From the “We the People” exhibit at the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn.
Normally, we only spend time talking about what we are thankful for around Thanksgiving. We sit around the table and talk about what we are thankful for… friends, family, maybe that job promotion. Then, Black Friday hits us and it is back to the madness for another 364 days. I had to ask a question: “What if we could get people talking about what they are thankful for at other times of the year?”
In 2012, we set up an exhibit at the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn called “We the People.” Included in that exhibit is what we call a “Talk Back” station. On that station there is a question: “What Are You Thankful For?” You might imagine, we get lots of answers.
- I’m thankful for my mom.
- I’m thankful for video games.
- I’m thankful for food (this one seems to be popular amongst the children visiting us)
And then we get ones like this that touch the heart:
I’ve decided to make my own, personal, challenge and that is to take a moment each day to go out of my way to thank someone. It might be the soldier in the local restaurant. “Thank you for your service.” It might be the parents coming into the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn. “Thank you for spending your quality family time with us.” It might be the staff person who went above and beyond. “Thank you for handling that tough situation.”
Who could you express your gratitude to each day?
Get your staff out from behind their desks and into the main activity of where your customers are. What if your in-house accountant went into your store and started shaking hands with customers saying, “I work in accounting here and I just wanted to come out and thank a few of our customers for spending their money with us.” What if your board members called your donors? “Thank you for investing in our mission.”
Incorporate gratitude into your business and see what happens. Don’t just say, “Thank you.” Mean it.
Have You Incorporated Kindness and Gratitude into Your Work?
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