Start a “Thank You” File

Albert Schweitzer once said: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

We’re all about thanking people who do nice things for us, whether it’s something simple like helping to facilitate the filing of a document or something more practice-sustaining such as referring a client with a really lucrative case. But that’s not the topic of this post. When we urge you to start a “Thank You” file, we mean that you should open a file folder (paper or electronic, depending on how your office operates) with the name Thank You File. Then, as you receive them, and you will, save the thank you letters from satisfied clients, the good evaluations after speaking engagements, the thanks for supporting the Little League or other organizations – in fact, anything that reflects that you are making a positive difference in the lives of your clients, your colleagues, and your community.

We’ve said over and over that what gets measured gets done. That’s why we think it’s so important that you start measuring all the good you are doing through your (our) profession. Then, when you have one of those days that make you want to pull your hair out and you start to wonder why you’re putting up with all the hassles of practicing law – and you know you’ll be having one again, sooner rather than later – instead pull out this file and let the thanks you’ve received from others remind you of the positive impact you have been to so many people, and how much they really appreciate you and all you’ve done for them. It really is a wonderful life we lawyers have been given the privilege to live. A Thank You File helps you remember this when the winds of life threaten to blow out your own light – and helps rekindle that spark within.