“Thank You.” Two simple and easy words. Two words that I believe make the difference every day. I may sound like an over-zealous and obnoxiously motivated person, but I think that thanking people is one of the most important things you should do.
No matter where I go, I blurt out those two words. Whether someone held a door for me, fixed my engine, swiped my groceries, or even cut me off in the middle of a busy highway, I thank people. I thank people for talking to me, sending things to me, helping me, guiding me, and teaching me. I thank my parents. I thank my friends. I thank my boss. I thank my readers. I thank cashiers, bankers, bus drivers, professors, waiters, students, janitors, volunteers, pilots, postman, neighbors, food prep people, and even soldiers who are out in public. I thank everyone, anywhere and everywhere I go. People may just think I’m being some kind of kiss-arse and suck up, but to be honest, it makes sense. You have to realize that no matter what you do, someone has worked to make things the way they are. People have paved the roads for you. People have helped you get a degree. People have literally sacrificed their time to help the world go round. The world would crumble if people didn't all do their share of work. Think of this for example: A truck driver does his work by driving products around the nation. Truck drivers have carried every single thing you have at one point in time. Everything. Your milk, your meat, your computer, your clothes, couches, your TV, car, refrigerator, wood for your deck, metal for your keys, the door for your house, and the phone lying next to your computer. All of it was once in the back of a truck for a truck driver to deliver somewhere around the nation. If truck drivers didn't do all of their work, this nation would probably be crippled by confusion of what to do. The same goes for anyone else who sacrifices their time to help others out, even if it’s their job. Thank them. I know that when people thank me for doing something, it makes all the difference. I can only imagine what it would be like if I was a truck driver and someone came up to me to simply thank me for what I do. If a student came up to me and thanked me for teaching them and for inspiring them to do great things, I would be thoroughly subdued. I mean, think about how much work you do while you’re working at your part time job. Now think about how tough it could be do something else. Imagine what a professor has to go through. But you know what they do it? Because they know they are making an impact in the world. Thank them for that. THANK YOU can mean so much to others. Whether you’re taking the time to walk across campus to thank a professor, or taking hours to write thank you cards like you did after graduation, embrace it. I read a book called “What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20” by Tina Seelig, and in one of the chapters she mentions the importance of thanking people. Mrs. Seelig is a professor at Stanford and highly successful woman, who writes and speaks to motivate people. Out of all of the things she wished she had known at age 20, one of them was to thank people. See, you may think I’m boring and bonkers for writing a long blog about this topic, but I’m not alone. Thank people along your journey. You have to know the saying, “smiling is contagious.” I believe it. I think the same goes with manners and thanking people. If you hold the door for someone today, with a smile, I bet tomorrow they may do the same thing for someone else. When someone holds the door for me, I always thank them. And even if they don’t thank me for doing it, I know that I have changed their day with kindness. Say thank you to people everywhere you go. You’re not faking people out with a generic thank you, you’re being appreciative. Something everyone should be. Create or join organization that thanks people. There is a program called the FAN (Faculty Advising Network) that helps shed light on professors and faculty who go above and beyond their job description. Become something bigger than yourself and reach out to those who help or need help. Take the time today and send an email to someone who has helped you get to where you are. For me, I could thank a dozen people. People like my parents for being strict with me at times and over-the-top amazing with me some times. I thank Professor Zipperer and Col. Shelor for giving me guidance while I was at my junior college. I thank my brother and sister for helping me grow and my high school soccer coach, Coach Beldon, for teaching me how to man up. Thank You Kara Manis and all of my new Pearson family for believing in me, giving me a chance, and showing me how fun work can really be. Thank You Coach Tate Parrish for being a major role model in my life. I thank all of my close friends and new friends for so many good times and all of my current and previous roommates for being a family away from home. There are so many people I could thank along my path and I know for a fact the same goes for you. Thank them. Whether they have made a huge impact in your life, or simply held the door for you. P.S. Thank YOU for reading and sharing this :) Earlier this year, I was able to go to Disney World in Orlando with my team at Pearson. Over the time I was there, I absorbed every last detail that I could in order to grow as a young adult. It was my first trip to Disney without my family, so it was a time for me to explore what I wanted to. Some of the things I learned we’re plain in sight. Other things took learning from people around me. Overall, I think that the things I learned are worth sharing with you. Here are 11 things I took note of:
