My top 3 “Nice Day” Makers!
Daniel | May 27, 2008
Have a nice day! How many times do we hear that each day? I hear it enough to know that no one really means it. Heck, it normally sounds like a demand, as if I don’t have a choice. Makes me wonder why we even bother.
What if we really did mean it? The past few months, I’ve started to really feel like I wished everyone around me would have nice days. I wondered if there was anything I could do, other than demand they have one, to brighten the day of people I see around me. I’ve come up with 3 things that seem to have the most positive impact - and they’re all free!
1) Smile. This is number one, and pretty self explanatory. When someone smiles at us, we’re pretty hard wired to respond positively to that person - and it lifts our own mood. So smile at everyone you can! Sometimes I find myself forcing the smiles, but when I see the way faces light up, that forced smile becomes very real, very fast.
2) Wave. If you’re too far away for a smile to be seen easily, wave. I use this one a lot when there are cars invloved. If I’m walking, I wave at the cars. If I’m driving, I wave at other drivers and at people walking or standing on the side of the road.
3) Say something. Even it it’s just “Hello!”. There’s an old, old joke I use a lot when I’m standing in a line or just waiting around and find myself in proximity to another person. First, I comment on the weather. Doesn’t matter what the weather is - I might say “Nice day!” or “Wow, it’s a hot one today!” or “It’s really coming down out there, isn’t it?”. Who ever I say that to will invariably agree with me, because I’ve done nothing more than state a fact. Then, right as we get to the part where we’re going back to each doing our own thing, I’ll say “You know…..everyone talks about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it…” I say it with a little smile, so they know I’m not being serious, but I deliver the words themselves deadpan. On the rare occasions I don’t get a smile or a laugh, I’ll throw in a wink, and that always does it. It took me quite a bit of practice to get it down, but it was worth it!
That’s it! I try and do one or more of these 3 things anytime I’m around another person. Over the course of the day, it doesn’t even really take any extra time. So smile, wave and say something - it will change their day, and yours.
I'm trying to be more conscious as I go/drive/work aswell.
Anna | May 27, 2008 | 9:33 amI’m trying to be more conscious as I go/drive/work aswell. It makes most people wonder and smile back shyly, but it definitely drives their attention and thoughts to positive set of mind.
I saw a sad woman in the office today, and asked if something happened to her, if I could help somehow. She was surprised and pleased with the question and started smiling, questioning herself if her trouble was really that important?
Thank-you for posting :)
Lovely post! :)
Sugandh | May 30, 2008 | 3:44 amLovely post! :)
About a year ago I realised that I have a
Robert | June 1, 2008 | 7:46 pmAbout a year ago I realised that I have a tendancy to be negative at times dinvr I tend ot slight to moderate bouts of depression from time to time. When I thought about it for a bit I realised that showing a negative face to the people I work with (the people I thus tend to interact with the most) was not good for my career, and frankly it only served to reinforce the depressed feeling I had once I realised I had dumped those feelings on to someone else that really did not need them.
So instead I decided to try the tactic of telling people that I was “peachy” most of the when asked. If it was a rainy day, I’d often change my answer to “just ducky”, which is always good for a laugh. Sometimes I even throw in a comment that if it ever snows here in DC, I might decide I am “flaky”. It invariably gets a chuckle out of people, even those who have grown used to my set of replies, and it actually does make me feel a little better.
@ Robert: I love it! The whole conditional reply
Daniel | June 1, 2008 | 10:38 pm@ Robert: I love it! The whole conditional reply thing depending on the weather is a fantastic idea. I’m going to add it to my list of things! Thanks for sharing! I also think you’re right about feelings feeding feelings - whenever I put negative vibes out, I never feel better, I always feel more negative. When I feel negative and make the effort to put out positive vibes, I always start to feel more positive. When I feel positive and make the effort to share that, it really puts the zoom on it!
i love this post. I've worked in restaurants since i
Megan | July 17, 2008 | 6:41 pmi love this post. I’ve worked in restaurants since i was fifteen, and i realized that sometimes, a small gesture makes a world of a difference to a person. (not to mention that while i was a waitress i realized that people were more generous when you were kinder to them) This concept however went both ways, a small positive gesture could earn just as much as a small negative gesture could lose. So i found a way to make sure that i was in a good mood in order to make life more pleasant for everyone. i would look at every person who walked in, no matter how rude/kind, old/young, etc. they were and find something i liked about them. it didn’t have to be something big, just something like “he has very nice eyes, she has a very pretty smile, he dresses very well, and if it came up i would usually compliment them on whatever it would change their attitudes for the better. I think it’s amazing how just one small thought can quite literally change lives.