AA Gifts & Baskets Idea & Advice Blog

A boon is something to be thankful for, a blessing, or benefit. It may be received in the form of a gift or as something that is asked for or a favor that is sought. In olden times, it refers to a favor given by the nobility to one of a lower status. The member of the nobility or a noble person would grant a boon or gift to another person of lower rank.

This gift giving or granting of a gift or boon lead to a curious saying; “the quality of mercy is unstrained.” It means that if you are giving a gift or doing someone a favor then it makes great sense to do so in a way that is not dramatic or strained. It was originally spoken by Portia, in “The Merchant of Venice”, written by William Shakespeare in 1596.

Shakespeare actually wrote:

“The quality of mercy is unstrained;It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven;Upon the place beneath: it is twice blessed;It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes;“Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes;The throned monarch better than his crown;”

What Shakespeare was writing about was the concept of mercy being a good thing. Over time this came to be taken for granted and the term of a ‘quality’ example of ‘mercy’ came into being. Giving a gift that requires a return gift or some future obligation makes the gift giving of a strained nature. When giving boons or granting boons became a popular obligation of the nobility, the granting of them in an unstrained manner makes the person granting the boon nobler than their position or title. The problem with this is that in a Monarchy, your Count votes, while in a Democracy, your vote counts.

This concept of mercy being unstrained was somewhat undermined by the idea of ‘Noblesse Oblige’. “Noblesse oblige” is generally used to imply that with wealth, power, and prestige come social responsibilities. The granting of mercy or boons was considered an obligation of the better off people in society. The term has also been applied to those who are capable of simple acts to help one who is less fortunate.

As an example in the US Marines officers are issued a book called, “The Marine Officer’s Guide”, where it states that, “As an officer, you demand a great deal of your men. But they in fact demand much more of you. If you let down one of your Marines, you are letting down the entire Corps. Noblesse oblige is the private motto of every officer of Marines.”

The granting of mercy or helping those of us who are less fortunate is becoming the territory of our elected officials. Many of whom would not know what you are talking about when you ask them about a favor or a boon. One of the advantages in a democracy is that if you were to ask one person how much a telephone book weighs, you may get anything from 2 ounces or 56.7 grams to 20 lbs. or 9.07 Kilograms. But if you ask 2000 people you will get an average answer very close to the exact weight.

However when electing public officials or politicians it is useful to note that the weight of a telephone book does not change until the next year, but the public official or politician will change sometimes daily. So predicting whether you will get and accurate judge of a politician when you vote may be more difficult than getting the accurate judge of the weight of a phone book.

The good news is that there is a solution and here is a gift for you. If you can convince the voting regulatory board in your jurisdiction to change the voting regulations, you should be able to get better candidates to run and better more merciful people to be elected. The change is really quite simple. Instead of every eligible voter getting one vote, they would, after the change, get 3 votes. In order for their vote to count, they would have to indicate who they want to finish in first place, who in second place and who in third place.

The person or candidate who gets the first place vote gets 2 points. The person who gets the second place vote gets 1 point and the person who gets the third place vote will get zero points. The person with the most points after the election wins. The interesting thing about this concept, first proposed by a French Mathematician in 1776, is that the candidate with the most second place votes will normally win the election. This means that he or she may not be some of the voter’s most popular person, but they will be all of the voter’s second place choice. It doesn’t take away peoples right to vote, but it does take a way their right to vote without thinking.

As soon as potential candidates realize this they will come out of the woodwork and start running as candidates and then you can see who will be the most merciful and best at granting boons and thus is most deserving of your vote.

How would a business prosper and grow without employees? Simply put, it couldn’t. One person cannot handle every role of a business yet expect it to grow and succeed without employees.

Employees are the glue that holds a business together, and the success of any sector of your business leads back to these individuals. However, success is created with the help of “motivated” employees.

How does one motivate employees? First and foremost, the business owner should have good leadership skills and these skills are not developed overnight but through the course of education and experience.

Motivation can be different for each individual employee. Where one employee might be motivated by money, another might be motivated by job security.

Motivational tactics may need to be refined for each individual employee. A business owner should find out what their employees want and find a way to give it to them or enable them to earn it.

Here are some suggestions that may help you to motivate your employees:

• Communicate with employees. Take the time to talk with them and listen to them, whether it be work-related or personal.
• Create an inspiring workplace and encourage creativity and open thinking.
• Promote teamwork.
• Create opportunities for workers to further develop their skills.
• Allow employees to participate in decisions pertaining to the business, if and where applicable.
• Design an incentive program that may include compensation benefits, non-compensation benefits or a combination of both.
• Give employees challenging tasks.
• Create goals that each employee should strive to attain.

Motivating employees may not be an easy task and often times it is a matter of trial and error to decide which tools work the most.

There are many other things that a business owner can do to motivate in addition to the above. However, the one thing that a business owner should never forget to do is to praise his/her employees and say “Thank You” for a job well-done. Individuals thrive on praise and appreciation and it certainly is one motivational tool that should be practiced in any business.

We have a beautiful selection of thank you gift baskets perfect for employee appreciation and thanking these individuals for their hard work and dedication. Your employee(s) will appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Motivate and appreciate are the key to employee loyalty! Don’t forget how your business would be without your employees. Thank Heavens for Employees!

From the time I can remember it was instilled in me to appreciate everything and anything that someone gave me or did for me. As a little girl I remember being taught manners. “Thank you” was one of my most used phrases and still is to this day. However, “Thank You” is a phrase that is so well-used and is so automatically uttered that it can become unheard by the giver. As a small child, I would say it because I was told I must say it therefore, it was an automatic response not a response of genuine appreciation. As I grew older, I learned the value of appreciation and that no deed should go unnoticed. I also learned that half the joy of receiving is giving a small token of appreciation, whether it be sending a thank you card or a thank you gift.

I learned that “thank you” is only a conversational expression of gratitude and that the most rewarding way of thanking someone is giving something in return. Have you ever given a gift or did a deed for someone and they said “thank you”? How quickly did you forget those words? Taking the time to sit and write a simple thank you card or send a thank you gift goes a long way. It is one of the most valuable things you can do to show your appreciation and delight to the special someone who has taken time to show their thoughtfulness. We lead busy lives and we tend to forget the small things in life that make a person feel special and appreciated. Show your gratitude and take the time to uplift the spirit of the giver. Be selfless and take some time in your busy day to sincerely thank someone.