Every Monday Matters: A note of gratitude

With e-mail, text messaging, and instant messaging, a handwritten note is getting rarer and therefore more special.

175 percent more text messages are sent each month compared to phone calls.

73 percent of cell phone users say that the cell phone is the most important device in their social life.

66 percent of U.S. Internet users said email was their preferred channel for written communications between friends.

Every week, the average person receives 1.5 personal letters.

Feeling appreciated is one of the strongest human desires.

There is warmth in a handwritten note — it instantly makes the message more personal, creates a more intimate feeling, and makes the recipient feel more valued.

With e-mail and instant messaging, a handwritten note is getting rarer and therefore more special.

The recipient can keep and reread it forever.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

1. Select the person — a family member, friend, co-worker, or someone you haven't spoken to in a long time — whom you want to thank for what he or she brings to your life.

2. Choose a postcard, letter, or card.

3. Take a few minutes to write a warm, sincere message that clearly communicates your love and appreciation for that person.

4. Decide if you want to add any special touches like unique paper, scents, photographs, drawings on the envelope, or a specialty stamp.

5. Send it today.

How many e-mails or text messages have you sent in the past week? How many handwritten notes of appreciation? More to the point, when was the last time you handwrote anything to anyone? Handwrite a note of gratitude to somebody today ... just because. They will appreciate the rarity of it.

YOU MATTER

I have become a public speaker. I am not quite sure how it happened, but it has. And, I have learned that being a public speaker is synonymous with spending a lot of time in airports, rental cars, and hotels. At first, I found this be a taxing lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I love the events once I am there; but sometimes airport security, flight delays, and rental cars that smell like ashtrays are not my favorite things in the world.

But, I have changed now and "realigned" myself. I have opened my mind to the journey, instead of just focusing on the destination; and, with this, I have learned to notice and appreciate things that I was flat out missing before. Some of these things are beautiful, like the stories from the elderly woman sitting next to me on the plane, the varied geography of our country, and spirit of hope and hard work that I now notice in people. But one of the things I noticed is not quite as beautiful, and this is what I want to share today. Not because I want to be a downer, but because it is something we can easily correct ... one person, one letter at a time.