Observing life: Why gratitude is so important in day-to-day life

The two simple words "thank you": are the biggest incentive to inspire people to do a good job.

“Thank you” – two simple words that can really go a long way. The other day, while listening to a radio report, I heard that the biggest incentive to an employee is praise. The team was discussing ways to stay motivated at work and the majority of panellists on the radio show assumed that a large bonus was the best way to go about keeping your workers happy, but a psychological study had proved that taking the time to acknowledge someone’s efforts had a longer-lasting effect than any monetary incentives.

My job requires me to spend a lot time out of the office. As a reporter, I am either on the road, at an event or conducting interviews, so I don’t often have a chance to get together with my colleagues. When listening to that radio programme, I counted myself one of the lucky ones who didn’t really need encouragement to continue feeling motivated. Seeing my stories in print each week and the online hits pile up are great incentives for me, as well as knowing that I have the potential to reach out to people all over the world with my words.

However, a few days after hearing that report I received a group email from one of our editors. It was just a few lines thanking us for all our efforts in the workplace and it ended with the words “We appreciate you”. It meant so much that I was moved to write about it in this column.

I also have a similar feeling when, every now and again, a reader makes the effort to thank me for my stories. However, occasionally, when I answer a phone call and the person on the other end has simply called to thank me for writing about them or for taking the time to notice what they are doing, it is a heart-warming feeling.

I have recently become a mother and I hope to teach my daughter the importance of gratitude, to be aware of others and not to take people for granted. I hope also that she will grow up to be kind and considerate so that, while remembering to thank others often, she is also on the receiving end of gratitude and those two little words.