Happy 57th Independence Day Nigerians

I want to say hello and happy independence day to you my people, by reflecting to a brief history of Nigeria.

The history of Nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers living in the area as early as 11000 BC. Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is today Nigeria, such as the Bennin Empire, theKingdom of Nri and the Oyo Empire. Islam reached Nigeria through the Hausa Statesduring the 11th century, while Christianity came to Nigeria in the 15th century through Augustinian and Capuchin monks fromPortugal. The Songhai Empire also occupied part of the region. Lagos was invaded byBritish forces in 1851 and formally annexed in 1861. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901. Colonization lasted until 1960, when an independence movement succeeded in gaining Nigeria its independence.

Nigeria first became a republic in 1963, but succumbed to military rule three years later after a bloody coup d'état. A separatist movement later formed the Republic of Biafrain 1967, leading to the three-year Nigerian Civil War. Nigeria became a republic once again after a new constitution was written in 1979. However, the republic was short-lived, when the military seized power again four years later. A new republic was planned to established in August 1993, but was dissolved once again by General Sani Abacha three months later. Abacha died in 1998 and afourth republic was later established the following year, which ended three decades of intermittent military rule. Source wikipedia.

God bless you and Nigeria, remain united , Happy independence day :).

THE HAJJ EMBARRASSMENT, 2012

THE HAJJ EMBARRASSMENT!!!

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A woman should absolutely not travel unless she has a mahram with her.” A man stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, I have enlisted in such-and-such a military campaign, and my wife has set out for Hajj.” He said, “Go and do Hajj with your wife.” (al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 3006).
Below is an excerpt from the website of the Saudi embassy;

“• The Mahram should write his complete information on the application forms of his spouse and children or any relative with whom he is traveling. He should also provide copies of marriage or birth certificates; if these documents were issued outside the US, he should then provide copies translated and notarized by a certified translation office.
• All women are required to travel for Hajj with a Mahram. Proof of kinship must be submitted with the application form. Women over the age of forty-five (45) may travel without a Mahram with an organized group, They must, however submits a no objection letter from her husband, son or brother authorizing her to travel for Hajj with the named group. This letter should be notarized.”

I?m fully aware of how much disdain the green passport attracts in airports all over the world; but I can?t help but add that our penchant for bending ? and often disregarding ? the law is what we should blame for this one. By ?this one?, I mean the deportation of female pilgrims for Saudi Arabia.
If the Prophet (SAW) could ask a man to accompany his wife instead of taking part in Jihad, who then are we to attempt to disregard this rule?

Sharia is Sharia; the law is the law. Muslim women are not to travel without mahrams (male relatives; father, brother, husband, paternal uncle, maternal uncle, father in law, mother?s husband or brother through radaa?ah..) who will guard, guide, protect, and care for them. I?ve come across a lot of feminist comments and would also like to ask those to kindly learn about Islam and what the requirements are, and of course the reasons for arriving at those requirements, and to refrain from making comments until they do. It?s not an ?oppression? technique; if anything, it just goes to show that women should be valued and not subjected to stress. Before aircrafts were made, the journey to Mecca was a long and stressful one indeed, during which anything could happen as many dangers were confronted on the way.
My opinion might not be particularly popular, but I still think our ?system? is to be blamed. The agents give women fake travelling companions in order to secure visas; we are used to getting things through crooked means, and we expect everybody else to put up with it. I?m still yet to imagine why anyone would intend to go on Hajj ? pilgrimage for the sake of Allah, so that you may return purified and without sin ? and still lay a dishonest ?foundation?!

The lesson here isn?t that Nigerians are being victimized, the lesson is that until we stop being so dishonest and learn to abide by the law, we will continue to suffer humiliation at the hands of other peoples! Deporting them was a terrible thing to do, but perhaps if we had obeyed the laws as we ought to, it would not have happened.

Our women did not deserve to be caged like animals and treated like criminals, but I still do not blame anyone or anything apart from our system. National embarrassment has become an everyday thing ? from South Africa (whose citizens had virtually no rights until very recently, whose representative had his plane barred from landing by a past Head of State), to Ghana (whose citizens fried puff-puff and mended shoes on our streets), Malaysia?the list is endless. If we are in this position today, it?s because we allowed it.

