It’s Week 3 Day 15 of the 2016 #sendcardsspreadlove challenge! This week’s posts are all about saying thank you, starting today with Ryan of Silver Mountain Solutions. On Wednesday I’ll be sharing all my cards and I have a special giveaway to express my gratitude, and on Friday Sarah Schwartz of The Paper Chronicles joins us.

As a reminder, we’re asking you to send 4 cards out into the world this month, based on the 4 weekly prompts we’re providing. Totally do-able, right? Our intention with this challenge is for you to connect with the ones you love in a fun way, while bringing back the joy and beauty of real communication…that still fits into your fast paced lifestyle.

Make sure to sign up to receive all the info and special bonus content that won’t be shared on the blog. PLUS, there have been some fabulous FREEBIES – one of which is these awesome stickers (see them in use here and here) that Christina made.

Here’s a brief recap of Week 1:

• Week 1 challenge, instructions & prompts graphic [Day 1]
• BIG LIST of reasons to send cards [Day 1]
• Resources on what to write [Day 3]
• Tips for sustaining a letter writing habit [Day 5]

Here’s a brief recap of Week 2:

• Week 2 challenge, instructions & guest post from Josh Solar on the power of letter writing [Day 8] – you can still enter by midnight tonight EST.
• Guest post from Kara with Boho Berry on her 29 day InCoWriMo letter writing experience [Day 10]
• Lauree with Simply Leap & a special 300 Simply Leap Spring Hearts Challenge [Day 12]

Day 15 Of The 2016 #sendcardsspreadlove Challenge

Week 3 Challenge: Thank You for being a…friend, pal, confidante, etc.

This week’s challenge is to express your gratitude and thankfulness. The prize? A collection of thank you cards! To be eligible for the prize, share your card and/or note on IG and tag both Christina (@creativemercantile) and I (@prettybypost), along with the week 2 challenge and the #sendcardsspreadlove hashtag by April 25th at 11:59 pm EST.

I want to start off by saying thank you to today’s guest, Ryan. She was instrumental in helping me launch Pretty by Post® and she has an absolutely brilliant mind for strategy, content and getting sh*t done. Ryan is sharing her tips and tricks on saying thank you and ways to show you care.I’ve always loved notecards, planners, pens, markers, stationery, anything and everything to do with planning. From Trapper Keepers to binders, and color coding by subject, my type A personality was obsessed with organization and correspondence from a very young age.

While other kids balked at having to write thank you notes, I rejoiced at the chance to buy new stationery or pick out the perfect stamp. I always sent mine out immediately, quickly losing interest in the present that prompted the note itself.

As time went on, I never lost my love for written communication.

Even as a broke grad student, I splurged on meaningful cards for friends old and new. And my stock supply of thank you notes — replete with clever or colorful stamps — is always replenished.

Life is about the quality of your relationships. Taking the time to show those you love how much you care is vitally important. A thoughtful card means more than any other material object. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.  

In our professional lives, we have gotten into the habit of reserving gratitude and praise for text, email or social media. Electronic communications trump old school correspondence, to the detriment of both the giver AND the receiver.

After a particularly challenging stretch in my business and life, I decided it was time to shake things up. So many people had touched my life and changed me, for the better. Not yet in a position to send champagne or organic fruit baskets, I went back to my roots. I started with Pretty By Post cards, but my list was long, so I had to take things up a notch.

After shopping around for box card sets, I turned to Moo.com (a favorite of mine thanks to Danielle), and created a custom thank you note. The message is authentic to me and my personality: simple, brief, but a little on the “deep” side.

Because 2015 was a year of transition for me personally and professionally, I added my revamped logo and website contact info to the back of the card. The notes themselves were heartfelt and genuine. My litmus test before I sent the notes? If I found myself in any way selling or feeling like I was just paying someone lip service, the card went unsent. These thank yous were mailed to strangers and close friends. I didn’t distinguish or rank in any way. Everyone was — and is treated — with the same degree of love and care. By the time I was finished, I too felt incredible. My heart was so full it was about to burst at the seams.

Not sure what warrants a short and sweet “love” note? Here are 5 reasons to shower someone with a surprise paper present:

1. They are generous with their time: They went out of their way to help you solve a problem, or talk through something that was bothering you. Whether it was a one-time thing, or something they do all the time, acknowledge how much you appreciated it.
2. They are unconditionally supportive: No matter how many mistakes you make or what you ask of them, the person who never lets you down deserves more than a text emoji.
3. They taught you something new: If something someone said or wrote changed your viewpoint or perspective, let them know how valuable that information was. You might think they hear it all the time, but my guess is that’s far from true.
4. They make you happy when skies are grey: We all have someone in our life or office who cheers us up even in the most dismal of days. Don’t you think they need a boost every now and then, too?
5. They went above and beyond the call of duty. I have a neighbor who busted her you know what to try and help me out of a business bind years ago. She left no stone unturned when it came to finding ways to help me move through the crisis. I thanked her then, and continue to remind her — in writing — how much I appreciate her friendship.

[Tweet “Not sure what warrants a sweet “love” note? @ryanargentieri gives us 5 reasons to surprise someone.”]

The #sendcardsspreadlove challenge is about showing people you care and value them. Whether you run your own company, work solo at home or are in a huge corporation, we can all use a little extra TLC. Take the time this week to sit down and write a note or two. I PROMISE, you’ll be glad you did.

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We hope that Ryan’s post inspired you get those thank yous out in the world. Let us know in the comments below, who you’re going to send a card to for this week’s challenge.

Ryan Argentieri is the founder of DaydreamingNeedsDeadlines.com and owner of SilverMountainSolutions.com. Follow her on twitter @ryanargentieri.