Thank you notes
You may have written thank you notes for gifts received over the holidays or at the start of the year.
But don’t stop there. You can continue this throughout the next twelve months.
Here’s why – and how.
Firstly, you can write thank you notes to yourself!
These don’t have to be actual notes but an acknowledgement after you finished a task or at the close of the day that you did well, tried your best, and got stuff done (even if it didn’t go as expected).
Some people prefer write themselves notes or keep a diary to remind themselves what they achieved. Setting out one to two things you’re happy about or grateful for can highlight the positives you might otherwise miss, and be something to look back on every week to build your confidence.
A second option is to write notes to other people. Perhaps you read a paper, report, or blog post that inspired you? Read a book that changed your life? Or went to a talk or conference where you were impressed with an individual’s work. Maybe someone shared something on social media that spoke to you or left you feeling better about yourself.
Alternatively, you might have spotted someone who was struggling or facing obstacles, and want to give them a boost. Or it could be someone created opportunities for you, or helped you out in some way, and you’d like them to know about it, even if their efforts were some time ago.
You could let these people know via an old fashioned letter or card, email, or their social media channels about how they have helped you. It’s nice to be nice, it doesn’t take much time, and you can feel good about telling someone else know how they made a difference. They could be people you’ve directly worked with, or someone you’ve never met but has brought meaning to your life.
If recent life has affected you negatively, you may have a number of people who have helped you in big or small ways. If you haven’t had time to tell them personally, make a promise to yourself that you’ll do this during the coming weeks or months. If you were a hero, remember to credit yourself too.
Remember to do this authentically. Your goal is to acknowledge and thank for the simple reason of helping someone feel better about themselves. You aren’t doing t his to advance yourself, or to follow up any thank you’s with an immediate demand for favours or extra labour from them. Sadly that behaviour isn’t unusual in academia and undoes goodwill while undermining trust.
Start with yourself. Give yourself thanks for getting through the day, every day. Then pay it forward – either to yourself or to someone else. Everyone deserves a boost and you may find the more you share the more you get back. Tell us what you’re grateful for on Bluesky, Threads or LinkedIn on the hashtag #ResearcherRenew.