Would You Ever See This

This is my second time in Thailand and when travelling, I try to see subtle differences in how people conduct themselves. The Thai people are very friendly and in many situations they express gratitude for serving you by use of a custom of greeting called "Wai". This custom is performed by placing one's hands together with all fingers pointing straightforward, raising them up to about chest level and bowing one's head down towards them at the same time.

While performing a "Wai", the individual says "Sawasdee" ("Good morning" or "Good evening"). This shows respect, humbleness and friendliness to each other, especially to the elders. Apart from being used for greeting, it is also performed to express thankfulness or the equivalent to an English word "Thank you".

It can become overwhelming at times since many Thai perform this for most everything you encounter. And I thought to myself, could this happen in the U.S. or Europe? Certainly it isn't in our culture to do so. But it is within our culture to simply be polite, humble and thankful to people we encounter. Being confident in yourself will give you the ability to do it. Can you imagine how much easier life would be if more of us conducted business this way.

I'm not talking about 'blue skies' and 'touchy feely' things here. I'm talking about knowing that you can effect change in people by your actions. It will be a greater experience for you and those around you. It will result in more satisfied customers. It will result in repeat business. It will result in greater personal growth.

So thank you - I appreciate you reading my thoughts and beliefs. I appreciate your comments and do hope you are gaining something from this.