lot about what the 3-year-old had learnt from his parents about expressing gratitude.
Of course, expressing thanks doesn’t have to involve writing or even speaking; a nod or a hand raised in appreciation when another driver lets us into traffic, for example, shows our gratitude and encourages others to do the same.
“Gratitude benefits both the giver and receiver. It acknowledges the obligation and builds connection,” Marketing guru, Seth Godin says.
In the work environment, saying ‘thank you’:
- can make people feel recognized and help them understand that they’re an important part of a team.
- can build confidence, making people feel ready to take on more responsibility.
- increases the chances of boosting the morale and mood not only of the person receiving it but of the person giving it, too.
- definitely improves your mental health. Many studies have shown that expressing gratitude increases happiness.
- can increase employee retention. Employees who feel valued are more likely to stay with the company rather than look for other opportunities.
Let’s all try and say ‘thank you’ to those who deserve our gratitude — including Santa Claus! It’s so easy to make others — and ourselves — feel good. And since Santa is devoted to making children happy, how about getting our own children to send him a ‘thank you’ letter this Christmas?
Words of Wisdom
“Silent gratitude isn’t much to anyone” Gertrude Stein
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
“Who was the last person to whom you made a point of saying ‘thank you’ and why?”
Hit reply and let me know.
