Christmas Stories: Say Sorry, Thank You and Be a Giver

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Christmas Stories: Say Sorry, Thank You and Be a Giver
Say Sorry and Thank You
It’s never too late to say sorry or thank you. Have we ever been in a situation where a friend or a colleague does something for us, and we don’t thank him/her because we’re used to him/her? Or have we ever been in a situation where we did something not so nice to our friend, and we don’t apologize for it immediately because we are used to him/her? We already know how our friends are. We typically know the characters and attitudes of our friends, either they are nice, funny, rude, self-centered, or whatever. So if our friends are always nice to us, it can get to a point that saying thank you is not that needed, and time passes after that. The more time passes, the more we think to ourselves that it’s too late to say sorry or thank you. It’s already useless now.
However, we heard the three magic words, please, sorry, and thank you, all the time. It affects the feelings of the receiver and the giver. It feels so good to make people happy. When we say thank you especially, we get a smile with “you are welcome.” We just let someone know that we are appreciated. So, we should not hesitate to say thank you, or apologize no matter when and where we are. Just do it! Sorry is a polite word to show that we are very concerned about the matter. A good apology is an opportunity for us to take clear and direct responsibility for our wrongdoing without evading, blaming, making excuses, or dredging up offenses from the past. It brims with accountability, meets the moment, and can transform our relationships with others. The apology is also the chance that we can establish the ground for future communication. In other words, a genuine sorry emanates from a place of wanting to validate and care for others. We might express: “I can see I’ve upset you and I’m very sorry. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again. What can I do to make it a bit better for you? What do you need?” A sincere and effective apology is the one that communicates genuine empathy, remorse, and regret as well as a promise to learn from our mistakes. When learning how to apologize effectively, it’s important to understand the value of taking responsibility and expressing regret. Besides, to apologize with sincerity is a willingness to act. With empathy, an open heart, and courage, we present an authentic honest apology.
Moreover, saying thank you is always so great in our daily routines. Showing gratitude is a tremendous way to help us have health and happiness. Like a hug, expressing appreciation truly feels wonderful to both the giver and the receiver. Actually, saying thank you has an expansive power to us. The “thank you” sends a clear message of gratitude. In fact, the grateful person is also a kind person and a good social partner. We are very lucky to see that these people are really attending to and acknowledging other people’s good deeds and kindnesses. Gratitude expression is a unique kind of emotional experience that is indeed well-suited for relationship building. Most of us are taught that saying thank you is simply the polite thing to do, but it goes beyond good manners. It serves so many benefits as follows:
1. Thank You, Nature
Wherever we are, there is something in nature to hear, see, and appreciate. It might be the sun, the wind, trees, mountains, a flock of birds, a backyard pond, or one caterpillar. Pausing to give thanks to one element in nature allows us to connect with life and well-being outside of ourselves.
2. Thank You, People Who Offend Us
There’s a good chance we’ll disagree with someone or become upset by something someone says during the days. It’s easy to be reactive and to argue back. It’s tough to mindfully breathe, speak with care, and let it go. It’s even tougher to say thank you to them. But why shouldn’t we thank someone who offers a different viewpoint? Doesn’t this challenge us to be better? Doesn’t it offer us new opportunities to use our strengths toward a new perspective and critical thinking to examine the pros and cons of the opinion? Using our strengths in this way helps us grow.
3. Thank You, Our Beloved Ones
“Thank you, mom,” or “I’m happy you’re my friend. Thank you,” “Thank you, Dad, for being there for me after I broke up with my boyfriend. You have always been caring and supportive of me when I’m down, and I so appreciate that.” Saying thank you to our beloved ones is the most miraculous thing we’ve ever done in our whole lives.
4. Thank You, Our Body and Mind and Everything
It’s very essential to give thanks to our body, mind and spirit. Isn’t that a super right time to be even more grateful to appreciate the vitality that exists within our body and mind? We can smile. We can connect, and we should appreciate ourselves the most. Furthermore, we are creatures of habits, and these routines keep us sane. We should show our thanks for brushing teeth, washing our body, walking down steps, eating breakfast, and driving to work. We have to expand and boost our gratitude every day.
Be a Giver
Be a giver, not a taker. Giving creates fulfillment. It creates purpose and abundance. The happiest, most successful people are those that give more than they take. Not because they’re lucky, or because they have more resources, that’s simply who they are. We can only receive what we give. When we give, energy flows freely. And that’s what allows us to receive life’s greatest gifts. The more we open our hearts, the more love we will receive. The more generous we are with our resources, the more opportunities we will attract. Some people are afraid of generosity. They feel that they will be taken advantage of or be oppressed. However, we must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest. We can’t give a smile away; it always comes back. Life is an echo. What goes around comes around. What we send out comes back. What we sow we reap. Givers like to give more than they get. They help others when the benefits to others exceed their personal costs. Givers take some time to build goodwill, but on the contrary, their reputations and network build their success in a virtuous cycle. Take US President, Abraham Lincoln, as an example. He was a real giver. In his first senate run, he gave up his 2nd place position to support the 3rd place candidate to defeat the 1st place candidate. He believed this was better for the state. When he won the presidency, Lincoln gave cabinet seats to his Republican opponents. He believed that he had “no right to deprive the country” of the services of the best men. Eventually, he creates the world he, including everyone, wants to live in.
There are reasons why givers are more successful: teams and services.
Teams depend on givers to share information, volunteer for unpopular tasks, and provide help. As we organize more people into teams, givers have more opportunities to demonstrate their value. They tend to be in service-oriented roles. We all know that networks are important because they give us access to information, skills, and influence. Givers are much better at building networks. Givers don’t necessarily limit their giving to people who will, perhaps, help them in the near future. Besides, givers are much better at collaborating with others. They focus their attention on what others have contributed, often shoulder the blame for failures, and give their partners more credit for successes. Givers do shorten the perspective gap and put themselves in the others’ shoes. Moreover, in our society, we depend heavily on influence skills. To convince others to buy our products, use our services, accept our ideas, and invest in us, we need to persuade, motivate and communicate with others. Givers are much successful at influencing others. They always provide advice and services to others. So, why not be a giver, right now?!

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