Sending Christmas Cards is a Team Sport
Well, the Christmas cards are addressed in calligraphy, signed (some with notes), stamped and mailed. I think we’re ahead of the game this year. I can already feel the Law of Attraction working as those cards head out on their journeys to our family and friends. When they arrive at their destinations, the LOA power really starts working.
We’ll touch base with old friends. There will be great phone calls. Some super emails. Mostly, good thoughts – some spoken, many upspoken. Doesn’t matter which way – the thoughts are out there working and doing good.
I told my wife the other night when we finished up that sending our Christmas cards is a team sport. I do the calligraphy addressing over the span of a week or so. When I’m done, we sit down and sign each one – together. It’s fun. Then, we stuff and seal. It’s a team sport. And if there was an Olympic event, we’d win. Alas, it is not an Olympic event … however, we win anyway. The power is working now and multiplying as we speak.
Merry Christmas and I hope you have your cards out, too. If not, get busy. It’s right around the corner!
R@
Let’s Say Thanks
A friend sent me this wonderful website link – http://www.letssaythanks.com/ - that allows you to send a card to our service men and women fighting for our freedoms around the world. Regardless of your positions on the war, the current administration, politics, Right/Left, Republican/Democrat or Independent, I believe most folks support the troops and should take a minute or two to let them know we are thinking about them back home and hope they all return safe one day soon.
The site is operated by Xerox and yes, I’m sure one of their goals is to promote a new printer they mention on the site. But you have to give these guys credit for putting this site together and making it easy to use.
The postcards, depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images, were selected from a pool of entries from children across the country. All you have to do is click on your favorite design and write a personal message to a soldier. The postcards are then printed on the Xerox iGen3 Digital Production Press and mailed in care packages by military support organization Give2TheTroops.
Visit the site. Send a card to a soldier. It only takes a minute. You’ll feel good doing it. And spread the word about the site.
Greeting Cards for Dog Lovers
I’m a dog lover. I’m also fond of using greeting cards to stay in touch with people. The power of the Law of Attraction. Ever notice how people with dogs seem to be happy people? And people with dogs seem to be attracted to other people with dogs. And the dogs of dog lovers seem – for the most part – to like the dogs of other dog lovers. I think this falls into the category of the Law of Attraction.
Anyway, this post is to introduce you to a friend of mine who has some award winning “Elegant Cards and Stationery for our Fabulously Socialized Companions” – called the Pet Set. Her name is Kim Banks and I think she has created the most beautiful offering of dog-themed cards and staionery in the world. You really should visit her website.
Today, she announced the arrival of eleven (11) new spectacular breeds to the Pet Set collection. In addition, she has a new Christmas/holiday greeting and a new Thank You card. The Pet Set offering is gorgeously illustrated, classically crafted greetings, breed specific stationery and note cards which gives your dog a voice to personally acknowledge social events or special doggie moments.
Sending greeting cards is no longer confined to we humans. Our four-legged friends now can participate in sending greeting cards in style and practice the power of the Law of Attraction. Check out the Pet Set.
Networking
I know a lot of business professionals who attend networking events. I attend networking events. They work. Especially for business services professionals. But many I know who attend sometimes question whether the time is worth the effort. They don’t feel they see a lot of return on their time investment. I say, maybe they need to do a little more followup after the event.
After an event, as soon as possible afterwards, business card info needs to be entered into your contact manager, including any specific info about the contact (hopefully you made notes on the back of each card). Then, send these people a post card or note card through snail mail and touch base with them again. Let them know how nice it was to meet them and have a chance to talk. Bring up any specifics you talked about. If you have any followup questions, ask them in the note. Remind them what you do and the services you offer. By receiving a note from you soon after the network event, they will be more likely to remember you and make a note of you and what you do. Even ask them to refer others they know who could use your services. Expand your networking effort through others.
By sending a post card or note card through the mail, you’ll stand out from the crowd. Email is a great way to communicate with associates and friends on a daily basis, but to get noticed, nothing works better than a note or card sent through the mail. It will set you apart and make you stand out. Start a habit of doing more and better followup on your networking events and you’ll see results soon. It works.
Simple, Kind Things
The majority of us live in a hectic world, where the simple, kind things really stand out. A door held open. A wave to let you merge into traffic. The big “Hello, how ya doing” as soon as you walk into the Waffle House. The unexpected act of kindness. A little thing like people saying “Thank You”.
Seems to me even the act of saying “Thank You” is vanishing. Why? I don’t know. Maybe parenting? But I do believe that if more people took the time to say “thanks”, the world would be a better place. Funny (not ha-ha funny) thing is this: I hear a lot folks complain that their boss never “thanks” them – even when they go “above and beyond”. Watch those complainers – you’ll probably never hear them tell others “thank you” either. What goes around, comes around.
From the boss perspective, I’ve heard this at least a thousand times, too: “Why should I thank an employee for doing something I pay them to do anyway?” I’m not advocating that all the bosses in the world start thanking every employee for doing their everyday tasks and duties. But a “thank you” every now and then can go a long, long way in an employee’s mind.
It works both ways. Either person can say “thank you” and if used appropriately will probably make the relationship better – I know it will make the people better. Make it a habit to put the simple, kind things to work for you.
