[Me] You are very welcome! (And I have gratitude to spare with all of the empty soda cans in my office!)

[Her] HAHAHA.. now you know what the cans are doing there!

My typical smarty-pants reply netted me something to think about. And I like that.

This appeals to me on a couple of levels. I collect sayings like that in my mind...that was permanently implanted when I took Anthro 160 with the late Alan Dundes at UC Berkeley in the late 1980s. (And if you ever struggled through suffered through took that class, you know exactly what I mean!)

But more importantly, I appreciated the view on gratitude. Sincere gratitude is one of the most important gifts you can give.

I admit it...I love praise for a job well-done. Even a simple thanks or a verbal pat on the head really does wonders for my motivation level. And I tend to surround myself with people who sincerely offer that.

As a solopreneur, and as someone who is generally intrinsically motivated, a sincere thank-you serves as a reality check...some reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.

Now, if I can just get Sam to buy the argument that the wall of Diet Pepsi cans in my office represents something...