My mother used to tell me this. I grew up in the UK and people tend to be very polite. She reminds my little boy too that being polite is very important. Some cultures and languages don’t use such words as often. When you translate sentences from these languages, it can sound quite jarring without them.
On top of this, through the 5 Love Languages (1), I realised the importance of Words of Appreciation for some people. It isn’t one of my natural love languages. Yet as my husband and some of my best friends have this as their love language, I have grown to use them.
At first, I didn’t know I was not using them – I was unconsciously incompetent (2). My husband and others need this to feel appreciated. So I worked on it, thanking them and appreciating what they do. It has become easier and more natural for me to speak such words.
If you are like me and words of appreciation are not a natural love language of yours, it starts with some effort. It is well worth it as many people have this love language. It is useful everywhere, at home and in the workplace. Build on the pleases and thank yous.
Words of appreciation will not only make others feel good but also yourself.
2) 4 Stages of Learning
– Unconscious Incompetence
– Conscious Incompetence
– Conscious Competence
– Unconscious Competence