“Thank you for…” is a term that doesn’t get used as much as it should. I think there are times in our lives that a simple “Thank you for…” could change our entire outlook  on things.
I know this because I’ve experienced it myself in life. Every day I am grateful for the incredible responses I get from people about my teaching, or podcast, etc. Every time I read a Tweet or a comment, I’m filled with the great sense of purpose.
On top of that, I have seen it in action. I’ll never forget Thanksgiving Day 1999. I was moving into my new home, and I had absolutely no food. So I found myself at an IHOP having breakfast. Why? Because it was actually open.
The restaurant was pretty quiet, even though at least half of the tables were full. My waitress didn’t even look me in the eyes when she came by. She just dropped the menus and said she would be back in a few.
I watched her walk from table to table completely unenthused. Never excited. Never happy. Just walking around as if she was in a daze. That’s when I thought to myself, I know how much it sucks for me moving into a new home on Thanksgiving, how much could it suck for her to be working on Thanksgiving?
I watched her a little longer as she moved between tables with little energy. And when she came back to mine, I said the first thing that came to mind.
CLo – “Thank you for working your Thanksgiving Day for all of us. It means a lot!”
Waitress – “Oh…wow…absolutely! Thank you for saying that!”
From that moment on it was as if she had won a small lottery. Her countenance changed completely. Instead of walking from table to table in a zombie like state, I watched her bounce from table to table.
Each time she was happy and asking if there was anything she could do for the table. She thanked people for coming in, she wished them a Happy Thanksgiving, and so on.
As she did, you could watch the people who were spending their Thanksgiving morning at an IHOP begin to lighten up as well. All because of a simple “Thanks for…”
I’ll never forget that day and what it meant to me. But more importantly, what it meant to one waitress at an IHOP. It was the impact that has me looking for those opportunities anytime I can.
Question: Who are you going to tell “Thank you for…” to today? In fact, write down seven people who need to be thanked, and talk to one a day for the next seven days.Â
Thank you Chris for changing they way I do business. This past year has been the most enjoyable in 16 years.
Wow! Now that’s great to hear!!
Thank you Chris for…
1. Sharing what you have learned with all of us.
2. Posting to your blog when it’s hard or life is crazy.
3. Treating each one of us like we are the most important person in
the world.
4. Great restaurant reviews.
5. Giving us a space to build a tribe.
Ok…this is a cry free zone Lil. Good thing nobody’s watching me. 🙂
That’s payback for the email I got yesterday :p
Chris, I think I’ll use this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to your readers & commentors. These guys are a constant encouragement to me! I am even more thankful for how they encourage each other, their families, communities, co-workers, … the world! This community is ridiculous! … And I am so grateful to be a part of this circle of awesome!
Also, grateful to you for helping me see what I was missing… but you already know that, don’t you?
hahaha…that’s another time I’ll never forget!
And thank YOU for being a part of this community as well!
Hey… what’s that about we’re ridiculous???!!! ;0)
Chris- I echo the thanks for Jeremy and Lily – you have built an incredible community and I learn and grow here every day.
I also saw the effect of being thankful this past weekend – I am mentoring a 6th grader through the confirmation process at church, and we had a retreat for the kids and their partners last weekend. I wrote a thank you note to the three organizers, and got comments like “you did not have to do that” and “wow, thank you” – and they had a new spring in their step during Sunday School class – felt really good to have let them know how much I appreciate all their hard work.
Way to go Carol!!! That is such an amazing feeling isn’t it?!
It was so amazing, and took so little on my part other than noticing how much they had done and dashing off a quick note. Definitely need to be more intentional that way.
Thats awesome Carol! Isn’t it great when someone says “you didnt have to do that” to just be able to respond with “I know, but I wanted to!”
It’s awesome, because you know that you gave something you were not required to give, and they have no real way of repaying you…its a true gift.
I’ll (also) echo the thanks from the tribe here. I’m thankful that Chris is willing to share insights for us to discuss, thankful that we have a place to do it here in the peanut/comment section, and thankful that we can all grow from it.
