Can being nice to others actually make you more happy?
So I was having a bad start to my day. I didn’t sleep well the night before and I was dragging. I set my alarm early to make myself this little breakfast sandwich I make.
As I got to my car I was fumbling with my keyes and I dropped the sandwich directly on my shirt and it landed right in a puddle. I picked it up and threw it towards the trash and of course I missed the trash can. I went around the trash can and picked it up.
Then I ran back inside and changed my clothes. I raced back to my car and headed downtown. As soon as I got on the freeway I could see I was going nowhere fast.
I am one of those people who hates being late. It gives me anxiety. I was stressed the entire ride there. I finally arrived at my destination and I parked on the street.
I was running from my parking spot to the building I was going into and I dropped my folder with all of my paperwork in it. It was windy and the papers started blowing around everywhere. After scrambling around picking up all of my papers. I finally made it inside.
The meeting was not exactly a success. So I left and walked back to my car. There on the windshield was a nice new fresh parking ticket. I blew it on calculating how long the meeting would be. Ugghh! All I could think of was “what the hell!”
At this point it was after lunch time and I was starving. I was quickly entering into the “hangry zone.”
As I headed back to my office I thought I would stop at this little sandwich shop that I love. I was going to order this large relatively healthy sandwich that I can never finish and I was very excited about it. This will turn my day around.
As I was going into the sandwich shop this woman was coming out and her hands were full with her purse, her car keys, her bag of sandwiches she was holding between her arm and her body and one of those drink holders with four drinks in it.
As she was backing out through the door she tripped a little and dropped the bag. I rushed up and picked up the bag for her. She really didn’t have a way to hold it so I told her I would just follow her to her car. I did just that and she was very grateful.
As I went back into the sandwich shop this guy was giving the girl behind the counter hell about getting his sandwich wrong.
The girl was very young and I had not seen her there before. It appeared she hadn’t worked there very long. She was also the only one there.
She straightened the guys order out and he left. We were the only two in the shop now and I could see she looked very flustered and she was tearing up a bit. I just said “wow that guy is serious about his ham and cheese.”
I was just trying to make her feel a little better. She laughed and I ordered my sandwich and watched her make it.
I told her that I came here all the time and I have never seen a better sandwich made. She smiled and thanked me.
I told her a story about how I screwed up when I was waiting tables and how you are going to make mistakes at any new job in the beginning.
She thanked me again and seemed a little happier than when I first got there. I left with my sandwich and was feeling pretty good about myself.
I drove back to my office and I was thinking that those two women that I helped made me feel better.
Interesting. I did something normal by helping them a little and it made me feel better. My morning had been a disaster and all of a sudden I felt pretty good.
I got out of my car at the office and there was this homeless man on the street in front of our parking lot and I just walked up to him and handed him my bag with my sandwich in it.
I didn’t say anything, I just handed him the bag and kept walking to my office. He yelled to me, “wow, thanks man!” When I turned and waived at him I could see he had a big smile on his face.
In the building I am in there is a security guard/receptionist. Her name is Carol. She says hello every morning and every evening. She always smiles. So I stopped and I said “you know what Carol, every morning when I walk in here you are smiling. You have a beautiful smile and it just makes my day. Thank you for that, I really appreciate it.”
Well her beautiful smile got extra big and she was very grateful. I walked to my office and decided I would do this the rest of the day.
Everyone I talked to I complimented in some way. I have to tell you it was amazing. I could hear their voices go up a few notes.
They all gave me a very sincere thank you and I could tell that they were a little happier than they were even a few moments before.
I am no saint and I am not alway in a good mood, but I have definitely added this tactic to my life and I have to say the return on investment is amazing.
My conclusion…. When I am a little kinder and a little nicer to everyone I encounter in a day it actually makes me feel better.
Just an amazing concept. I am a little nicer to everyone around me and I feel better!
Give it a shot. I think you will be shocked by the results and what is the worst case scenario, you make people feel a little better. I think that is a pretty good thing.
