And you Thought you Just Sent a Thank you Card..?

A Thank You Card allows us to send an appreciative message after an act of thoughtfulness. It's the giving that makes the difference rather than the size of the gesture. Don't let the size of the card sway you.

These days there are Thank You cards for almost all eventualities -Thank You For Having Me, Thank You For My Present, Thank you Mom, Thank You Teacher. Many of us are saying Thank You but not all of us find it that easy and that's where the Greeting Card Industry can help with a personalized thank you card. Whilst it might seem that Thank You Cards are the salvation of those who just can't 'say' the words, they are also just perfect for the rest of us who can.

Thank You Cards are all around us. There are hundred of companies bidding for our custom. They jump out at us from the card racks, and blink at us on the computer. Of course email makes things so much more immediate. And that's great for us procrastinators. Our excuse might be that it takes time out of our busy lives to go and shop for a card.

Sometimes we may not know that we want one, then the thought comes to us of the very person we could send one to.

But rather than think of the profits involved for the card companies, think of the profit being stored up for yourself.

Many years ago I heard a story about kind thoughts and actions being tallied up as gold dust. Every time we did something kind for someone our good actions were stored as gold dust - in their pocket. If we later did something 'out of character' that didn't tie in with they knew of us, they had this store of good actions - or gold dust to feel. If there was more gold dust than air then we were still thought well of, and the 'unkind' action was dismissed.

So perhaps we are storing up good deeds, and the profit (if you like) is purely ours.

But let's get real. Who ever said that card-giving needed analyzing? Just do the thing!

Just look at all the occasions we have to send a thought back. Saying Thank You with a genuine motive of appreciation demonstrates the pattern of both giving and receiving a kindness.

Think of the pleasure and satisfaction you get when you unexpectedly give a gift or a card to someone you care about. They'll always have the card to remind them. You have the memory of giving.

No doubt there are many in the Greeting Card Industry who look at such things as trends and forecasts, personality types and human behavior. After all, they really need to. It's this that helps them design and publish the perfect card for us to choose.

It's because Thank You cards can and should be sent for almost any occasion that we have so many cards and messages to choose from. Remember when the choice of ten cards was just nine too many?

Why are there so many? Well it comes back to us, our personalities, and the occasion. We have to get everything right: the words and the picture.

Here's our thinking: - 'Are they sincere, appropriate, too long, too flowery, will they say the right thing in the right way, and will I be understood/mis-understood'? And you thought you just bought a card? Perhaps we're actually buying into so much more, but we don't know it.

Thank You Cards allow us to show our emotions and how we appreciate others efforts on our behalf. And they let us share a little bit of ourselves with someone else.

So if someone does you a kindness this week, show them that you have taken their action to heart. Give back, by choosing, writing and then sending a personal card to someone you know. Thank them for their kindness, their friendship and their love.

Send, or give a Thank You Card, and see how that makes them - and you feel.