For me, I’m thankful to meet (digitally) and learn from people like Matt McWilliams and Joel Fortner who are both in the field of marketing like I am — and recognize that our personalities are so different that we’re not competitors by any stretch of the imagination. We each have something to add.
Then there are people like Carol Dublin and Laura Johnson who run too much, but remind me that physical health is just as important as business acumen and spriritual health.
Of course, Todd Liles and Joshua Rivers cover the spiritual encouragement side of things really well.
Lily Kreitinger and Aaron Nelson bring a unique sense of culture to the group: a professional lady of Mexican heritage and a Canadian who teaches English in Mexico shows how small a world this place really is, and how a tribe like this can come together.
Bret Wortman and Jana Botkin provide a great deal of creativity to the group through their work with crafting fine pens and fine art. Knowing Bret has helped me overcome my suspicion of cat lovers and leadership, while I’m certain some of us would be lost without List Lady.
Finally, I am sure we can all gather around our personal scapegoat Skropp (Mark Sevierkropp) who willingly takes the blame for all our technical mishaps (don’t blame your internet host for a site crashing — blame Skropp). Beyond falling on grenades for us, Skropp works hard and works hard at advancing the conversations we all have.
There are so many more that can be added to this list for their contributions: Jeremy Carver, Jon Stolpe, and many, many, many more. We are all fortunate and blessed to be a part of this little group.
Twugs?
There we go with the “little” jokes again…
I’m lost. Are you referring to the “small” world or the “little” group as a joke?
We always end up with a reference to height or age… I’m at a disadvantage in both categories… LOL
yeah, I’m short on height too…ummm did that make sense? haha.
I had a friend look at me one time and say “You know, you are very tall for your height!”
I think I rolled on the floor laughing for 5 minutes!
And you my friend, who is never at a lack of fine jokes to make us ALL laugh, as well as being the most in tuned person here. Your insight into the tribe is outstanding. Thank you for always being a part!
Awesome synopsis of the tribe Jon! I am honored to have met you and to learn from you too. And happy to hold you accountable (or make you feel guilty) about exercise!
Thanks for including me on this great list. I’m definitely blessed to be considered as part of this tribe or community.
Definite twugs back to you and all Jon. Your insight is incredible. Thank you for your kind words.
Thanks Jon. I’m not sure “willingly takes the blame” is accurate, but I do take it. haha. Not that I’m given much of a choice. But if that’s the persona I have to assume to enjoy the friendship of so many awesome people, I’ll take it 😉
Oh boy, I forgot Scott Kerzner… which makes me feel silly since I got to meet him and Carol at the last Quitter Conference. His story of paying off his debt provides a great deal of motivation to stay on financial track, which is very important for all leaders.
And it’s a good thing we’re not really competing because I wouldn’t stand a chance!!! Twugs all around. You all are my mentor group that actually no one in my Air Force job even knows about. Speaking of which, do you all even know about my AF job? Hmmm…….
Air Force?? what?? haha. 😉
Very well said! Thank you as well!
Side twug. Maybe front twug. Not sure yet Jon.
My personality is different from most people, so that is normal 🙂
Goodness! My man Jon, you are a poet. How in the WORLD did you come up with this? I missed most of these comments during the day (Hence me catching up after the crowd has left) but what a cool summary…(that word doesn’t quite do it) of this tribe. You’re a very talented writer – have you ever thought of going after a book of some sort?
Thank you for the kind words Aaron, the thought certainly means a great deal. And wow about writing a book. I’m not sure how to answer that right now, even though I love writing and I will admit I do get really excited when people tell me I should ‘seriously’ write. But if / when I do, you’ll be one of the first to know.
Um, ok – so here’s the deal: if you were to take all your awesome comments on here, and your blog posts – and you compiled them, you could have a cool book.
Seriously though….I don’t know how long it takes you to come up with some of the great things you write, but it seems almost effortless from out here. If it comes naturally, I bet it’s something you’d be great at!
