04 Aug Active Gratitude: Saying “Thank you” makes incredible impression
My son came home from Boy Scout camp after a week away. His focus while being there was to earn four merit badges which included a lot of work (in the school work genre) . [Woodworking, Canoeing, Personal Management and Space Exploration] Having fun was also on the menu but getting those merit badges was paramount in his mind.
He earned those badges with guidance from scout leaders who were teaching them. Now for the purpose of this post…. before he left to return home, he went around the camp and personally thanked each Scout leader who helped him and each camp staff member who helped him or served him while he was there. I heard from the leaders upon return that they were very impressed by him and SO appreciated that he told them “thank you”. Each shared that they rarely receive the appreciation and it meant a lot to them. Additionally, they each had positive feedback about my son in many other areas how they like to be around him. My experience is that if you treat people with respect and gratitude, they will have a positive impression about all you do. At 14, I am so proud and grateful that my son has learned good manners and uses them when not even reminded. He will be more successful in his relationships his whole life since he practices active gratitude. What a source of pride for his etiquette professor mother!