In today’s digital age, anything hand-written on paper almost seems like a nod to times long past; an ancient relic of a previous era and time. To be sure, today’s technologies have ushered in many small and larger conveniences for people gradually over time, but maybe that makes a tangible note of thanks and gratitude all that much more potentially-impactful.

With that, let’s take a look at ten reasons why thank-you notes should be an often-used resource in your toolbox–and in both your professional and personal relationships.

1. Stand Out From the Pack: Because of the fast paced nature of life, and because so much of everyday life is now digitized today, it’s easy to assume something like a hand-written thank-you notes as being rather unnecessary or out of date–but don’t make that assumption. Hand-written thank-you notes will certainly often grab people’s attention even more these days. If fewer hand-written thank-you notes are being passed along in today’s world, perhaps, it can be a tool that makes you stand-out as thoughtfully different, and can provide a competitive edge in interviews if you are the only person (or a small handful of persons who take the time to write a thank-you note to the individual or team taking the time to interview you, for instance). That type of gracious follow-through gives potential employers a tangible example (proof) of the type of employee you will be: detail-oriented; gracious; and thoughtfully thorough.

2. Leave a Lasting Impression: Giving someone a thank-you note can make you more memorable–no, really, it can. A thank-you note not only says a lot about your character, but it can also brighten the receipt’s day–and even if you never see them, or talk to them, again, you have left a dynamic and positive, lasting impression. I personally save all of my thank-you notes from current (and former) students, and family and loved ones, too. I even proudly display my student thank-you notes on my office desk. They serve as excellent reminders of the work that I aim to do, and are particularly valuable on those days that may be more frustrating or temporarily defeating. Someday, down the road, I will probably put all of them together in a scrapbook if I ever switch careers, or when I get closer to retirement.

3. The Opportunity to Give Someone Something Tangible: People often loves receiving tangible things–of all shapes, sizes, and types; it just seems to be human nature. Thank-you notes are no different. Furthermore, thank-you notes are portable items that are also easy to store, or even display (see #2), without much fuss or taking up too much space.

4. Display Your Writing Skills and Emotional Intelligence: While thank-you notes usually tend to be on the smaller-sized (writing) side, if you are a strong, thoughtful writer, you can still use them as an opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills to potential employers (a critical, in-demand skill for most jobs right now) or to even impress friends and loved ones with witty or thoughtfully-written sentiments. Some of us also seem to simply be stronger writers than we are verbal communicators–I know I am! Play to your strengths if you have the option to choose how to communicate (either verbal or written) your feelings to those that you are thankful for. Taking the time to write a thank-you note also gives you an opportunity to tangibly show-off your Emotional Intelligence to others–a most newly in-vogue form of intelligence that is also highly-desired in many work places and personal relationships (for most people).

5. Make Someone Else Feel Good (and Appreciated): Thank-you notes can be a powerful, timely gift to someone who is having a bad day or someone who needs encouragement. For the under-appreciated crowd, they can, particularly, be a real difference-maker–especially for those who regularly serve other people, where burnout and fatigue can, and often does, occur fairly regularly for a lot of people. Give these folks some extra rocket fuel in the form of a note of thanks for all that they regularly do for others.

6. Small Expense, Big Pay-Off: I am frugal, and I am a big believer in always trying to get value when making purchases of any and all kinds. Anybody that knows me well would not have a hard time understanding that the Dollar Tree is easily my favorite store. I mean, where else can you walk in with a $10 bill or $20 bill and feel like an self-empowered king or queen consumer? So, you guessed it: You can buy packages of Hallmark-branded thank-you notes (with included envelopes) for just $1. In this article’s picture, above, each pack of 6-count (the more fancy notes) or 8-count packs (the little bit less fancy notes) can be had for a measly George Washington. Do the math: Each thank-you note–with tax included, no less–cost a mere .13¢-.18¢ each. You can’t even buy a postage stamp; purchase a money order; or even a package of ramen noodles for that meager amount! If a thank-you note, that can be had for under .20¢, can result in you securing a job or possibly all but ensuring future gifts from others–that’s a pretty good return on investment, if you ask me (the Blue-Collar consumer).

7. Be Savvy: Leave a Business Card or Return a Gift In-Kind: Giving a thank-you note inside an envelope can also give you the opportunity to include a business card, your contact information, or even a small gift, in-kind, such as a gift card or cash for the recipient. Call it being savvy; call it being generous–but whatever you call it, I just call it being smart.

8 Practice Your Handwriting Skills: Does anyone else feel like their hand-writing skills are slipping some these days? We can do electronic signatures, or print any sort of typed document these days, which is exactly why we should consider writing someone a hand-written thank you note: it can keep our handwriting skills a little bit more sharpened than they normally would, these days. I don’t know what your handwriting looks like, but I can use all the practice I can get. I even remember in school having a teacher that asked me if I write with my toes (I couldn’t tell if she was joking with me or being serious, as she said it rather deadpanned). So, it goes without saying that I have pretty bad handwriting (and because of that, I usually will print in mostly capital letters, often avoiding cursive writing at almost all costs). Yes, while thank-you notes aren’t usually lengthy hand-writing exercises, they can certainly help us keep those skills in maintenance-mode just a little bit more than normal.

9. Opportunity to Practice Gratitude–Good for Our Own Mental Health: Taking time to reflect upon what we are thankful for is good for both the mind and soul. As you sit down to write your thank-you note(s), it will automatically force you to take an inventory of those good things that have been added to your life–material or otherwise. Maybe it was the opportunity to interview; perhaps it was a thoughtful or generous gift someone gave you; maybe it was something encouraging or uplifting that someone said to you (or did for you) that you want to show your appreciation and gratitude for. Whatever it might be, starting from a place of gratitude allows us to then more easily (and naturally) operate out of a place of abundance and appreciation.

10. Good Karma–Make Yourself More Likely to Receive Future Gifts or Reciprocated Gratitude: Finally, from a practical standpoint, it just makes a lot of sense to take a few minutes to write someone a thank-you note. Not only is gratitude, in-kind, being reciprocated and emanating forth from us, but we are more likely to receive future gifts from the very people who originally gave us something to be thankful for. Think about it: Who are you more likely to give a future gift to (or to say or do something nice for), the person who didn’t write you a thank-you note or the person who took the time to do so? If we receive something good, let us then give something good, as we find additional, unique ways to pay forward the good vibes of both gratitude and appreciation.

Happy writing,

–The Blue-Collar Counselor