I’m not really looking for a guide, maybe moreso recent personal experiences that left you feeling positive? Minor things, such as holding a door open for someone, or a compliment that came off well?
I realize I’m not as naturally nice as I wish to be, and it would be nice to hear some personal accounts.
3 comments
I always say”Hi! How’s it going?” And “Thank you very much! I appreciate it. Hope you have a good day!” To any service provider people such as cashiers, bus drivers, employees etc.
Also if I see some one coming behind me, I open and hold the door for them to pass. If I see a cute dog go by, I compliment it and have a small conversation with them.
If I see some one holding a lot of grocery bags, I offer to help. Same goes with giving my seat up to some one who needs a seat. I have also helped some one who dropped their books/papers in a hallway.
The point is I forced myself to do these stuffs at the beginning and now it comes off naturally and it lifts my mood:)
When I go into a busy retail environment, I try to compliment the cashier. It’s busy, so I’m not looking for a long conversation, though if they choose to take it farther than “thanks,” I’m okay with that. I worked in retail, and you never knew when that person was going to be snippy or outright mean, ESPECIALLY when things got busy. I never faulted people for being quiet (there are days when I’m get-in-get-out, and I also have social anxiety, so I understand a lot of people don’t want to talk for reasons like that).
I had an experience recently where I was going to use self-checkout, but all the stalls were full. The person stationed to watch the stalls could ring me up at their kiosk if I was paying with a card. Half way through ringing me up, another customer drops off a bag that someone accidentally left. It’s busy. I’ve been in that exact situation. My cashier runs outside to help the customer that left the bag, and then runs back in apologizing. I want to relieve some of the cashier’s tension, so I complement their ring. They get excited and briefly gush about how their kids got it for them. It was a nice interaction 🙂
The others comments here are golden!
Start by trying to notice if someone around you seems disadvantaged. Like they are struggling with something that you can help with, and offer to help. And if they say no, then respectfully take the rejection.
I like to offer compliments to people if they have something about them that stands out (bright wig/nails, cool shirt or shoes, nice smile, etc). Quickest way to make someone’s day.
Do you feel like people haven’t been very nice to you? I feel like I am way more likely to pay it forward, so to speak, If someone already complimented me, offered to help, etc. maybe strangers haven’t said anything nice to you yet.