The reason for the persistent embarrassment can not be ?they are jealous of Nigeria?. If it?s happening at such a high frequency, perhaps it?s time to ask ?what are Nigerians doing wrong?? We are not the only African country in the world, or are we?

Many of us conduct ourselves in ways that would make even the most patient people lose their temper. This is bad for our image, but then, what exactly is left of that image?

Nigerians are sent back home from the UK in cargo planes! Go to Italy and you?ll find our women on the streets, go to the prisons in the UK, US, China, Malaysia, India, Brazil, and you?ll find a large chunk of ?Nigerians in Diaspora? therein. Na only we?

It?s true that many of us are doing remarkably well on university campuses and in science laboratories, and even in Hollywood and on the political field, but for every model Nigerian, there are at least two criminals. Something needs to be done, and something needs to be done fast.

Asking the Federal Government to deport their representativeshere is akin to saying ?Nigerians must not be cautioned against doing something wrong?. We need to respect other peoples? laws; it?s their country after all.

I deeply resent the insinuations some people are making about the character of those women, and this is because I know that there are bad eggs, but Nigerian women are nowhere near as terrible as people make them out to be.

There?s a need to educate ourselves, and indeed others, on the requirements for Hajj properly. Now is not the time to huff and puff and threaten to blow the house down. It?s sad, but the deed is done.
Claiming that we were not informed of the requirement is an admission of negligence at best. Every Muslim should know this.

Boycotting Hajj will do none of us any good; we are not going on pilgrimage to please anyone, we are doing it for the sake of Allah. We should endeavor to do it right.
Massalam

Ramadan: A blessed Month to Mankind

In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Kind A blessed month is casting its shadow upon us A night of this month is better than a thousand months Bear with patience for the sake of Ar-Rahman It's a continuous training to strengthen our Imaan. Glory be to Allah who sent Ramadan as a mercy to mankind Its a purification of our soul, our heart, and our mind With the most sincere devotion and love we fast To be cleansed and free from sins of the past Glorified is He, who choseth this holy month, To test our sabr and fill our hearts with warmth Of his Divine Light, His blessings shall glow, The Seer of the unseen, all He does know Ya Allah! For thee, let my breath be more pleasant than musk Ya Allah! For thee, let me be thankful when day turns to dusk My thoughts and heart are purified, my eyes truly see' This blessed month, the month of spiritual rhapsody! Ya Allah! For thee, my life I shall live! Ya Allah! For thee, my soul I shall give! In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Kind, Praise be to Allah, who sent Ramadan as a gift to mankind Logged The Almighty Allah says, "When a servant thinks of Me, I am near. When he invokes Me, I am with him. If he reflects on Me in secret, I reply in secret, And if he acknowledges Me in an assembly, I acknowledge him in a far superior assembly."

The change in my life

Next month it will be manner's two-year anniversary and thinking about that has made me pause and reflect on how things used to be and how they are now. Before I started posting blogs, I was in a particularly low place in my life. I didn't think I would ever come out of it, and most of the time I didn't even care. But, for whatever reason, two years ago something inside me demanded a change and I started working on living a more positive and present life. I knew I needed to be living my life differently and, in order to do that, I knew a lot of things about the life I was living would have to change.




It has not been easy at ALL. Since I started blogging. I've made a lot, and
I do mean a lot of changes in my life in an attempt to make every day more positive and to live more in the present. If someone had told me two years ago that I would be living the life I currently am, I never would have believed it.
So much has changed but, oddly enough, all of these changes have brought to a place where I am more of who I am. It has taken me awhile to get out of the place where I was so unhappy, but I've made a lot of strides in the right direction and every day I'm making process.


