A Few Keystrokes

“You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life” Zig Ziglar

Another birthday has come and gone. For a number of years, I have been telling my kids to not give me any more presents. I suggest they buy something special for their families, or donate time or money to one of my favorite charities. They accept and honor my request.  In this transition, I discover something I still need, which my two daughters (and eight grandchildren) can offer. The difference it makes for me turns out to make a difference for them.

My birthday this year causes me to take a look at how social media is changing the way we celebrate special occasions. Birthdays are a great example. People from around the country send birthday greetings to me this year. These kind wishes have been perpetual for years. But this year, I really notice. Social media greetings come in many forms – Facebook, LinkedIn and emails are just a few examples.

Typing “Happy Birthday” within the structure of social media, takes a lot less time than required in going to a store to buy a card, then addressing, stamping and mailing it. You do not even have to type the words, since Facebook and other sites will provide you with a menu of options for selecting your greeting. You can also receive a reminder of upcoming birthdays for family members and friends.

The opportunity to send a note of encouragement or recognition to others is now more prevalent than in the past due to social media advances. The results are really good and I embrace what I see. Most of us do legitimately have limited time to send cards to others. If a handwritten note was our only choice, the number of positive notes we send might be reduced. Do you agree?

Yet, thanks to modern day electronic communication, we can now send greetings to a larger group of people. Folks and casual friends, whom we do not see every year, can receive a note from us through the power and efficiency of Internet transmission. We send nice notes because we want to send them. We can because an efficient process is available.

We spend much time on the Internet.  Typing a few extra keystrokes is something simple we can do. We can review the list of birthdays for the month, and within less than 60 seconds, can send greetings to those on our reminder list.

Some of us have become more sophisticated in our approach. Realizing that an electronic menu-selected greeting may seem less personal, with just an additional few keystrokes, we can easily show a recipient that we really did give sincere thought in our message to them.

I like all greetings – the menu-selected as well as the individually created notes. All of them. As in previous years, on the occasion of my October birthday, I reread and ponder all of them . . . again! Do any of you do this?

Why do I spend time perusing over past greetings? Because I love to be appreciated. I love to be liked, and love for others to engage me. I love to be noticed. I genuinely value even a Facebook-generated “Happy Birthday” wish! How about you?

If our only option for creating special greetings was limited to pen and paper, we would probably send fewer notes. Time would be the controlling factor.. The mechanism of social media provides convenience and efficiency in sending more greetings in less time.

I still believe in handwritten notes. One significant reason is that some of the notes I wrote in the past were game-changers for me. In my first book, There Are No Small Moments, in the chapter titled, “The Letter,” I write about three memorable game-changing letters. A number of readers have told me this is their favorite chapter in the book and means a lot to them.

Here is what I have decided to do: on occasion, when I have available time, I will use the tried-and-true, old-fashioned method of pen and paper. More often, I will use social media for my notes and greetings. When using social media, I will opt as many of you do, to select a menu item. Sometimes, I will type a few extra keystrokes to personalize my message.

One other social media option I have chosen is simply to type a note, at a time when there is no birthday or event. Some of you may have been a recipient of my handwritten thoughts in which each note is similar, yet different and personal.

What do I write? Often, my note is to just to ask how someone is doing. I may send a simple, “I hope life is going well for you,” type of note. If I share something personal with a particular person, I may comment on our connection. On occasion, I will offer my help or assistance. Some correspondence may include a prayer, a note of gratitude, a message of congratulations, or just good luck. I close with “My best always,” which has a unique meaning for me. For insight into why I choose to end my notes with those three words, read in my website Blog selections, The Best Day Ever!

Sending random notes through the resources of LinkedIn, Facebook and emails are changing my life. Modern media options, requiring less time to utilize, allow me to send more notes. I have not abandoned pen and paper. I have just simply added more options. My conclusion is . . . more of something that is really good cannot be bad.

Noteworthy result: I get to be what I want to be in life — helping others to become more successful.

What should you do with all of these greetings? Keep sending them to everyone! If time allows, add a few personal words. When possible, surprise someone with a special note that is not tied to any special event.  All of these notes do matter. You will influence the recipient’s attitude and in the process, impact your own. And attitude is the game-changer in the life of every single person. It’s a ‘win-win situation!’

The platform of social media provides many options. In a timeframe of less than 30 seconds, I can effect a positive influence in the life of another person. When an effort such as this requires only seconds to accomplish, why, in this world, would I not do this every single day of my life?!

Within just a month, by adopting and availing myself of multiple social media options, my influence may become monumental. Moreover, the impact on me will be significant.

With simply ‘a few keystrokes,’ I will start today with . . .