We give ourselves a quick look in the mirror every morning before leaving the house to make sure we look good. But sometimes we still show up at the office, get the kids from school, or return home to our spouse with a frown on our face.
- Why do we pay more attention to what we wear on our bodies than what we wear on our faces?
Smiling – as simple as the act is – is very powerful. Of course, it can’t be an insincere grin (we all know those are mechanical and we resent them). But a real smile can turn someone’s day around. It sends a message of goodwill. It says to someone who is under a lot of pressure from his boss, his customers, his teacher, his parents or children, that all is not hopeless.
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Even when we’re talking on the phone, our smile comes through in our voices. Carnegie tells a story of a computer department manager who was desperately trying to recruit a PhD for his department. He finally found the perfect candidate, but the boy also had offers from much larger and better known companies. When the boy told the manager that he was choosing his company, the manager asked why. The boy explained: «I think it was because managers in the other companies spoke on the phone in a cold business-like manner, which made me feel like just another business transaction. Your voice sounded as if you were glad to hear from me … that you really wanted me to be part of your organization.»
A simple smile can go a long way.
As for me, I challenged myself to smile at everybody whole week. And you know what? I made friends with some of them! This is so incredible 😄