Birthday Cards
I don’t get real excited about my birthday anymore – never really have during my adult life. Guess when you’re at mid-life age, you’re just glad to wake up everyday – I know I am. But many people I know – even approaching mid-life age – get REALLY excited about their birthday and make sure everyone knows when the day is – or is coming up. Don’t have a problem with that – I like people who are lively.
And even though I don’t get all worked up about my birthday, I love getting birthday cards from friends and family. It makes my day. Brings a smile to my face. I really appreciate the act of thoughfulness and kindness from the person who sent the card. I know that others get this same feeling when they get a birthday card in the mail. So my wife and I have a habit of sending cards to most friends and family members. Sometimes we forget, miss the reminder from the computer or maybe we were out of town. Whatever the reason, we always feel bad when we missed sending someone a birthday card on their special day.
How do you feel when you get a birthday card? Do you have the habit of sending birthday cards to your friends, family and business associates? Think about how you feel when you get that card in the mail. It’s probably the first piece you open. And I bet you smile. So why not start the habit now and spread the smiles and joy. You will feel good about it and it will make a difference in other’s lives … and yours.
Get started with an easy system that allows you to send cards from your computer and a contact manager that helps you remember when to send your cards.
Stay in Touch
Whether you use an old-fashion paper address book or one of many electronic contact managers, the key to putting this information to good use is the habit of keeping it updated. To succeed in the habit of staying in touch with friends, family, business associates and customers, keeping your contact info up-to-date is key.
Using an electronic contact manager can make this task much easier. If your contacts are not up-to-date, make the commitment to set aside some quiet time to get this important task completed. Once you’re up-to-date, make it a habit to ALWAYS put new contact info into your manager as soon as possible. Get a business card from a new associate, get the info into your contact manager that day … don’t put it off. The more you practice doing this simple task, the easier the habit becomes. It takes less than a minute to type in someone’s info.
And if you don’t like typing, there are even card scanners that can read the info on a business card. These desktop devices quickly and accurately scan the printed information from business cards into the correct fields of a searchable and highly compatible electronic address book. There really is no excuse for not having an up-to-date electronic address book.
Now that your electronic address book is up-to-date and you have started the habit of keeping it updated, you can now start the habit of staying in touch with all of the people in your life. I highly recommend sending greeting cards – ergo, why I write this blog. Greeting cards sent through the Postal Service get opened. People love receiving them. And I believe sending cards increases the power of the Law of Attraction. Doing good things will bring more good into your life. Doing positive things will bring more positive energy to your life. It just works.
Start a habit of staying in touch with the people in your life and watch your life change for the better.
Good Habits
It seems to me that we hear a lot about bad habits and not enough about good habits. Too much negativity. I’d rather focus on the good any day. I believe we can actually eliminate many of the bad habits we have by establishing as many good habits as possible. In other words, by focusing on the good and starting to practice good habits on a regular basis, the bad habits just magically disappear. The positives outnumber the negatives – good over evil sort of thing.
One good habit to get into – personally and/or professionally – is to start sending greeting cards and notes to the people who matter in our lives. Staying in touch pays many benefits. But how to start and keep the habit going?
To start any new habit takes conviction and commitment. You have to have what I call “want to.” If you don’t have the “want to” set in your mind, no matter what the habit is you want to start, it will not happen. The mind has to be made up before anything will happen. Once the “want to” is there, half the battle is won. Now, just start writing.
But wait … your contact information is not up-to-date. Don’t fret. We’ll discuss this hurdle tomorrow. For today, start working on the mind, the commitment, and the “want to.” Establishing good habits takes time and as you cross over each and every obstacle, the task will get easier and easier.
Teaching Children the Importance of a “Thank You” Note
Childhood is the perfect time to express the importance of verbally saying Thank You and beginning to write notes. If they begin as children the act of writing notes feels natural to both boys and girls and becomes second nature in adulthood. Teaching children at a young age about the importance of writing thank you notes is more than just good manners. It’s also a way to help them learn about generosity and appreciating the kindness of others. Of course, in this age of electronic communications and just about every kid having access to a computer, they may think the best way to send a “thank you” note is to send one via an email. While this is better than no “thank you” note at all, it is best to teach them how to write a note that is delivered by the postal service.
As we all know, children learn by watching. If the parent is good about sending greeting cards and thank you notes, it is much easier to teach the children. Let them join you as you write your cards and notes. Explain to the them why you are doing this activity. Then, when it is their turn to send a note, set aside some quiet time to work with them and show them you are there to guide them as they put their thoughts to paper. Make it a habit to schedule time after every occasion where they receive gifts to sit down and write their thank you notes. You’ll be creating a habit in your child that will last a lifetime and pay many, many benefits back to them later in life – both personally and professionally.
The SendOutCards system of sending greeting cards is great for teaching children because it combines the use of a computer and the Internet with the sending of a card or note through the mail. They get to use the computer – which they love – to pick out their card. Then, they write their personal message and even get to choose their own font. They address it by filling in the recipient information and then hit “send.” They can even add a photo if they like. The card and personal message is printed by the system, stuffed, stamped and mailed. A great and easy way to start teaching children the value of personal communications.
