For the past few weeks, I've been thinking about manners a lot. Some of it has to do with the fact that I have two little kids who've been practicing their pleases and thank yous and you're welcomes. Some of it, however, has to do with the fact that I've noticed an increase in bad manners in my dealings with people lately -- online and in-person.

Now, I'm not saying I'm little miss manners and am perfect all the time. I'm not. And I don't expect everyone else to be perfect either. However, I think many of us have forgotten what it is to be thankful, appreciative and respectful. We've forgotten the value of relating to people as people and not just as the next person I can make a quick buck off of, or the next person who can help me out.

We forget to say please and thank you. We forget to say you're welcome. Instead, our manners have been replaced by a "me mentality."

This me mentality tells us we deserve everything good that comes our way. Whether we work hard for it or not; whether we're respectful of others or not. We deserve riches, fame and popularity. We have a right to whatever we want and we can treat people however we want because "I am me." Gotta look out for number 1, right?

These bad manners manifest themselves in all sorts of ugly ways. It's not just about so-and-so never said thank you. Manners aren't that simple. Bad manners show up when someone steals another's work, when we only talk with people when we want something, and when someone talks to us and we don't listen. 

This me mentality that is supposed to propel us forward actually holds us back -- personally and professionally.

Why? Because we all like being treated nicely, feeling appreciated and heard. We like to feel connected; we like to form genuine relationships with one another. No one likes feeling dissed or taken for granted.

And the best thing about good manners? People respond to them. It becomes infectious and snowballs in to wonderful things. Personal relationships improve, businesses grow, and the word spreads. People flock to you and all of a sudden, you've got a network of people who are friends, fans and supporters. People who say, "I know her! She's really nice and also has a shop on Etsy. Check her out sometime."

Wouldn't you like people doing that for you? (By the way, that's called word-of-mouth advertising and is probably the best form of publicity you can get!)

Don't believe me? Try it for a few days with your own family without telling them. Say please, say thank you, say you're welcome. Listen, appreciate, show gratitude. See how they respond to you.

And then, start doing it with the rest of the world. Online and off. With customers and strangers. On Twitter and Facebook and blogs. Trust me, you will reap the rewards.

Don't believe me? Read more for yourself about how good manners can be good for business:

• Marketing lessons from a hairstylist, ArtBizBlog
• Why you should mind your manners, Entrepreneur
• Manners Matter: The Common Sense Approach to Business Etiquette, Change This
  

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I personally want to say thank you to a couple of Twitter people for helping me overcome my writing hurdles on this post: @jennifersquires and @jenkiaba. I've been struggling with this for 2 weeks now, but you ladies help me 'spit' it out. It may not be the most eloquent way to say it, but it's a start.