3 Reasons to Use "Thank You" Instead of "I'm Sorry"

In our daily lives in society,
there are countless opportunities
to thank others.

When someone helps you with work.
When someone does chores for you.
When you receive a gift from a friend.

Sometimes you ask for help,
and sometimes it happens unexpectedly.

In such situations, do you find yourself
saying "I'm sorry"out of habit?

Actually, that habit
is not really recommended.

It is true that...
we often use "I'm sorry"
to express a sense of formality.

However,
using "I'm sorry" all the time
is not ideal.

Depending on the situation,
you can gain more benefits
by saying "Thank you" instead.

The topic for this time is
the reasons to use "Thank you"
instead of "I'm sorry".

Why do I think "Thank you"
is better than "I'm sorry"?

I will explain this through three reasons.

I hope you will
be able to relate to them.

Well then, let's begin♪

✔ You can value yourself

When you say "I'm sorry,"
the person you are speaking to is placed in a "higher" position.

And your position
becomes lower than the person you spoke to.

Actually, I personally
question this phenomenon.

This is because I don't think there is any need
to lower your own position
more than necessary.

Of course,
whether it is a boss at work, a business partner,
or someone older than you,
it is an important mindset to temporarily humble yourself
when dealing with them.

The feeling of respecting your elders
is something you must not forget in order to live in society.

However, for people other than those mentioned above,
there are many cases where you do not need to say "I'm sorry"
more than necessary.

Precisely because you maintain an equal footing,
it is not wrong to use the word "thank you"
to express your gratitude to the other person.

✔ The person being told
　feels good

When you have been helped with something
and you say "thank you,"
most people will be happy.

There shouldn't be any adults who would say...
"Don't use words like thank you."

Conversely, even though they helped you out of kindness,
if you say "I'm sorry,"
it feels like you are rejecting them by saying "don't help me,"
which leaves an unpleasant impression.

Because the vector of "I'm sorry"
is directed toward yourself,
there are likely people who will have
a negative impression as the recipient.

That is precisely why,
when you are genuinely happy to have been helped,
you should say "thank you."

"Thank you" is an important form of communication
that allows you to express your honest feelings
to the other person.

✔ You can look the other person in the face

When you say "I'm sorry,"
do you look the other person in the eye?

Most people probably
do not make eye contact,
and say it as if they are apologetic.

This is because they feel that
otherwise, they might give the other person
a rude impression.

Conversely, when you say "thank you,"
you can look the other person in the eye
without any sense of awkwardness.

Looking someone in the eye is something
that is actually quite hard to achieve in daily life.

If you stare at someone's face,
you will likely leave the worst possible impression.

In that sense,
the word "thank you" provides the perfect opportunity
to look the other person in the eye.

And, being able to see
the happy face of the personyou said "thank you" to
is also a wonderful benefit, isn't it? (^^♪

* * * * *

"I'm sorry" is such a convenient phrase that
we end up overusing it, don't we?

I also find myself saying "I'm sorry"
in my daily life.

The phrase "I'm sorry" itself
is an expression of humility, respect for others,
and an action of "I apologize for bothering you"...

There is no doubt that it is used
with such respect for the other person.

However, if possible,
I would like to choose words that make others happy.

Words that make others happy are things like
"Thank you"
"Thank you very much"
"That's a big help," etc...

It is about conveying words of gratitude.

If, in the future,
you are about to say "I'm sorry,"
and you think, "Oh! Let me prioritize 'thank you' instead,"
it would be the greatest reward for me as an author.

I hope this helps you build
better relationships.

See you later.
Goodbye.