WOW Word-Of-the-Week #386: Polite

December 28, 2011 by  

Polite – mindful of, conforming to, or marked by good manners.

Where you taught manners by your parents? Do you have to remind your children or grand-children to say please and thank you? How about your staff or co-workers? When someone gives you a compliment you do you say thank you? Or do you dismiss it as “no big deal?”

When I was a small child I remember having a record that I played over and over. The only lyrics I remember are these, “There are two little magic words that will open any door with ease, the first little word is Thanks and the other little word is Please.”

Two WOW’s this month have been about appreciation and Thank You!  This is the time you can set a good example for your family, friends, staff and/or co-workers. Now that the gift buying and giving is over, it is time to sit down and write a thank you to those people. My feeling is this: If someone took the time and consideration to get you a gift, then you should take the time to let them know how much you appreciate it. It is just good manners!

If you’ve never sent a thank you, my biggest piece of advice is this: “You don’t have to write a book.” Two or three sentences is all it takes! And don’t procrastinate! Do it today!

This week I want you to focus on being polite. How does it feel when you are mindful of someone else and show good manners? How does it feel when people treat you politely? How would it feel to start a new tradition and write your thank you’s together as a “family?”

Reader Responses

“I just looked at this email after having talked to my mother in Florida. She usually sends gifts to the grandchildren (including my daughters) for Christmas. Outside of my girls, none of the other grandchildren sent my parents a Christmas card, let alone a thank you note for the gifts. My wife lines up the people to send thank you notes to after the holidays. I make sure that they get mailed. It is COMMON COURTESY. It says a lot about the person who takes time out of his or her day to choose an appropriate card, sit down and then mail out a card. The fact that a person thought that much to take the time to say thank you shows he or she cares. We are moving so fast today that we have lost basic politeness. Since my wife and I make it a point to have our daughters do this on a regular basis, we are sending a message by our example. Last week I could not use tickets for a basketball game and called a fellow alum to find out if he wanted the tickets. This man is a dentist who is doing very well. I never received a phone call, let alone a thank you note from him. Not even an acknowledgement that he enjoyed the game with his family or friends. I guess these are the times we live in, but we must continue to set the example for future generations. Thank you for the word, Susan. You are on top of it. Have a wonderful weekend.” – “Warrior” Joe

“”Excellent message – in this day of over-communication, thank you’s seem to have gotten lost. THANK YOU FOR THIS POST!” – Dave

Comments