You know you want to.
I challenge you today to smile just a little bit more. Whether you feel like it or not. When you see someone in the store, smile and say hello. Your smile is one of the greatest gifts you can give to another. It makes others feel good, and eventually it will make you feel good too.
When I am working with people to help them become more effective in growing their relationships and become more effective in business, I talk about the fact that the people who achieve much in life simply continue to do what it is they are working towards whether they feel like it or not. Let’s be real, regardless of how much we love what we do in life there will be days when we do not feel like doing it. We must do it anyway. The principle I teach is that:
“You can never feel your way into a new way of acting, but you can act your way into a new way of feeling.”
It won’t hurt.
A smile is proof. If you are not feeling very cheery and you purposely smile at people anyway, you will begin to feel better. People will be smiling back at you which makes you feel good, and your face is sending signals to your brain that you are happy (this is really true, although its a little more technical than my explanation:)
Being a naturally shy person, I struggled with initiating conversation with people for years. Then I learned the power of smiling. A smile says to another person “I am approachable, I am friendly, I am someone you might like to talk to.”
This little tidbit comes from Andy Anderson’s book “The Travelers Gift” and I give it as a handout when I do rapport development training for corporations:
“My smile is the most potent weapon I possess. It has the strength to forge bonds, break ice, and calm storms. Because of my smile, the people with whom I come in contact on a daily basis will choose to further my causes and follow my leadership. I will always smile first.”
