I AM THANKFUL

I am thankful for the unconditional love of my wife.
I am thankful for my step children.
I am thankful for eight grandchildren.
I am thankful for my brothers and sisters and extended family.
I am thankful for the health I enjoy.
I am thankful for the employment which my hands find to fill my days.
I am thankful for agencies that care for the needy.
I am thankful for volunteers who give unselfishly in volunteering their time to these agencies.
I am thankful for generous benefactors who give so that agencies can do their work.
I am thankful for an abundance of friends around this country.
I am thankful for food and clothing.
I am thankful for wisdom to make healthy choices.
I am thankful for eyes to see the beauty of our land.
I am thankful for ears to hear the words “I love you.”
I am thankful for a tongue to speak the words “I love you.”
I am thankful for the gift of music that sooths my soul.
I am thankful for the Love of God, The Supreme being in my life.
I am thankful for a church fellowship from which I gain strength and support.
I am thankful for a roof over my head.
I am thankful for daily needs that are being met.
I am thankful for mentors who have contributed to my life.
I am thankful for books that have taken me places I could not have otherwise visited.
I am thankful for computers, email and cell phones that keep us in touch instantly.
I am thankful for a government that still believes in individual rights of a human being.
I am thankful for the protection of our military on a national and international level.
I am thankful for local and state law enforcement agencies. You put it on the line daily for us.
I am thankful for teachers who have taught me skills.
I am thankful for the human touch that is soothing, comforting and reassuring.
I am thankful for sunshine and rain, snow and wind, mountains and valleys.
I am thankful for fishes and animals in a vast variety that staggers the imagination.
I am thankful for medical technology and those skillful in these arts.
I am thankful for medical professionals and researchers.
I am thankful for those in the service industries who give quality with a smile.
I am thankful for professional sales people who perform their jobs with style and grace.
I am thankful for public transportation professionals who safely transport us daily.
I am thankful for newscasters who intelligently and clearly give us good information.
I am thankful for honest statesmen and women who serve with dignity and a conscious.
I am thankful for more blessings than I can recall.
I am thankful for a chance to say, “Thank you. I give thanks, I appreciate, I adore, I esteem, I recognize, I honor, I love.”

Happy Thanksgiving One and All!

Make Me Feel Important

Make Me Feel Important
Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics wrote this statement in her book People Management. “Imagine that every person you meet is wearing an invisible sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make Me Feel Important.’” How does this statement impact you as you relate to people in your everyday life? Remember, the next customer who walks through your door or uses the drive-up window of your place of business wears this sign. So does the delivery driver for UPS, the dry cleaning clerk, the grocery checker, and the small child accompanied by a parent. What can you do to recognize and esteem these individuals when they come across your path?

Everyone everywhere wants and needs attention, respect, and acknowledgement. We all want and need to be made to feel important. Here are five tips you can begin using to help people feel important.

1. Smile upon greeting them. This is so simple, yet so important.

2. Use appropriate eye contact. Don’t glare, don’t stare, but look them in the eye, hold the gaze for two to three seconds before looking away. And be sure and look at each person in the party; greet them individually.

3. Focus only on the individual or party to whom you are serving. Avoid looking over their shoulder at the next person in line. If you must break away, do so politely, and remember to come right back to give them your undivided attention.

4. If your customer in some way identifies themselves by wearing a name badge or presents a credit card or personal check for payment, it is appropriate to simply say “Thank You, Mrs. Jones” at the end of the transaction. The sound of your customer’s name is the most important and most pleasing sound in the world to them. When used correctly it adds value to the interaction and makes you memorable.

5. Can you add value to their exchange with you? Is there some token or gift you can give your customer, small though it may be, yet wins hearty appreciation and becomes memorable? If you can do this you just found a new way of letting that person know they are important. I have a friend in Tennessee who sent me a follow-up note after a major event. In it he put in one piece of Big Red chewing gum. His closing comment was, “You win the Big Red award for the day.” I’ve never forgotten that.

Thanks for reading. Look for more people skills tips next week.
It is, after all, ALL ABOUT PEOPLE!


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Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and success in sales in retail, insurance and real estate. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.