If, as Eminem's quote implies, ''you find yourself in a place where you're not living a positive life, where you're unhappy and wanting to get out of where you are and into another place,'' take a look at the To Do list I've created below for living a positive life. These are the things that I've done to get to me to where I am now. I'm still struggling, still seeking something, but when I reflect on how far I've come, I can't help it, but THANK GOD for all of the changes that have made my life so much better. If you add these items to your daily To Do list, I can guarantee that you'll find your way out of a negative place and into a positive one,
by the grace of God.
I believed if you use the following ideas you'll live a Positive Life;

1. Stop doing the things that make you unhappy.
2. Surround yourself with people who bring you up not down.
3. Invest some serious time in self-love and soul searching
4. Spend your time doing the things you love to do.
5. Revise the way you look at the world around you.
6. Be open-minded to ideas of living a positive life.
7. Stop beating yourself up about the past.
8. Don't seek happiness outside of yourself in things or people.
9. Believe you have the ability to change your own life.
10. Refuse to give up, no matter what happens or what people say.

As much as I'd advise you to do every one of the things on the above list, I know from experience how hard even one of these things can be. It takes a lot of hard to work to live a positive life, especially if you're struggling with negativity. But know this: even if you do one thing on this list, your life will improve. And you owe it to yourself to at least give it a trial. If you want to live a positive life, do it. There may be obstacles and it may be hard to get from that negative place to a positive one, but, believe me, all of the work will be worth every ounce of effort you put into it because nothing is better than loving the life you're living.

Leaving Home

The idea of leaving home, has been, for a variety of reasons whether from a good or bad home enviroment, i pursue my happines and freedom to Adamawa, maybe my destiny lies there.
Sometimes one just wants to escape and considers leaving home or may just run away, its a decision that should be considered with caution, The idea of being independent of others, is a great goal as it should be, since we all eventually enter adulthood. We are not kids forever. We may dream of having our own, freedom, happiness apartment, , house and we love shack of some sort and a top paying job. Keep in mind these are lofty dreams and good ones, one must come back to Earth and check in with reality. 

 Home should be one’s safe place to stay, yes, a place to you'll leave in happiness, help, and guidance.
....hmm....but i lack it there at Kano.
Ohh, my brother i get pressure at your house, i leave in tragical environment in there, and i believe that your faithless and illiterate wife should separate you with everyone part of you, if action should not be taken. 
You shoutout of me on no reason, just because you wanted to convince your wife? -
I Learn to find the knowledge that will help towards my survival, improve my own knowledge, problem solving skills and stay safe is my only wish for all my needs. It saddens me, when you embarrass me always infront of your wife. 
It tells me that you'd tired of my presence at kano, yes you insulted me more times than a number. So i've no choice than to leave.

As i'm concern i easly go out of control when in anxiety, and anything can happen, thus i plan to go-out before it get worse than its.
Although, they says "it's gonna get worse before it gets better" but the phrase is countless to me.

Alhamdulillah, my brother, i wish there was some way of showing my gratitude for all you have done to me.
___________________________________
... for a good life. There are options and Hope.

Nigeria! Where We Belong?

f there is any time to address the ethnic question in Nigeria again, it is now.
At the front repeatedly are questions we refused to face squarely: who we are, where we belong, what we represent, what does Nigeria mean to us, do we want to remain one?, and how... 
We are Nigerians. Let's stop the killings and bombings. Stop the bloodshed. Remember the labours of our heroes past. It must not be in vain. We are over 167million in population and over 250 ethnic groups speaking over 500 languages yet we remain the country with the least population in the world because we are ONE. Just ONE.
First and famous, I Islam is known to be a religion of peace and does not condone violence and crime in any form. [...hope christianity do as well]" and BOKO-HARAM doesn't represent Islam.
 In my view BOKO-HARAM are not muslims because Islam forbidden crime, infact, violence in general. I
 I hate war, always have. I don't think its right for people to kill each other over anything. There has been so much bloodshed and so many don't even know why they're fighting. It would be just so much better if everyone could just debate their differences. I find war to be unnecessary. It's like giving someone a license to kill and for what. If it makes that person feel good about themselves killing others then there is something totally wrong with that person. We are all God's creatures so why don't we all act like it. Sure there will and always will be differences but that is just nature. many have lost family members in the wars and for what. Sure we have fought for what we believe in but why did there have to be so much bloodshed. It wasn't really needed it could have been handled in a better way. Look at all the people and families that are ruined in Kano, maiduguri, bauchi, bombe, kaduna...etc. and still in turmoil over the boomblast, gunshoot, Look at how properties has been destroyed and all the War causes so much damage and still people can't get along adding to the equation. When people will start realizing their own means of destruction and improve ways of communication and understanding, I have no idea. All I know is that there is no way I am going to support any war. It just saddens me with so much hatred there is in Nigeria.Nigeria belongs to us, we have no other country to lay claims. 
Imams and Pastors, Sultan and Bishops, Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN), no need for personal interests, Muslims and Christians have died from the onslaught of this evil group against the Nigerian people. 
This is our Nigeria. We all owe Nigeria a duty.

