A Few Kind Words Workshop
Creating contagious positive energy through the written word
My vision is to let people everywhere know that they matter...through unexpected letters of appreciation
A Few Kind Words workshop is borne out of my passion to help people tap into the power of love that resides within us all. When we express affirmation and appreciation through the written word, there is an energy shift towards calm and joy.
As a certified Life and Wellness coach, allow me to guide you on a 1 or 1.5 hour journey that will make a difference in your life and the life of someone you care about. No skills required...just an open heart!
This workshop will open you up to powerful possibilities...
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Our relationships are the most important things in our lives.
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When we are kind to one another we become the best version of ourselves.
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We can create joyful, positive and contagious energy by expressing our appreciation for others.
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When we are mindfully present and affirm from the heart we physically feel better, we are more productive and our relationships are nourished.
The workshop includes an exercise where you will have the opportunity to write a few kind words to someone deserving in your life. You will not be asked to share your letter. I have hosted workshops in homes, offices, stores, churches and non profits. Anyone and everyone can benefit from an hour of focusing on what is really important in life…our relationships.
Give it a try and make someone’s day!
It would be my pleasure to host a workshop for you, your friends and/or colleagues. For more information please fill out the contact form below or email me at traceygateswellnesscoach@gmail.com
the origin of A few kind words...
a legacy to my father
Whenever anyone asked my father what he would like for his birthday or for Christmas, he would always answer “a few kind words.” I didn’t know how to buy a few kind words and wrap them up in a box. So, I bought him a tie with tennis racquets on it or some argyle socks or a package of cigarette lighters in neon colors. One year my sister and I even gave him a puppy. I thought that asking for a few kind words was like asking for nothing. Wasn’t gift giving the way we show someone we love them? Apparently, not to my father; he had his own language of love.
I woke every day to my father offering a kiss and a cheery “time to get up”. I never fell asleep until he poked his head in and said “I love you”. Dad was generous and spontaneous with his enormous bear hugs. He had the longest arms and he would smoosh us together until we became one and I could smell his hair tonic. He was a man of few words but those words were always supportive, positive and nurturing. And then, on January 31, 1987, dad had a heart attack while playing tennis and was gone. He was 67, I was 24 and newly engaged. He didn’t get the chance to walk me down the aisle and I didn’t get the chance to give him those “few kind words.”
After raising a family, I now have a huge appreciation for what my dad was willing to ask for…. love, appreciation and affirmation. As a legacy to my father, I am spreading his message of kindness through “A Few Kind Words” workshops.
Imagine a world where kindness can be the norm, not the exception…
My yearlong project
“You made my day, my week, my month, my year!”
After spending this past year writing a handwritten unexpected letter of appreciation to a different person every day, my life has changed. I am more mindfully present, calm and joyful. I feel more connected to and nourished by all of my relationships. This project has reinforced for me that when you have a nice thought about someone share that gift. Amazing things happen both for the letter writer and the recipient.
365 letters...
When I tell people about this transformative journey I am on they usually say “I don’t know 365 people.” Yes you do! There are missed opportunities for connections all around us and this joyful journey has taught me that they are there for the taking. I have written to the clerk at the apothecary whose smile brightens my day, the new barista who makes the best chai latte ever, the server at the restaurant who made us feel special in the middle of chaos. I have written to those closest to me and those whom I am acquainted with and would like to know better. I have reconnected with elementary school, high school and college friends. I have written to the aides and the social worker at my mother’s assisted living community who make this time of life bearable, to our mail carrier who gives our dog a treat every day and to the amazing woman who runs the Mercer County jury room.
The list goes on and on and I feel more connected to every single person who I have written to. While I am doing this project because it makes me feel exhilarated, the lovely by-product is that in return, I have received phone calls, texts, emails, hand written letters and hugs that don’t end. Universally the letter recipients are overwhelmed by the warmth of the gesture and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the deeper connections that my letters have fostered.
What I have Learned:
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People CRAVE being noticed and appreciated in this crazy, logistical and busy world we live in.
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Writing letters of appreciation is exhilarating and energizing
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The exercise of writing the letters coupled with my heightened awareness of all of my interactions has created a beautiful practice in mindfulness
Workshop hosted by Mary Dougherty, owner of Nicole Miller in Philadelphia
I invite you...
to give yourself the gift of feeling empowered, energized and uplifted, one letter at a time
Letter writing is a lost art yet I have found that people who receive an unexpected letter of appreciation treat these letters as treasurers to be saved and cherished. While a text or an email are still lovely to receive, there is something profoundly meaningful about the time that someone took to write an unexpected handwritten letter of appreciation.
Imagine opening your mailbox and amongst the bills and junk mail, you find a handwritten letter of appreciation. It is not your birthday or anniversary – it is a just because letter.
We all have the power to make someone’s day just by taking the time to share what we admire, appreciate or love about them. It is simple and overlooked. Yet the magic of this simple gift is that it is equally gratifying, joyful and calming for both the letter writer and the recipient.