DohJe: A New Year for Gratitude

Nevada Below - Jan2014

The alarm sounds at 3:30AM.  Off to the airport for a company workshop.  Departing at the crack of dawn on Friday morning with meetings piled up all weekend.  It's the New Year, alright.  Does this sound familiar?  The laundry barely finished in time to get some rest; a quick kiss goodbye before vanishing to the ways of your work.

Busy lives, everywhere.  But in the millions of encounters each day, there are so many reasons to be grateful.  At this workshop, two colleagues will be face-to-face for the first time in four years.  The flight alone is an impressive feat.  Consider a near miss car accident at 70 mph, and the co-worker who maneuvered to avoid the catastrophe.  This is all amazing, but not out of the ordinary.  That's the point - the joy is in the journey.  Little things can have the greatest impact.

DohJe crossed into the new year celebrating over 6 months of collaboration with Mountain Midwifery, RenewalCare, and Westshore Midwifery.  With feedback from clinics, caregivers, and patients - DohJeNotes are easy to use to reach out and share appreciation.  Simple. The excitement at DohJe is revolving around launching with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital this month and expanding to large hospital facilities.

McWay Falls, Big Sur, CA

The story line above is actually based on events from the DohJe team meetup in Big Sur, California.  Attending a workshop to help guide the company culture and growth, the team was also planning the final steps for launching with UCSF mid-January.  The workshop leaders, Terces and Matthew Engelhart, are founders of Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre.  Being as DohJe literally means "thank you" in Cantonese, the alignment for us was straightforward.  But the other participants ranged broadly.  A founder of universities in Egypt, government employees, corporate finance executives, entrepreneurs galore.  They were all looking for guidelines to make their work more meaningful, enjoyable, and sustainable for themselves and their teams.  

It was astounding to see this range of professional guests coming from around the world to listen to the founders of a few restaurants tell their story of company culture.  That alone was a testament to the value of the Engelharts’ business style and reputation.  Participants shared experiences and backgrounds that were so expansive, but the fundamentals of open communication and respect resonated from each discussion.  When explaining the goal for DohJe, a participant dove into his experience with ambulance drivers when his mother was transported to the hospital.  She was very ill, and he was aware that this may be their last visit.  The ambulance drivers were asking him questions but he said that he was frozen in the moment.  The EMT crew helped to guide him through the questions and answers, resulting in the mother and son connecting one final time.  Afterward, he searched and tracked down the EMT crew to personally express his gratitude for their guidance and the gift of being with his mother.  They said:  "you're welcome, it's our job."

It's all part of the job.  Yes.  Your job might greatly benefit others, and certainly many individuals greatly contribute to your success.  Some might think saying “thank you” or sending a note of gratitude is ordinary or unimportant.  It is not.  Each time you act on your feelings of gratitude, you make the world and yourself, better.  Seriously.  Take a look at this Experiment in Gratitude showing evidence that the simple act of sharing gratitude can improve YOUR happiness.

By using DohJe to say “thank you”, you share this goodness with the recipient-caregiver immediately, and a cascade of gratitude begins.  If there is a nurse, doctor or caregiver that you wish you had said thank you to one more time, you should send a DohJeNote, here.

We will locate your caregiver and deliver your gratitude ...even if the hospital/facility is not a member, yet!