Harmful words

Each time you write or
talk you become vulnerable
to others comments.
If you are of the right class,
right sex, right race, right
group, right age, your
words are accepted.
Those who are not as
fortunate to be in the
proper class of people will
have a much harder time
being excepted.
Not to discourage anyone
from writing or saying
something which is on
their mind!
These are just the facts.
Look at the blogs which
get the most comments!
You either write a title
which has some sort of
type in it to draw others to
it.
Or you are just given the
benefit due to your post
in your blogs.
Those who read the well
versed, intellectual writings
feel like they can not write
as well.
So they are afraid to let
others see what they have
to say.
These individuals may not
be the most talented
writers.
However, they may have
things to say which
overshadow most of the
other writings.
Writing or talking is not a
contest it is an expression
of ourselves.
Even if you do not feel like
your words are as good as
others.
Post them anyway!
You will touch someone in
someway.
Don't listen to any harsh
words from others.
They too are only human
and their abilities can be
taken from them at any
second.
Who knows when they will
have a stroke?
There are many reasons for
writing and talking.
Do not worry about others,
who they are, what they
are or how you see them.
They are only here on earth
for a moment and then
they are gone like you.
Each of us has something
to say and someone wants
to hear it.
I had an individual write to
me, after I signed up
to facebook.
He said to me, "Don't
bother writing no one will
listen or respond anyway"!
I chose to ignore his words,
even though there is truth
to what he said to me.
I continue to write when I
can.
Between times I am
writing notes, mathematical logic and listening
silently to my heart.
You can do the same in
your own way!
” don't be discourage by others bad words, when in doubt , just write what come from your heart.

...days to quite facebook

Its developt some MANNERS, but in the other hand its west our time, like givin a full concern to our' STUDIES, JOBS, BUSINESSES, etc,

Students nap in their classes, policemen sleep on duties.
..for the kitchen time ladies west it on facebook.
Facebook at office, fb in a car, fb in toilet, fb in bed, ...for the social network that called FACEBOOK.
Are you not tired of looking your computer screen?

I did have a Facebook for a while. In fact, I ''loved'' FB. I was on it all the time, and that was the problem. It completely took over my life and there isn't even anything to do on there. Iwould just sit there, staring at the screen, waiting for something interesting to happen. Nothing ever did. I found that everyone on my ''friends''list never had anything nice to say to me, or eachother. There would always be some sort of petty argument they would want me to get involved in. As far as i'm concerned, if you're goingto say something mean and spiteful, why not justsay it to each other's faces instead of to your computer screen? Grow some balls, Please.

Another thing I don't understand is, Why, when I tell people I don't have Facebook, they look at me as if i'm some sort of primitive? Seriously, what is with huge gasp you let out when I tell you i'm not a robot and don't worship that stupid socialnetworking site? I mean, I know some people get too busy and just use it to stay in contact or whatever, but there are some people who are just on it all day long instead of doing something good for their life.

