Not all "Thanks!" are created equal, even if we tend to forget it.
Between "Thank you so much!", "Thanks, but no thanks!", "Thanks, by the way!", and even "Thanks for nothing!" there is a whole world of difference.
We can thank someone truthfully, giving voice to our gratitude.
We can be ironic or sarcastic and manifest our distaste for something.
We can be polite, and yet firm in our intentions.
We can say "Thanks!" and yet actually mean "No way!", and show our boundaries with it.
We can express our thankfulness without making a big thing out of it.
[A real "Thank you" should always be
with no strings attached]
In my opinion, the worst someone can do is showing their appreciation for something that has been said or done for them after days or even weeks or months of silence about it, just for asking for a new favor immediately after.
"Thank you!" is then just an excuse for making a new request, for gaining something out of the interaction, for creating a communication frame that "forces" the other to say yes.
That's not what saying "Thank you" should be about.
A real thanksgiving has, by definition, no strings attached.
Coaching question of the day:
"When was the last time you thanked someone with no strings attached?"
Tags: Coaching question, Self-coaching, Self-awareness, Self-reflection, Thankfulness, Gratitude, Saying thank you, Thanksgiving
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