It’s not often that I get stopped in my tracks.  But this sentence, directed to me by a cashier, did just that:

“Thank you for shopping at the Home Depot!”

Now, I hear, “Thank you for…” many times a day. But I can’t tell you the last time I took in the meaning of the words. It happened this time because this sales associate, Volmer, really meant her words to reach me.

She wasn’t just speaking the “right” words. She was sending the energy of gratitude through her words, and making sure I got it.

I did. And it lifted my whole afternoon. I have to believe that it helped lift the people around me, too.  I’m not so hard up for gratitude that I needed to be thanked for something I willingly did.

It was the energy behind the words, the generous and genuine smile that came along with it, that transformed my energy.

Eight words -- infused with the energy of gratitude, meant sincerely, and received openly -- had an exponential impact.

If you’ve gotten speaker coaching from me, you know I’m zealous about meaning “thank you” when you use it in a presentation. Volmer reminded me of the power of meaning “thank you” every time you say it. Even in everyday life.

Who did you thank so far today? The deli clerk? The driver who slowed down to let your car slide into traffic? The letter carrier? The barista at Starbucks? Your child for holding the door for you, or your partner for complimenting your outfit?

Harness the Energy Around You!

Think back to those interactions. Did you just say the right words, with the right inflection, to suit the social requirements of “thank you”? Or did you take a nanosecond to summon the intention of gratitude and direct that energy their way?

Speaking for myself … I find that I almost always just say thank you, without taking the time to send the intention of gratitude when I speak.

Your “thank you” doesn’t have to be of the falling-all-over-yourself, gushing and breathless variety, for it to be genuine. It just takes the slightest pause, just enough time for you to come into this moment, to intend and mean what you say. To be present to the person you’re thanking.

Part of the energetic equation of gratitude is that the person receiving thanks actually receive the gratitude behind the words. In that regard, gratitude is a two-way street. And that’s something I also intend to become more attuned to.

Think back to the times you have been thanked – for attending a party or a meeting, for passing the salt, for completing a project, for sharing a compliment, for dropping your kids off somewhere, for giving a gift, for doing a good job at something.

There are many reasons we don’t take in the gratitude behind the thanks. Humility is a virtue, and it may be behind many of our half-hearted attempts to brush aside gratitude: “It was nothing. Anyone would have done that.” Yet we deflect the energy of gratitude in our efforts to appear humble.

Watch for the true gratitude around you. Notice how much more appears when you start to send out more genuine gratitude in the moment. It can be a sort of social experiment we all try together.

Thank you for trying it with me.