MY FACEBOOK TOP FRIENDS

I has rated my facebook top friends since, this is really suprising and as well amazing,But,i have tried several times to post this blog,But the internet has been Sketchy so, two times i lost it.Then i thought it was a network problem. Coz, i'm using Etisalat, then i finally drank my fresh milk(Nono, Fulani favourite drink) and woke my brain up-- then i totally remove the Etisalat sim and inserted my old MTN sim, and wrote it on Notepad so I wouldn' t lose it all. OK, I have friends at almost all part of the world, like those in US, China, Saudi, some are even in Nigeria , in kano, and i have some friends who stay in contact with me on more than a regular basis. Through times of my happines, illnes, sadness, etc. they have been there. Will you do me a favor and take time out of your life to rate them, and suggest thier profiles to your friends?. Because i want them to be popular enough. I love my facebook frineds very much. I believe that Friendship and Love require two things to prove its validity, and to make it work, or sustain it. 1. ) Action - Friendship and Love is not just a feeling of "warm, fuzzies". It is something which displays itself in ACTIONS.. I am trying to be creative and give back a small token of ACTION to honuor their friendship to me... 2.) Time - It takes time to develop a friendship. It takles time out of my life, and your life to review and rate pictures and leave comments and deliver gifts and to just generally let the other individual know you are thinking about them throughout the day, and they are in your thoughts and they are ( to quote what is in their heart) and even if they didn't say a words, they will feel it to their soul,. I'll like to share some of my top facebook friends here; 1-5, Kai DarkFoxCotton, Princess Farida, Yohanna Waziri Mshelia, Muneer Ul, Moukhtar Yahya, 5-10; Mohammed ChindoQ Garba, Nuhu Alhassan Bida, Obi Chine, Muntaka Abdul-Hadi Dabo, Salamatu Musa, 10-15; Hamidu Zumo,Maryam Musa, Umar...etcif you're from facebok and visited this blog and didn't see your name to the above list, just click here you'll see yourself. please don't forget to leave a comment before you leave :)

My biography

10/04/211

Alhamdulillah...I was born atganye Adamawastate of Nigeiqa inthe year 1985:-)This name:"Mukhtar

Add caption

"was given to meby my father, ilost my fatherwhen i was 3yrsold, my father wasa reknownbusiness man, hehad an accidenttogether with hisbusiness partners,betweenAdamawa andGombe whilethey were driving toKano.He left 14 childrenon earth includingme,As i write thisarticle, my eyesfilled up withtears. But its hardto cry when the storm is over. Mychest has been wettedwith tears , i justmanage toovercome myfeeling whenthought of mymother and therest of my lovelyfamily, also withmy featuredelivery with time.As i suffered in thedearth of myfather, my mothertook me to herfamily atCameroun republic.By then i was 4yrsold, i cant evenread nor can iwrite. So i staywith my lovelymother at Gidderlocal govt. Area ofCameroun republicfor a long timeabout 9yrs.So in this tragedy ilost my lovelymother again,Oh God, i lost mymother just like awink, she had aday illness thenshe left me. Mylast time to seeher is when shewas been taken toa hospital by mytwo brothers andan uncle,unfoutnctely shedied before theyarrived to thehospital.So i lost mymother in thissimple way.I thank God[alhamdulilah] ihave enjoyed mymothers arm {love}before she leaveme.. MAY GOD HAVEMERCY ON HER,AMEN.I Mukhtar Aminutook time to writethis short footstep of my life,justto tell friends andthe rest of myfamily around theglobe a littileabout me.May my parentsoul rest in peace,may God rewardthem with a hollygarden ofparadise. May GodAllah{S W A}forgiven you [myparent] to the onewho have me life,i can give nothing,but love and goodwishes, thank fordiscipline, foreverything you do,thank for thehappiness,thanks for seeingme through,you're like aburning candlethere to light ourway,i love you morethan anything, butGod.i'll love you to theend of my life,not often enoughdo i tell you howmuch you mean tome,life ever-lasting iswhat i wish foryou, but themeasure of lifeGod wish for you isover.To my heartyou've tough meto sacred and betrue to life foreverand always,thanks for thecare you've givenme before youleft.So my mother'sburial take place atGidddr localgovt.area around8:30 pm.After all thetragedy mybrother took me tonigeria again, istay there withhim for a couple ofyears at smalltown that calledMaiha local govtAdamawa state ofnigeria.Here i stared ajourney in life withtime.My first day atschool is 1999, igot into primary 3then attendedprimary 3, 4, and 5,then i had acommon entranceto post primaryschool. I spend3yrs in JSS andscoring a verygood result. Then itransfered to,govt science andtechnical collegemubi.After mysecondary sch.Graduation i cameback to maiha inthe sense that i'llgo further totertiary education,but unknowingly iwas together witha greedy man,which heart isfull of hateand envy i wasn'taware...Dear friends, i hope your parents are alive, i wish a peace.If you read this please, wish my parents and all the late people peace.thanks