I totally agree Jon! You have a wonderful writing voice and I would read and promote your book like crazy!
I agree with Aaron Jon, you have some of the most well thought out, well reasoned comments and posts of anyone I’ve ever met!! I would certainly read a book you wrote…I’d just have to have a proverbial life jacket to keep my head above water while wading through your wisdom and logic 🙂
Logic: tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom: don’t put tomato in fruit salad.
There’s your life jacket.
I want to say thank you to this absolutely incredible tribe. I don’t think I can sum it up as well as Jon did, which was awesome, but I will say that every day you guys change the lives of others!!!
I couldn’t ask for anything better. When I started this site, I wanted to change lives. I had no clue that an incredible band of people would not only help, but be there every day to see it through.
So thank you today and every day!!!
Well, it all started with you starting the blog, so props to you! And I think I’d speak for all of us when I say I get waaaayyyy more out of the blog and the tribe than I could hope to give back to it!
I’ll second that my friend! Wuuuuurrrrd.
This post is so timely as TODAY is Thank You Thursday. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you should check out Matt McWilliams blog. Over there he has launched a Thank You Thursday Revolution that is sweeping the nation.
Saweet! Good to know!
Its so pervasive, Chris became part of it without even knowing! Now that’s some serious influence Matt has 😉
Matt is definitely one of the up and coming leadership bloggers out there. I have been so impressed with his daily teaching and encouragement.
Me too…even if he is my arch nemisis. but if I’m gonna be great, I’ve gotta have great opposition 😉
So is Matt the good guy or the bad guy. I thought you both were good guys. Isn’t that what the “Hall of Justice” was for?
he’s most certainly the bad guy…but he would say I am I’m sure 🙂
But maybe we’re just like Captain America and Iron Man…same team, but butt heads every once in awhile 😉
Thank you Jon!
I was thinking the same thing!! Nice work!
I look forward to Thursdays like never before ever since I joined the Thank You Thursday Revolution!
Me too – and I found one extra thank you to deliver today – woohoo!
I am honored Jon. I didn’t even make the connection, wow.
I did write my thank you note today, later than usual, but it was a doozy. Unlike any I have ever written. I will be sharing it eventually.
So how long until I can expect that letter to arrive in my mailbox Matt? I’m sure it was to me, right?? 😉
Local vet clinic. Long story. Will share eventually. The one I write to you will also be unlike anything ever…lots of short jokes and wrapped in bubble wrap so you can’t break it 🙂
Matt, I look forward to hearing more about your TYT Note. I sent mine out.
It’s amazing how much I look forward to Thursdays now that I’m part of the TYT Revolution!
That is so awesome to hear Jon!
What an awesome story Chris! Thanks for sharing it. You know one habit I’ve gotten into thanks to you, this community, and Entreleadership?? Writing hand written thank you notes to my clients, teachers and family members.
I love it. And most of all, I love the results. (Even though I get all weird when I’m giving someone a hand written note, I just love how they all seem to marvel at it….what the heck!? And hand written note? For ME?!)
So, I want to say thank you to you Chris, for always giving your best, sharing from your heart, thank you for teaching with passion and experience, thank you to your incredible team for working so hard to serve us every week, thank you to this community for always being there to take ideas, share wisdom, and just be fun to hang out with. You all are God sent blessings to me.
Twugs. And thanks for the Burnt rice. 🙂
WOW!!! What can I say Aaron?!
You could say “Thank you” if you wanted…just I thought I heard somewhere 😉
I dream of doing hand written notes but my handwriting comes out encrypted, if you know what I mean. You da man though!
