Gratitude and The Thank You Note

I often say that snail mail is the best mail and I bet you would agree.  Opening up your mailbox to find a note sent especially to you brings an instant smile to your face.  

That the handwritten note is alive and well might be surprising given the additive speed of technology at our fingertips.  There is something special about sitting down with pen and paper.  Some say it is meditative in nature and a much needed break from staring at a screen on our smartphones or computers.

I believe it to be true.  For me, it’s a practice of living mindfully and in the moment.  When you sit down to write, your mind is focused on words and thoughts.  The mind is quiet and reflective, and it is not competing or distracted by concurrent visuals.

A customer recently shared a wonderful video with me, “Teenagers and Thank You Notes.”  The brainchild of a high school french teacher named Ashley Weber.  Ashley developed ‘Thank you Thursday’ that allocated 10 minutes every Thursday towards writing thank you notes.  Most of her students had never written a note or didn’t know how to!  But that soon changed and it became the favourite day of the week.

Why? There are  psychological benefits of practicing gratitude that are intrinsic to our well being.  The more it is practiced, the more profound the results. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy.  And when you conscientiously scribe gratitude in a  thank you note, something magical happens. You truly become aware and appreciative.

Watch this video and see for yourself!

Thank You Thursday - An Experiment in Gratitude from Ashley Weber on Vimeo.