1.) Walking into Disney World is literally the most magical thing I’ve ever felt. People always talk about how incredible it is, but seriously... it's mind-blowing. There was so much I learned from being in Magic Kingdom, a park in Disney World. There was so much detail in the park. Every corner of every chair had detail. There was so much happiness. Overall, I could write about Disney all day long. But, there was one sight though that will forever be stuck in my mind. There was construction going on in front of the castle, but on the wall of the construction fence was a sign that read, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” The quote was by, you guessed it, Walt Disney. You may think it is just a quote, but behind that fence in the distance was The Cinderella Castle. Close your eyes and imagine that quote on a fence with the castle in the back ground. That’s all the motivation I needed. 2.) READ MORE. IF you want to learn, go read. If you want to grow, go read. People always talk about having the power to read minds. I laugh because literally, people have written their minds on paper and published them for YOU. Go read. 3.) A random note, don’t sit under a waterfall while you nap. It’s basically as if you went swimming while you slept. (Better yet, don’t sleep under a water fall in a pool chair in clothes you plan to wear the rest of the day). Enjoy the view, don't fall asleep on it. 4.) Dressing to impress makes all the difference. On my flight home from Orlando, I wore a nice dress jacket, with an ironed button down tucked into my ironed and creased khakis. I had business cards in my front pocket and had a belt to match my shoes. Most people call that being an over achiever, but I call it seizing the moments. Long story short, I handed out 10 business cards from the moment I left my hotel room to the moment I was picked up in Atlanta. It’s all about seizing the moments. 5.) Fruit snacks can get you through the security at the airport. Not literally, but after speaking with my new friend in her most delirious state of mind post red-eye flight, I realized that laughter creates friendships. Laugh more. And eat more fruit snacks. 6.) When traveling, don’t wear socks. Better yet, regardless, don't wear socks. Many of you know that I usually never wear socks unless I’m playing some kind of sport (my feet are clean, for those of you who probably think I’m a weirdo). I have many reasons for this. One reason is because socks take up too much space in a suitcase. Another reason for this is because when I’m wearing something nice, people know that I am a human being and not hidden behind some corporate suit. I want people to know that I am a real person and want to be connected with. Thirdly, why do you wear socks anyways? Who created that idea. Also, it’s always a conversation starter. And lastly, it makes for a comfortable trip when I can take off my shoes anywhere I go and not have my socks take over the air around me. Be free and be yourself. 7.) No matter what you’re doing, take some time to yourself. My job is an absolute blast, but it drained me one day during the trip. I was feeling tired and sick. I took some time one day and instead of taking a nap, I went out to a hammock and relaxed. I closed my eyes a few times in satisfaction, but more so just watched people walk by. All the people were on a mission. Everyone had somewhere to go and something to do. Sometimes, you just need to sit back and watch the world. We all get so hyped up and driven that we forget to breathe. Take a step back tomorrow, sit on a bench, and just watch. Breaks help you recoup and rejuvenate your plans. 8.) People come from different cultures. And with different cultures comes different perspectives. Different perspectives help you learn. Therefore, in the most basic theory known to man… go meet people. Ask questions and be a friend to anyone and everyone. I learned so many lessons and met so many people around the world just by saying “hello”. 9.) Creativity can lead you to great places. There was a scavenger hunt during the conference for teams to go out and take pictures in front of things as a challenge. Whichever team had the most creative pictures would win. In the end, when we were choosing a team, we realized how creative some teams really were. And you know what? Creativity caught our eye. It was so unique to see how people created things in their own minds from the most basic tasks. Creativity is amazing. It’s your mark. 10.) Go with the 12 month cured steak. Cooking steak on the grill can be delicious, but cooking a steak in a slow process with detail and finesse… Hello euphoria, meet my taste buds. I learned that if you want something great, you have to take the time to cure it. Or pay $40 for it. 11.) Last but not least, Mt. Everest is not climbed in a day. And it’s not because it takes so long to reach the top. It’s because you have to climb to certain checkpoints and back down over and over in order for your body to adjust to the pressure and oxygen levels. Allison Levine, an adventurer and speaker at the conference, explained how her struggles never stopped her from reaching the highest peak on every continent (The Adventurer’s Grand Slam). I could write for days about how much knowledge I learned from her short speech, but will only share this exert from it that I enjoyed the most. Enjoy. http://youtu.be/h1gW5VHWegg |
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