LOL – have I ever told you how many crumpled papers hit the trash can before I get the ‘just right’ version I actually feel somewhat proud to give to my client? Hehe…it’s actually nerve wracking for me to scrawl out something on paper for someone who helps me pay my bills….sorta puts ya in a really vulnerable place, if you know what I mean. (Like they may be thinking: sheesh, if he writes like that, I think we should look for another service provider….hehehehe)
I think that “vulnerable place” is exactly what makes handwritten notes sooo powerful. It shows that you sincerely mean what you’re saying. I have a co worker that says that telling someone thank you face to face is more impactful than writing it. While I believe expressing gratitude in person is necessary, I honestly think a handwritten note is MORE thoughtful. To me, I see that that person took the time to sit down, stop checking facebook, find a pen and paper, write me a thoughtful letter, put it in an envelope, address the envelope, and either hand deliver it or drop it in the mail!
To me, that is much more impactful than just saying “thank you”
Agreed – I know it takes me way longer to compose my thank you when I’m writing it vs saying it. And half of that time is just working up the courage to hand deliver it – ha. Have you ever done that one? Makes it even more meaningful, like here: I baked this for you! Makes the introvert in me squeal – and not in a good way. 😉
Thank you Aaron for being the voice of reason and calm here :0)
Orale! Never thought someone would thank me for that, but thank you Lily 🙂 You rock!
Thank you back for saying “orale”! That term is going to be one difficult one to translate. It’s right next to “chale”…. HA HA HA HA
LOL I love the ‘chale’. I thought you’d appreciate some good ole chilango. 😉 Hope you’re having a rocking day Lily.
Thank you Chris for leading this circle of creative people that energize my morning each day. I am new to the group but I know it will be a useful tool and a great source of inspiration. I will go out today and will look forward to thanking each of our clients we serve well today.
Robert, we are so glad you’re a part of this!!
Glad you are here Robert!
This is something I still must work on. I am better than I was, but not a good as I could be.
That’s all that matters David. And this is just a reminder. 🙂
Set up a daily reminder David. I still need it. I am not a grateful person by nature, but my computer tells me to be so at least 4 times a day I am.
The most important person I need to always thank is the hardest working person I know… my wife. She found a way to be a stay-at-home mom and still hold a full-time job.
She’s an amazing person and deserves my thanks everyday!
–Tony Gnau
Geez!! I’m ALWAYS impressed with moms who can do that!!
I started just saying thank you to my customers and it is amazing how it effects people.
Doesn’t it though? They come to you for something, and walk away feeling good about themselves. Great job Joseph!
Thank you is such a powerful statement. I think I will thank my wife today for being awesome.
mmmm…good stuff Todd!
Why does it sound like Chris is eating something everytime he comments??? I can just see him chomping on a big, juicy hamburger as he wrote this… (and we all thought he was talking about Todd’s comment, HA!)
I have made it a habit to begin my emails to customers with “Thank you for…” even if they are asking the same question for the 10th time. It resets my heart when I appreciate them for their business and communication with me. Interaction with clients beats the alternative!
Wow! Powerful perspective Kennie! I like the reset.
KENNIE! What’s up dude?
That is an awesome tip. I am stealing that one for sure.
Reminds me of Jeffrey Gitomer…he said you should start all emails to customers with “Hey, thanks for the food.”
I need that reminder sometimes that I am interacting with someone who:
Pays my mortgage
or Pays for my family to eat
or Paid for my last vacation
or is paying for my retirement
Why would I be a jerk to them? My 10 minutes of being annoyed by them is a small price to pay for my house.
OOOHHH that’s a great one Matt – love this. So true.
Jeffrey Gitomer…haven’t thought about that guy for quite sometime! May have to dig out his books I have!
I think there is value in re-reading his stuff periodically. Without exaggeration, I owe 10% of my success in business just to him. I rarely go a day without using something he taught me.
Call me sometime and get my voicemail…you’ll know I read his stuff 🙂
I’m gonna have to re-read the couple books I have of his now. When I read them last time I wasnt in the same place as I am now. I think they’d affect more more than they did back then! Thanks for the inadvertent suggestion 😉
It seems to me that CLo has inadvertently (or advertantly) joined Matt’s “Thank You Revolution”…. Here he is, talking about thanking people and its a Thursday. Just saying. Matt, you’re taking over the world!
