* The following is an excerpt from my book The FUNomenal™ Workplace. Two of my smile stories and one from my wife.
One day, at Kroger Grocery Store’s self-checkout, I decided to have a little spontaneous fun. When I got home, I felt impressed to share my experience on Facebook.
I wrote, “Just had a delightful chat with the automated female voice at the self-checkout at Kroger. She thanked me for being a valued customer. I thanked her for thanking me and complimented her for having such a cheerful voice.
“I could tell it caught her off guard because she didn’t know what to say. But I suspect she really liked it.”
The response to my sharing this Smile story was super. Lots of ‘likes.’ One attorney friend replied he burst out laughing when he read my post.
On another occasion, I was to speak at a medical auxiliary in Austin, Texas. A lady, I’ll call Lynn (because that’s her name), who didn’t know me, was asked by the Meeting Planner to pick me up at the airport. She showed up with a big handwritten sign that read, “Are you Tony?”
As the men came off the escalator she would step forward with her sign and smile and ask, “Are you Tony?” She reported to me that the first three guys said, “NO.” But the fourth said, “I COULD be.” And I was the fifth.
I share this Smile story with my audiences, adding, “So if you’re single and looking for an interesting way to meet interesting people, just show up at the airport with your sign. Based on Lynn’s research, one out of four people you meet will want to explore possibilities with you, and the fifth one will be the REAL DEAL.” And my audiences laugh and love it.
And then, I invite them to share a Smile Story with someone next to them to feel the positive energy of this fun best practice.
And so it is. Smile stories make people smile and even laugh out loud. Whether you’re sharing your story or listening to someone else share theirs, it brings more positivity into everyone’s lives.
Now pause and breathe in … Breathe out, with a HINT of a smile. WOW. Looks GOOD on you. Y-E-A-H.
FUNomenal™ Positivity Best Practice: In all likelihood, there is something that happened today or yesterday that made you smile or laugh. Share it TODAY with someone around you and it’ll make them smile or laugh as well.
I asked my wife, a substitute teacher, “Did anything happen today that made you smile or laugh?”
She said, “Yes.” And then she told me about a little first grader who’s a loner and doesn’t interact with anyone, and how he just out of the blue came up and gave her a BIG hug. It made her smile. It made me smile too.
Smile stories are contagious and can work wonders for positive attitudes. Share your smile stories and invite others to share theirs. Do it TODAY.
Be FUNomenal: have more fun, get more done, and bring out the best in everyone. You can do this.
