I believe that “Thank You” is the magic word. When I worked as a waitress this summer I found that people do not always thank you for all that you do and when someone does thank you it makes fetching their drinks, fighting for their food, waiting on them to make sure that they do not need anything, worth it. To simply hear the words “Thank You” directed specifically at me makes me feel good, it makes me feel that what I do does not go unnoticed even if it is something small as refilling a drink.
If someone thanks me it encourages me to do more things for them if they ask and as a waitress it makes me more inclined to want to do things for the customers. Being a waitress can be difficult in more ways than you think. People bring their out of control toddlers into the restaurant and allow them to jump from booth to booth disturbing the other customers and you have to say “Oh my, isn’t she the cutest little thing ever?!” You are burdened with constantly being perky and happy, because honestly, who wants a grump as a waitress? Waitresses fight for their customers and hearing their appreciation when they bite into their warm dinner and say “Thank You” makes controlling yourself from throwing their “little angel” out the window head first into the dumpster worth it.
Saying “Thank You” does not only need to be said after the action has taken place; I try to always say “Thank You” immediately after asking for something because it makes the person realize how much I appreciate what they are doing for me. If someone asks me how I am or how is my day, I try to always without doubt to say “I’m doing well; thank you, how are you?” Two simple words really have affected me; two little words, eight little letters can change the entire attitude of the chore and the entire attitude of the person doing the chore simply because the person knows they are being appreciated and whatever the chore is someone is going to be happy and thankful.
“Thank You” can also give you an edge on others you may be competing with. For example, I have one younger brother and one younger sister; they tend to complain that I always get everything I ask for, but my little secret is that I always show my parents how much I actually would appreciate the favor or gift and thank them. Many people forget to show people such as family members and spouses how much they appreciate the little things.
Believing in “Thank You” has proven to both make me feel good about myself, make others feel good and to give me an advantage over my siblings. “Thank You” is two syllables, eight words, it’s easy and it really does make a difference.