‘Thank You’, a powerful alternative to ‘Sorry’.

Illustrator Yao Xiao draws cartoons with a strong message, and I like it!

We all make this mistake too often, to apologise instead of being grateful. Maybe it is time to rethink our saying ‘sorry’?

“A few friends of mine would always say ‘thank you for hanging out with me’ and I couldn’t figure out why it was so nice to hear it,” Yao Xiao explained in an interview to A Plus. “When I thanked people, it brought to light the fact that we just did something together—and that realization made us both happier.”

Yao Xiao continued : “To me it is not about correcting behavior, it is about taking an extra step when you are capable. I know that when I say ‘sorry I’m taking up so much of your time,’ I just want to hear someone say ‘it’s okay, and I like spending time with you.’ It comes from the same place, and people understand it. That’s why I chose ‘If you want to say thank you, don’t say sorry.’”

It is good to apologise when you mean it, there is no shame to it. Just, when possible, a ‘thank you’ sounds so much better and has a real uplifting power.

Thank you for reading.

Yours, Virginie

Cartoons courtesy of Instagram