How to make someone's day... or week... or month
I consider myself pretty bloody lucky to do what I love every day . But even so, it's really lovely to be told you're doing a good job or making a difference. And it makes the job a thousand-fold more rewarding to know a little about the customers you serve or what occasions you're lighting.
Of course, I get to know our customers at The Hive quite well, but with a thriving online business and retailers dotted across Australia, there are many thousands more whose lives we light, but know little about. And, as anyone in business will tell you, the thrill is not so much in selling whatever it is that you make, the thrill is knowing that it serves a purpose and makes a difference.
For many years now we've been getting orders from a guy in Perth and we ship the candles for him to outback NSW. I've often wondered what the story was... or wondered who the lucky person was getting showered with hundreds of dollars of candles every couple of months. This week I found out. I received an absolutely beautiful card (with photographs, glitter and other sparkly things and a long letter) from our customer. I've read it about 20 times (18 of which were sharing it with our packaging angels and other friends) and thought it so lovely that it was worth sharing further afield (with her permission).
Hopefully it will inspire you to write a thank you note to someone... even if it is someone you've never met. Rest assured it will most likely make their day... or week.
"Dear Bee-utiful ones,
This comes to you as a long overdue gesture of appreciation from a grateful regular recipient of your creations. What does she do with all those candles?! Serial dinner parties? Well no, not nearly enough visitors for even one dinner party; and, anyway, as a Buddhist nun, refraining from food after midday is part of the training in renunciation. But a lot of meditation explains the tealight consumption. Your light-giving, though, spreads far beyond the illumination of a shrine table.
Environmental sensitivity - multiple chemical and electromagnetic - and resultant illness requires that I live in isolation, without electricity, phone, radio and all things most people accept as normal and necessary. I cannot leave this property, and live alone far from family and friends who are all on the other side of Australia or overseas... I see loved one rarely and briefly. Communication is via snail mail once a week.
I relate this not as a "poor me" exercise; self-pity is necessarily absent for survival in extreme situations, and mine are far from the worst. I tell you so you might more fully appreciate just how much your work benefits others, far beyond what you might have imagined, and so that you may more fully know - feel - your own goodness.
You bring light to my life in so many ways:
with tealights, to my meditation space;
dinner sticks, to my living space;
bee-utiful notes of well-wishing and gifts, to my heart.
These are not small things. Rejoice in your goodness! I do :-)
With gratitude and loving kindness
..."
and enclosed, two absolutely gorgeous photographs of bees keeping her company. The photographs are below (including the captions written on the back of the photo):
At Deva Vihara (Abode of Angels) the Protector of Bees is always on duty :-)
Thirsty work! In Summer, birdbath becomes beebar...
I find it is interesting all the little ways I've changed since I started running my own business. One of those changes is that I am now often take the time to say 'thank you' when someone does something fabulous. I know that the feedback we receive carries me through the challenging times and assume it works that way for everyone.
And the best bit of all is that it is a win-win. I know I feel great when I say thanks. The same rosy glow reflects back knowing that the person on the receiving end of the card or email is going to get a little kick out of it. Why not give someone a rosy glow this week by dropping them a note, or a card, or an email, or a call telling them how they, what they did, what they make, how they served you, how they treated you made your day. Or feel free to give someone worthy a shout out by commenting below.
Sweetness & light and all things bright,
Cate xx
"Dear Bee-utiful ones,
This comes to you as a long overdue gesture of appreciation from a grateful regular recipient of your creations. What does she do with all those candles?! Serial dinner parties? Well no, not nearly enough visitors for even one dinner party; and, anyway, as a Buddhist nun, refraining from food after midday is part of the training in renunciation. But a lot of meditation explains the tealight consumption. Your light-giving, though, spreads far beyond the illumination of a shrine table.
Environmental sensitivity - multiple chemical and electromagnetic - and resultant illness requires that I live in isolation, without electricity, phone, radio and all things most people accept as normal and necessary. I cannot leave this property, and live alone far from family and friends who are all on the other side of Australia or overseas... I see loved one rarely and briefly. Communication is via snail mail once a week.
I relate this not as a "poor me" exercise; self-pity is necessarily absent for survival in extreme situations, and mine are far from the worst. I tell you so you might more fully appreciate just how much your work benefits others, far beyond what you might have imagined, and so that you may more fully know - feel - your own goodness.
You bring light to my life in so many ways:
with tealights, to my meditation space;
dinner sticks, to my living space;
bee-utiful notes of well-wishing and gifts, to my heart.
These are not small things. Rejoice in your goodness! I do :-)
With gratitude and loving kindness
..."
and enclosed, two absolutely gorgeous photographs of bees keeping her company. The photographs are below (including the captions written on the back of the photo):
At Deva Vihara (Abode of Angels) the Protector of Bees is always on duty :-)
Thirsty work! In Summer, birdbath becomes beebar...
And the best bit of all is that it is a win-win. I know I feel great when I say thanks. The same rosy glow reflects back knowing that the person on the receiving end of the card or email is going to get a little kick out of it. Why not give someone a rosy glow this week by dropping them a note, or a card, or an email, or a call telling them how they, what they did, what they make, how they served you, how they treated you made your day. Or feel free to give someone worthy a shout out by commenting below.
Sweetness & light and all things bright,
Cate xx
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