Karen Restivo
In Other Words....
Get your binoculars out, I’m beginning to think that good manners are aiming for the endangered species list.
Several times this past week, I’ve observed individuals interacting with each other with less than kind words.
Whatever happened to saying please or thank you?
And I’m not necessarily talking about teens and children.
Adults have gotten a little rusty with their manners as well when it comes to social media, texts, and emails.
Emily Post said once, “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”
If you don’t know who Emily Post is, google her.
She was the queen of etiquette back in the day when good manners were high on the list of a person’s attributes.
Pierce Marrs writes in his newsletter Why Manners are Important-Good Choices Good Life that good manners never go out of style.
Here are five reasons he believes they are very important:
Good manners show gratitude, not entitlement.
Like it or not, we live in a world where people feel entitled.
Having an attitude of genuine appreciation and gratitude will draw people to you.
Good manners set you apart.
Manners make you more likeable and memorable. Good manners open doors.
People will judge you by their first impression.
They will decide whether to do business with you or want you on their team based on how well you treat them.
Good manners show respect.
Everyone wants to be respected, not just your elders.
Treat everyone like you want to be treated.
Good manners never go out of style.
Society may have changed but people have not.
Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People has stood the test of time because the way people want to be treated has not changed. Dale Carnegie published his book in 1936.
According to Marrs, it’s currently recommended by 52,845 readers and is the #15 sales book on the Amazon Charts.)
Good manners are invaluable tools that everyone should be equipped with.
Don’t bother checking social media, you won’t find any good manners there.
Sadly, it’s not taught in our educational system, but if you were lucky, you had a good dose of it growing up at home with your parents.
Who knew all those lessons in good manners would pay off?
We all recognize people in our lives when they have impeccable manners.
It may appear time consuming to dust off our manners, but the rewards from good manners are worth it.
Here’s a brief reminder of the seven points:
Don’t criticize.
Give honest and sincere appreciation.
arouse in the other person an eager want.
Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
Remember names.
Avoid arguments.
Be a good listener.
In other words, admit it, dad and mom were right!
Karenrestivo57@gmail.com