Letter to an unknown friend

I've been thinking 4 so long trying to decide which character to give this,
where to beggin,
how it'll end, what voice shld i speak with,
what vision shld i see you with if we meet :D ,
your image keep changing in my heart.
However, we'll meet someday (by God's'll) .,
I know
we ’ve never
met however
I believe that
some day it
will happen.
We both agree
on different
aspects of
life, and
disagree on
others, yet it
will always
be respectful
between us,
since our
individuality
is so
important.
You know
that what
you tell me,
will be kept in
confidence,
and I know
that what I’ll
tell you will
be given that
same
respect.
I think that is
it, isn ’t it?
Respect and
appreciation
will just be
intrinsic to
our
friendship.
We all know
that yes,
people lie,
and people
deceive, for a
myriad of
reasons, yet,
with each
other we ’ll
only ever
speak the
truth. Even if
it takes us
time,
knowing that
the other will
wait
patiently for
us to divulge
the very
thing with
which we’re
struggling.
I think the
aspect of us
that I enjoy
the most is
our
conversation :-)
We can look
at things
objectively,
where all
aspects of
our
discussion
are just that,
discussions.
Not
confrontatio
Not taken
personally,
not treated
as a personal
attack. Trust
is that
honest, isn ’t
it?
I know that
when I hear
that you ’ve
said this, or
you ’ve said
that about
me, that I
don ’t have to
get upset –
and can tell
you about it,
without you
getting
defensive, or
feeling as
though you
need explain
yourself.
I know that
you ’ll have
already said
it to me, if it
was
something
that you
think I
needed to
hear, so I
wouldn ’t
have to hear
it from
someone
else in
triumph for
their need to
give away
malice and
lord it over
me.
It’ll be nice to
have that
confidence
and security
in a trusted
friendship >:-/.
Now I
haven’t met
you yet, and
I know
you ’ve not
met me, but i can't judge either u 'd ever see my picture or not :-P
however I
know that
we ’ll both
know each
other when
we meet.
Just as we
know that of
all those
whom we’ve
met in our
lives thus far,
are only
experiences
and
education
toward the
ability to
become
better
friends :D,
toward each
other.
I know that
you won ’t
cause a harm
toward those
whom have
hurt you to
date, just as
I don ’t, :-D
though none
of them can
do any
better than
throw insults
and slanders
our way for
our telling of
the truth :-/
...i'm at a high pitch to see ur face, yeah the kind of unfadable image of urs that is in my heart ;-)
also your charismatic ideas and ur twits that i'm always herring on the phone 8-)
i kept praying, for God to show me the day i shall see u before i return to him...

There is never too many smile ;D coz they directly express ones act or feelings :))))
i love them

My Birthday

cake 25

my birthday!!!

This is my first
ever, yes the first
of its kind,
Birthday Blog. So,
with all the days
happenings into
the late, LATE
evening I had a
few things to say.
When my birthday
comes round it is a
big deal, MY
FAVORITE
DAY, and of
course I want to
make it all about
me. But, the
important thing
about celebrating
a birthday is to
give thanks to
being alive, and
having a blessed
life with caring
friends and a
loving family.
Today I turn 25
years old, Yes, I am
that old! I know
this is my day, but
also to everyone I
am appreciative of
having in my daily
life. Most of my
friends vary from
being from the
mid-20's to
late-25's and are
engaged, starting
a family or on their
second child. Seeming
they have their
careers well in
place. From the
outside it seem
they have struck a
pretty good
balance in their
lives. Now, being
officially in my
mid-20's, I am not
married (have
never been). I
don't have a
position with a
Fortune
. But looking at my life
on my 25th
birthday I have
alot and much
more in my opinion.
First and for most I
am alive, I can
walk, I am starting
to run again, and
have the use of
my left arm. I am
living my BIG
dream and
continue to grow
my consulting firm,
. I get to
meet with
sudtents and friends in our
state and region
that are making
the wheel move.
Moving back from
ADAMAWA almost 3 years
ago, having lived
through what I
have during the
last year and half,
and do what I do. I
can not see life
any other way! I
know that all the
other little perks
of life will fall into
place at a time
they are meant
too.
So, to end my first
birthday blog
thanks to
everyone I know
and look forward
to meeting those I
don't know yet!. I write this blog to foward my thanks to my friends for the WISHES / CALLS. MASSAGIES all around the globe. thanks again

How to write a thank-you notew

QUESTION: I HAVE
a crushing inability
to write proper
thank-you notes.
Can you offer me
some guidelines? –
Canal.

