In many situations, we forget that just saying ‘thank you’ or ‘my pleasure’ can make a huge difference. “In fact, I am starting to believe that ‘thank you’ is the most under-appreciated and under-used phrase on the planet. It is appropriate in nearly any situation and it is a better response than most of the things we say”, James Clear. In addition, if somebody does say thank you, how many times do you say ‘my pleasure’. These few words can make a big difference to your and other people’s life. Let’s take a few situations in which you forget to thank others.

Think about saying ‘thank you’ instead of ‘sorry’. For instance, when you forgot to forward that one e-mail to your colleague, you can say:

Thank you for your patience and reminding me.
Instead of:
Sorry I forgot to send it, I will send it right now.

Secondly, thank people when they give you a compliment. We tent to ruin compliments by answering too humble and sometimes even ignore the compliment. We do not want to look arrogant or cocky in some sort of way, so this reaction is completely normal, however think what a simple ‘thank you’ could do for the person complimenting you. Showing your gratitude when people compliment you is not arrogant or cocky. “Simply saying ‘thank you’ fully acknowledges the person who made the compliment and allows you to enjoy the moment as well”, James Clear.

Even when we receive feedback or criticism, a normal reaction is to be upset internally. Even though a simple ‘thank you’ could make the difference. People give feedback in order to help you develop and become a better person, so thanking them for their effort would be nice. As well with (unfair) criticism, overwhelming who criticized you with gratitude is the perfect way to deal with haters, ‘kill ‘em with kindness’.

On the other hand, think about how many times you say ‘my pleasure’ when somebody thanks you. Do you say it enough? Alternatively, is there some room for improvement? Most people reply with ‘no problem’ or they do not even reply to a ‘thank you’, however saying ‘my pleasure’ could make somebody’s day. Of course, it is not mandatory to say ‘my pleasure’; however, it could be a nice once-in-a-while surprise to the person thanking you.

Eventually, you will never say ‘thank you’ or ‘my pleasure’ too much, because (almost) everybody likes to be thanked and/or acknowledged. Just think about it, what is does to yourself if you would receive one more ‘thank you’ or ‘my pleasure’ occasionally? You will experience positivity and happiness if you implement this theory every now and then.