“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”
Alfred North Whitehead
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~ William Ward
Top 10 Ways to Show Gratitude During the Holiday Season:
1. Thank people core to your personal network for their support, help and perspective throughout the year.
Make sure you take the time to thank your core network and let them know how much you appreciate them!
2. Send a holiday care package to a soldier abroad.
Our service men and women who are out of the country during Thanksgiving often long for the comforts of home. By sending a care package through Any Soldier, you can show them your gratitude for their duty and make them feel loved. Any Soldier has provided care packages to 96,371 service members and has an extensive list of popular items that have been requested by soldiers if you need ideas for what to include in your package.
3. Send a handwritten note to those in your personal network.
Time is our greatest asset and liability – we treasure it and never seem to have enough of it. Taking a few minutes to send a handwritten note to those in your personal network shows how much you value them by giving your most precious asset – time.
4. Call a former teacher, professor, instructor, boss or coach to let them know how they helped you grow and learn in your life.
5. Keep a gratitude journal.
A gratitude journal is simple and it reminds us to be grateful for the small things in life that we may otherwise take for granted.
6. Ask for help in preparing for the holidays … it’s a great way to demonstrate your trust in others and provides another way to say thank you.
Asking for help seems like a no-brainer, but for some of us, preparing for the holidays is a painful exercise in trying to maintain control. The mindset, “I am the only one who can do this the right way” will just overwhelm you, and as a result, overwhelm your loved ones.In addition, sometimes it’s a great way to show that you trust other people by asking for help in preparing for the holidays. If someone does assist you in preparing for the holidays, it presents a great opportunity to say thank you.
7. Send a thank you eCard or a short personal email letting people know specifically what makes them special.
Make sure you show your appreciation to others who have helped you in any way. Taking a few minutes to send an eCard or short personal email lets people know that they are appreciated and that you care.
8. Review your personal priorities for the year and thank those people who were instrumental in helping you make progress toward your personal or professional goals.
9. Instead of sending out holiday gifts or a typical discount offer to clients, sent a personalized note about a special experience involving how you are planning on giving back to your community and/or how you responded to customer support and/or why you consider that person a great client – make it heartfelt and genuine
10. Nothing says thank you like giving back … participate in the Montgomery County, MD, Holiday Project with Strategic Partners.
For the 4th year in a row, Strategic Partners will be participating in an effort with a group of families in Silver Spring, MD, who single handedly distribute 650 meal baskets. If you either don’t have a charity that you support and are looking for one, we invite you to contribute to this effort by choosing one or more of the following easy tasks that can be quickly accomplished as you are doing your personal shopping. Click here for more info
How are you planning to express your gratitude during the holidays? Please share your thoughts and ideas below.
Ken Boxer President Strategic Partners, Inc. kboxer@spisolutions.com