Answer: I was
wondering when
you were going to
ask that question,
and frankly, I ’m a
little disappointed
it took you so long.
Somewhere schooling, but
stationery you
shooting of an
email, you
completely lost
touch with the
concept of simple
thank-you notes.
probably at this
very moment, i'm
sighing over how
young people
today just don ’t
have manners.
As extra
motivation, I will
also grudgingly tell
you the hidden
secret of thank-
you notes: They
improve the
frequency and
quality of the gifts
you receive.
People like being
appreciated, and if
they feel you
actually notice the
nice things they do
for you, they ’re
more likely to give
an encore
performance. Do
not, however, use
this as a strategy
to avoid writing
thank-yous to
those who
regularly give gifts
you do not like.
Every gift
deserves a thank-
you.
I assure you,
writing thank-yous
is easier than you
think. Get
yourself some
stationery, plain
note cards or a
selection of
attractive
postcards (yes,
postcards are
perfectly
acceptable!), and
proper postage.
Avoid the pre-
inscribed ‘Thank
you!’ cards in loopy
script, as there are
times you ’ll want
to write notes
where that
aesthetic feels all
wrong. Better to
choose paper you
like. Stay away
from full-size
sheets —note
cards are best, as
your message will
be brief, and would
look silly swimming
around on a page
that large. Store all
of these items
somewhere easily
accessible and
preferably in plain
sight so you won ’t
hesitate too long
or forget too
easily. Say, the top
drawer of your
desk or on a
bookshelf at eye
level or below.
If you want to
know when you
get a genuine pass
on writing a note,
the litmus test is
simple: Do I live
under the same
roof as the giver?
If the answer is
‘ yes,’ you need not
write a thank-you
note (although a
thank-you Post-It
might be a nice
touch).
I’m not going to
mis manners and get
into the social
intricacies and
delicate situations
that surround
thank-you note
writing, as I was
taught that a solid
thank-you note
will transcend all
complicated
situations—and I
have seen no
evidence to the
contrary.
There is a six-point
formula to the
proper thank-you:
Learn it, know it,
memorize it —and
it will never fail
you.

1. Greet the
Giver

Dear Canal,

That’s the easy
part, but you’d be
surprised how
many people
forget it.
people love to
hear their own
names and Direct
Marketing is sure
we also love to
read them in ink.
That ’s right, ink.
Blue-black is
always the
number-one
choice, but black
will suffice in a
pinch. Don ’t let a
whimsical marker
color be the most
stunning part of
your note: instead
let the words sing
without the
amplification of
rainbow hues.
Even if your
handwriting is
poor, you must still
hand-write your
notes. Do not type
them or, worse,
use a word
processor. No
excuses.

2. Express Your
Gratitude

Thank you so
much for the
slippers.

This first
paragraph seems
like it would be the
easiest, but it is
actually the most
complicated.
Beware the just
writing trap. You
are not ‘just
writing to say’ as
in I am just writing
to say; that ’s
stating the
obvious. If the
giver is reading,
clearly you have
already written.
Therefore use the
present-perfect
tense, which
essentially means
write as if
whatever you say
is happening in the
moment.
Also—and this is
important—never
directly mention
money. ‘Thank you
for the hundred
bucks ’ could
instead be ‘Thank
you for your
generosity. ’ All
cash
denominations
become ‘your
generosity’ or
‘your kindness.’ If
you feel the giver
overspent, the
farthest you can
go is appreciated:
‘ Your generosity is
appreciated,’ or ‘It
is such an
extravagant gift
— your kindness is
appreciated.’
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