I close all my emails with the following: “With Gratitude, -andrew” It’s something I started not long after we started Wildhorn Capital. In my never ending journey to better myself as a family man, businessman, and human being I learned about and started the practice of keeping a Gratitude Journal. You seem to see these mentioned as a recommended self improvement tactic everywhere; from Tony Robbins, Tim Ferris, Hal Elrod, and my business coach. For me, keeping this journal has been a great way to cultivate a positive mindset every morning, constantly reminding myself of everything in my life that is so good. And that’s a long list! As we’ve grown the Wildhorn Capital platform and I’ve grown as an entrepreneur, this journal has been an invaluable tool to our continued growth, and my day to day management of living a Life By Design. The email signature started as an extension of my journaling habits. Since then, ending my emails with this phrase has become a core part of my identity. I take the time to type it out at the end of every email I send, and I think it’s one of the best daily exercise to maintain.
I’ve had many people ask me why I close in this way or comment on how much they liked and appreciated it the simple way I close out emails. Here’s a few of the reasons that I’m so consistent about using this unusual closing formality:
It’s not an automatic signature I take the time to write it out every single time. Doing this is a constant reminder throughout the day to actively be grateful. There are so many good things in my life that they always outweigh the little day-to-day stresses that come up. If I send 100 emails that day, I’ve typed it out 100 times, and had 100 moments of resetting my stress levels.
It conveys my earnest appreciationThe increase in the value of a property over time, usually due to factors such as market demand, economic growth, infrastructure improvements, and inflation. View Definition to the party I’m emailing No matter the person I’m emailing, or the context of the email I write out “With Gratitude”. If I’m spending the time to write an email or the occasional letter, it means that I value that person and want to convey that.
It forces to me edit When I write that phrase, it triggers me to go back and edit what I’ve written. This is beyond looking for grammatical errors; If I’m writing something harsh or I’m in a bad mood and have been short, or terse—it gives me a chance to go back and tweak it. I’m not afraid of sending to the point emails when necessary, but ending with this phrase has saved me on multiple occasions when I’ve had to go back and tweak something that was just a little over the line.
It’s a great brand element At my core I am and always will be a marketer. While not my original intention, this has been a really good branding tool. You need to think of what you want to be known for, because like it or not you’re going others recognize you by one of your traits. If I’m known as the “with gratitude” guy that is A-OK by me (it sure beats being the tall goofy guy!)
What do you think? Have you tried keeping a Gratitude Journal? Any other funny email signatures that you’ve thought of adopting? Like always I want to hear from you.
Written by Andrew Campbell
Andrew Campbell is a native Austinite and Managing Partner at Wildhorn. He is a real estate entrepreneur who first broke into the business in 2008 as a passive investor. In 2010 he transitioned into active investing and management of a personal portfolio that grew to 76 units across Austin and San Antonio. He earned his stripes building and managing his personal portfolio before founding Wildhorn Capital and focusing on larger multifamily buildings. At Wildhorn, he is focused on Acquisitions and maintaining Investor Relations, utilizing his marketing and communications background to build long-term relationships.