That beging said, I have 6 Thank you notes that will be mailed today. Several people that were kind and helpful at a corporate training I attended last week, as well as a faculty member in the school district for which I’m on the School Board.
It is amazing how saying thank you will change someone’s day and outlook. But I’ve found, even more, its amazing how SAYING thank you changes your outlook and what you notice throughout the day!
Thanks for sharing Chris…and I’m not surprised this story took place in a restaurant, this is CLo’s blog after all 😉
HAHAHA!!! No doubt on the restaurant. And what people don’t know is, you’re pretty great at the thank you’s behinds the scenes as well.
haha, I forgot about that 🙂 That was one of the first thank you notes I wrote. You should feel special…
I still need to finish my Thank You notes for the day. But I’ll get ‘er done!
For the record you, @marksieverkropp:disqus and @caroldublin:disqus are all outpacing me. Keep it up! I love it!
two words: BOOM! (hmmm, that seems to be only one. Oh well, you get the idea!)
Today I gave one to my supervisor for giving me good feedback on my annual performance review…
After reading Matt’s book this past week, I’m committing to giving thank you notes. It’ll be a change, but it’ll be worth it!
That’s what I was thinking too Mark. I have my thank you for today ready to mail, and I gave out 3 earlier in the week. I like that you mentioned saying thank you changes me – it really does!
That’s awesome Carol! I was telling Matt a couple weeks back how neat it is that after a couple weeks of consciously writing thank you notes, it seems like I’m constantly noticing things to be thankful and say thank you for! It’s a really awesome change! And one that I think will definitely change the world and most certainly change me and where I go in life!
I know – it is life changing, isn’t it? I don’t even really think about it much, it’s been that quick a habit to build.
Hey, thank you to everyone here for this wise and encouraging community!
1. What is “twug”?
2. Jon Henry, what a thorough job of summing up this tribe. You are truly tuned-in. Your comments always reflect original and careful thought. Thank you for that.
3. Cat lover? Brett? Wowsa! Not me – I think I have some sort of full-on Cat Disorder Syndrome.
4. Chris, thank you for this post and all the rest. Your authentic stories and caring have made this my Main Daily Blog.
5. Keep writing, people, keep writing! Thank you for this revolution, Matt McWilliams. (Did you know that I sell little notecards? Just sayin’. . .)
Twug= twitter hug… term can apply to online hugs, virtual hugs, bro-hugs, blog hugs…
Thanks, Lily. If it wasn’t for you and this tribe, I’d be in utter darkness when it comes to current slang. Wurd, twug, BAH, burnt rice. . .
The magic is that no one outside of the four walls of this blog knows what any of that means…
it would clug used them
????
I think he meant CLo??? Maybe a case of iphone typing… haha
“Four walls of this blog” just struck my funny bone! Thank you for that, Lily.
Haha, if it wasnt for this tribe…they wouldnt exist at all 🙂
And Jana, thank you for brightening up my life with your art, and your love FOR it!
Aw shucks, Chris.
Jana, I’d be interested in getting some Thank You notecards. Tell me more!
I can tell you Jon, she’s amazing. Here’s the link to her store http://www.cabinart.net/cards/
Thanks, Lily. I’ll check it out!
Dang, Lily, you are good! I mean, “thank you for that!” You are fast! I was updating my card page while you were promoting me. This tribe is WONDERFUL!
Thanks, Jon! I put my contact info in the comments on your about page. (I don’t want to abuse my commenting privileges on the CLo blog by blatantly advertising.)
Self-promotion is great in moderation. Plus I promoted you first… :0)
Got the message. Thanks!
Hi Jana! I miss you! It seems like we haven’t e-chatted in forever. Hope you’re awesomely well!
Thank you, Joel! I’ve been wondering where you are and then remember you are a new father. Hope all is well with you too!
Thank you Jana for being a part of it. It’s so exciting!
Side note: We should talk business. Reach out to me at matt (at) mattmcwilliams.com when you can.
