Never underestimate how much a simple thank you can do. You have probably said thank you a million times in your life. You say thank you when a stranger holds the door open for you. You say thank you when your mom makes you dinner. You say thank you when your friend takes notes for you in class. You say thank you in order to be polite and well mannered and let's face it you say thank you because it's what you're expected to do. Those aren't the thank you's I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the heartfelt thank you's.

The thank you's that you really mean. The thank you's that take time and energy to craft. Whether you write them in thank you cards or letters or if you sit someone down look them in the eye and tell them that you're grateful for something that they did for you or just thankful that you know them and that they are who they are.

I'm not suggesting that you stop saying the simple thank you's to strangers when they get your order right at a restaurant or friends when they do you a favor. You should be polite and well mannered and say thank you when someone does something for you however simple it is.

I'm simply suggesting that you start saying the big thank you's a little more often. You would be surprised how much easier it is to find things to be thankful for when you start saying thank you to the people in your life. You don't even think of certain things as being a big deal but I promise if you were to sit down with your mom and tell her hey thank you for always picking up my phone call. I know you're busy but I always feel like you make me a priority and it doesn't go unnoticed. That would make her day.

Something as simple as acknowledging the fact that she answers your phone calls or text messages even when she's busy. It doesn't seem like it would be such a big deal but noticing one simple thing that she does specifically for you will show her that you notice, that you care, and that you appreciate the things that she does for you.

Maybe you don't like verbally communicating your feelings. If it makes you uncomfortable to talk to someone about your feelings, maybe you could try writing them a thank you card. Not the type of thank you cards that your mom and dad made you send to your extended family for your Christmas presents that said "thanks for that cool gift, can't wait to see you next year." I'm talking about writing a card that will make someone's day better. If you can tell someone thank you and mean it, it will help them in ways you can't imagine.

People really enjoy being noticed and appreciated and saying thank you is a simple and easy way to do that.

It will make their day better and it will make you feel better to know that you've made someone smile or made someone's hard day a little bit easier.

Start saying thank you to the people who matter to you and see how much easier it is to see the good things around you. It will make it easier to see things that you should be thankful for and to go ahead and thank that person for whatever it is that they did for you. Maybe you'll get a few thank you's back to help brighten your day as well! They always say what comes around goes around. Saying thank you might ensure you're in for some good karma!