The word is irrespectively used in
everyday life be it in official mails with our standard signature beginning
with ‘Thanks and Regards’ or when talking to friends and colleagues.
How many times do we whole heartedly
mean it?
When we see kids talking to their
parents, we unknowingly drift to our own childhood days. It is nostalgic. One
such situation is when a stranger used to offer us chocolate and we used to
look at our mom for an approving nod. She used to tell us to accept it with a
‘Thank You’ :)
My teacher once told our class to
never use ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ casually. These are golden words. Never be in
a situation where you need to say ‘sorry’ and if you accept your mistake, then
never be ashamed to ask for forgiveness. She asked the class whether we were
thankful to God to be blessed with a loving family. We said ‘Yes’. She then
asked, “Do you say ‘thanks’ to God and your parents?” We were all silent. If
you really want to say a heartfelt thanks then tell them so and make it a
routine. Since then, I have included my thanks to God in the prayers I offer
and go to bed only after wishing my parents ‘Good night and thank you’.
Think about your routine day and to
whom all you say thanks. When you take an auto ride and get down at your
destination, do you say thanks to the auto driver? If he did a good job, you
could express your thanks. It makes the person happy and happiness is likely to
spread through his next customers. You can also extend your thanks to the
caterers who stand 8 to 7 daily behind the cafe stalls and serve us. Happiness
spreads in a chain form and is slow whereas gloominess disperses fast like a
vector borne disease.
Did
you bump across someone and say ‘sorry’ today? Well, you could have avoided if
you had lived in the present. ‘Sorry’ shouldn’t be used like a passing comment.
If you think you have wronged someone or failed in your duty, accept your
mistake and apologize.
‘Chalega’ attitude is quite common
these days and one of the prominent reasons for repeating mistakes and brushing
it off with a ‘sorry’ word. During one of the meetings with a senior manager,
he said the first time one commits a mistake it is pardonable but not if he
doesn’t learn from it and repeats the same.
My take on the best way to avoid
being in a regrettable situation is by living in present with an eye on future.
With this, you can avoid committing many mistakes :)
When it comes to signatures in mail,
I choose ‘Thanks’, ‘Regards’ or ‘Thanks & Regards’ depending on the Email
context. If I am conveying an information, I use ‘Regards’ whereas if I am
seeking an information or thanking someone for appreciation or concern, it
would be ‘Thanks’ and if it a mix of both then ‘Thanks and Regards’. When you
start thanking whole heartedly, you begin practicing the usage meaningfully.
May be you can give this a thought the next time you send a mail :)
Lastly, as the holiday and festive
mood approaches, why not start thanking people whom we meet daily but hold no ties to us. Most of us use the shuttle
service and we see the same driver driving us in and out of the IT parks every
day. There has hardly been a case when he drives in late to our stops or didn’t
show up in spite of the many calendar holidays. It is tough and stressful to
drive in traffic when the lives of so many commuters are in his hand. He drives
for his livelihood but he is also dutiful and disciplined than most of us. My
friend and I have made it a custom to wish our bus drivers on New Year and gift
him a chocolate bar. They are surprised at this gesture but the smile on their
faces is mystical.
We visit almost the same shop or
stall for our groceries and green groceries. Wish the shop keeper on festive
occasions and spread the smile. It costs nothing :)
I hope after reading this article,
more and more people use ‘Thanks’ and ‘Sorry’ more meaningfully and spread the
festive joy to others too.
Wishing you all a very
Happy New Year !!
Nice.. touchy Article As Always...:)
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