Don’t do it Jana, its a trap…it always is 😉
I will thank:
My wife for putting up with me.
My partner in crime for mentoring me.
My Dad for raising me (ish).
CLo for teaching me. Thanks Chris!
The CLo tribe for making me smile daily. Thanks all!
Two co-workers that I know deserve it.
Wow, that’s an easy seven…maybe I should do this more often? 😉
Hey, are you calling Matt funny looking?? is that why we make you smile? Because if you are, I totally agree, he is!
I won’t even dignifiy that with a comeback…mostly because I can’t come up with one.
…and all I have to say to that is #epictotalcompletewin
I would like to thank all the little people… 🙂
Whenever we go out to eat on or around holidays, we always thank our server and leave a double tip in appreciation.
There is so much that I am thankful for. I’m thankful, every day, to God for grace and mercy. I’m thankful for my wife for supporting her crazy husband. I’m thankful for everyone here for being a great group of mentors and source of encouragement.
By little people, you mean @marksieverkropp:disqus right?
Mark, Lily – either one 🙂
Don’t you love how Matt waits allllll dayyyyy until he KNOWS I’m getting off work and wont be taking a look at the blog posts for several hours to take a shot at me??
That’s just like him, sucker punch and run 😉
Gotta go with a winning strategy 🙂
Meh Chris…I don’t really believe in “Thank you.”
Said Opposite Matt.
HAHAHA….Thank you for sharing that. 😉
Hi Chris,
Your post reminds me of one of the four cardinal virtues Lao-tzu speaks of – “supportiveness”.
Here’s what I mean: To be supportive is to lift-up. That’s exactly what you did. And, as a result, it sounds like the entire place was elevated.
I think part of why a thank you is so meaningful is because it means that the person has been seen. And I think we all crave that.
I’m a new post-er, so as I’m looking at some of the comments below it looks like this is a fun group! And…what is a twug?
Twug = twitter hug, applies to virtual hugs, online hugs and so on ;0)
…And you need to know that Lily is the official keeper of the CLo Blog glossary of terms, as well as being the CEO of the CLoBlog Tribe chats and all around super talented and organized person 🙂
I like that Timmery – letting the other person know that they’ve been seen. Nice. And you’re right: we all do crave that, no matter who we are.
Welcome to the blog – you’re among a lot of friends!
Yes welcome to the blog. I love the idea that someone has been seen. It’s all about noticing. And the noticing changes both the person noticing and the one being noticed.
Welcome Timmery! This is certainly a fun group…well mostly. @Matt_McWilliams:disqus is kind of a stick in the mud…but otherwise we’re more fun than being on a fire department 🙂
But if you were to ask @Matt_McWilliams:disqus, Mark is the mud… 🙂
I love this! Those two words truly mean so much and I love both saying and hearing them. In fact, I like to play a game where I count the number of times I am given reason to say “You Are Welcome.”
http://seanheritage.com/blog/thanksgiving/
Love this message and your so right … we can never say thank you enough!! From the waitress at IHOP to the bus driver each morning to the guy working the front desk. A simple thank you is like gold. I even find that in my relationship with my boyfriend thanking him is so important. He does little things every day that make life easier and shows me he loves me. I make it a point to say thank you to him as well … people need to feel validated.
I set a reminder on my iPhone for 10:30 a.m. every day. It simply says, “Say thank you.”
Each day I have used the reminder to stop whatever I am doing to to thank someone for something. One day I thanked one of my team members in an email for a job well done. Another day I thanked my Twitter followers.
I have been surprised what a big deal it has become. The team member was glowing about the appreciation. Someone favorited my tweet.
Today, my wife was in the car with me when the reminder alert went off. Since I don’t check my phone when driving, she picked it up and asked, “Say thank you?”
A conversation ensued about reminding myself to thank others. I then thanked her for being my wife. She chuckled a little and said, “Your welcome.”
I love that idea. Just set a reminder for myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
That is awesome!
Thank you for this!