Be Awesome - Say Thanks

My mother and father didn't always agree on everything. Their turbulent relationship meant a lot of things were said that couldn't be taken back. Mistakes were made. No one is perfect.

But, they purposefully and with perfect synchronization of effort instilled three rules in my sister and me.

#1. Adhere to a strong work ethic

#2. Brush your teeth

#3. Always, always say thank you

This isn't going to be a long post. My autobiography will be released 100 years from the day of my death. What I want to put across to everyone is the lesson of training oneself to say "thanks" to every person for the biggest to smallest effort is important.

My dad still wakes up at 4:30 am every day, still checks my teeth to see that I've brushed them whenever I see him, and will still whisper to say thanks or leave an extra tip for someone who deserves it. He is a big reason I keep Wisps (disposable toothbrushes) in every bag and feel paranoid if I (somehow) sleep past 7 am on a weekend. He is a big reason I am constantly asking to talk to the manager to inform him or her that the server I have is doing an exceptional job.

Today is a day devoted to gratitude and so here's the big message: Be Awesome - Say Thanks. Say thanks to your friends, family, teachers, students, communities, members, leaders, and more. Say thanks when someone has taught you an important lesson. Say thank you when someone has taken time to answer a question. Say thanks when someone helps someone close to you. Recognize extra effort exerted by someone so that you might lead others by example and make the world just the tiniest bit friendlier.

To all the regular readers of my blog, I want to assure you of these three things:

#1. I woke up before 7 am this morning and helped my mother-in-law wash the dishes

#2. I brushed my teeth both before and after breakfast

#3. I am thankful for each and every one of you who read and share my blog posts. I never installed Google Analytics on my blog or checked stats until this year and I've been stunned to find out so many people listen to what I have to say here. Thank you for your time. Thank you for listening. Thank you for making this world a better place.

Cheers!