Who Should You Take Time To Thank?

by Jim Cathcart, CEO & Founder, Cathcart Institute, Inc.

June 16, 1977. That was the day Cathcart Institute began. As our 30th Anniversary arrived the big question we asked was, "Who is responsible for this!?" :-)

With three decades of exciting achievements and joyful experiences it is important to remember who helped make it happen. As I reflected on our journey I noticed more and more people who had made a significant contribution. If I attempted to list them here there would be no room for this article. They were partners, coworkers, mentors, suppliers, fans, clients, friends, colleagues and even competitors. There were those who worked in our business and those who didn't. There were even some noteworthy folks who didn't even realize that they were part of my inspiration or motivation. We all learned from so many others.

Nobody makes it alone in this world. We sure didn't. You could argue that a personal service business like a training and consulting firm is often the lengthened shadow of one or two individuals. That might be true but those shadows get transformed when other people become involved. Hundreds of people deserve some credit for our successes.

How about yours?

How many people have inspired and motivated you? Who encouraged you during tough times? Who believed in you? Who challenged you?

Who coached and educated you? Who pitched in to help? From whom did you learn vital lessons despite difficult situations? Who touched you in ways that made a difference?

It is important that we make time to celebrate and acknowledge our milestones. These are times of reflection that remind us of the many valuable facets of our successes. Sometimes just celebrating our survival for yet another year, decade or generation can be enough encouragement to keep us in the game. Bouncing back is proof that we still have something to give. We can't all always succeed, but we can always try. And trying counts for something. Not giving up is an admirable trait as long as we are also listening to the marketplace while we persist toward a goal.

Say thank you often, and offer congratulations whenever you can. One of the greatest abilities we humans possess is the ability to acknowledge and appreciate. In fact, entire careers have been invested by some merely to get the acknowledgement or appreciation of someone else. There are few words sweeter to the soul than "I'm so proud of you!" and "I knew you could do it!" We not only need to hear these words, we also need to say them.

When we celebrated our tenth business anniversary, twenty years ago, I held a three day series of experiences that involved: former employees, friends and mentors, vendors, colleagues and coworkers. We had a picnic, went sailing, watched the sunset from a mountaintop, dined at my home, had cocktails overlooking the ocean, watched a slide show of our times together, gave gifts and mementos and held a small banquet. At the end we made a photo album of the experience and sent one to their homes with our gratitude. Never have I had as much fun! And everyone remembers it fondly. They knew for sure that their contributions were noticed and appreciated.

One of my clients prepared special magazine covers featuring each person and gave framed copies of them to each participant. Another client established what I called a "Gratitude Brigade" to assure that everyone got at least three separate forms of thanks. They combined personal visits, phone calls, handwritten notes, gifts and other forms of contact to assure that each person not only WAS thanked but, more importantly, they FELT thanked.

At an upcoming event each speaker is being presented with an art-quality pencil drawing portrait made from one of their photographs. You can bet that this gift will be proudly displayed for years to come.

Whether your milestone is an anniversary, a goal reached, a new era, or an ordeal endured and survived, it is important to find some symbolic way to imprint it along with your gratitude for the contributions made. As I mentioned above, it is not important that we thank people, what is important is that they feel thanked and appreciated.

In my 30 years as a professional speaker and consultant, I (with the help of many others) have authored 14 books, two of which became national best sellers, recorded scores of audio albums that sold millions of dollars worth, served as president of the National Speakers Association, worked with thousands of clients, spoke in all 50 states, most of Canada and circumnavigated the globe twice in one year! I was inducted in the the Speaker Hall of Fame, and Speakers Roundtable, received my industry's top awards: The Golden Gavel and The Cavett Award, authored the professional development program used by NSA, and addressed hundreds of thousands of the top business people in North America and Australia. I've had literally hundreds of articles published worldwide and I've had more fun than a person could reasonably expect in a lifetime! My best friends are many of the top thought leaders in the world.

But I'm just warming up. I have decades of creativity and service ahead of me. With good health I'm probably good for another entire generation, but I'll still need others all along the way.

If you've been connected with me in any way over these past 30 years I sincerely thank you. If not, then let's get together soon and see how much more successful YOU can be. I'm eager to be of service. There is no limit to what people can do when they join forces and keep the vision alive. Thank you.

In the Spirit of Growth,

Jim Cathcart