Raising Morale

My campaign stop on Day 89 of Campaign Smile was 100% populated by interactions with the employees.  It was also almost 100% positive though not all responses were smiles.  Here’s what I found…

1. Shortly after I entered the store a gentleman that worked there saw me.  He smiled in response and asked me how I was doing.

2. Another store worker, a woman, was walking past me and glanced at me before looking away.

3. Another gentleman pushing a cart of items past me said, “Hey there, bud.”  He did not smile but he gave off a very positive vibe so he seemed genuine.

4. The gentleman at the register up front stared at me for several moments before meeting my smile with a nod and a lifting of the corners of his mouth.  It was not a smile but it was a move in the right direction.

The few shoppers that were in the store were engrossed in their shopping each time I was near one of them so there were no chances to brighten their days.  However, lifting the spirits of the staff will certainly have a residual effect.  Only one of the positive experiences was a smile so our total is now 290.
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Duck And Cover

The smiles came at me so rapidly on Day 84 of Campaign Smile it was like the Universe was shooting them at me.  What a great way to get shot, though.  I just stopped in to pick up a few things I needed…

1. As I was walking down the aisle a woman was driving one of those little carts (Rascal, Hoverround, etc.) in front of me and turned quickly into the aisle I was beside at the time.  She smiled at me when she turned and cut everyone off.  She was a little embarrassed because she was not paying attention, just driving.  We’ve all had some of those moments where we’re moving but not really there to “steer”.

2. I got another opportunity to watch the transfer of emotion immediately.  A young couple was shopping near me when the girl looked over and met my gaze, which accompanied my smile, as per usual.  She did not change expression but quickly turned back to her boyfriend and smiled and squeezed his arm.  I don’t know how things were going before that but they definitely improved afterwards for them.  How touching to know I made some impact.

3. The cashier when I got to the register had a pleasant smile that seemed very genuine, if a little tired.

4. As I was walking from the register another man was pushing his cart toward the exit as well.  He smiled back at me and asked how I was doing. 

It was a fantastic smile campaign stop with 100% of my interactions resulting in smiles.  With 4 more smiles the total rises to 267.

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Don’t Blink

There was a wide range of reactions on my campaign stop for Day 83 of Campaign Smile.  Each of the different outcomes was enjoyable for different reasons.  Even when people send me very negative emotions and I find it difficult to believe that my smile has any effect I don’t feel bad.  After all, it is still my choice at every moment how I feel about what occurs around me so I simply choose to not feel bad.  Here’s what happened…

1. Shortly after entering the store I passed an older couple leaving.  Though I never made eye contact with the woman the man stared right through me as I smiled at him.  I didn’t feel like he was overtly hostile so he was more likely just tired.

2. A young redhead woman that worked there came around the corner toward me but did not respond to my smile.  I did everything I could to engage her and try to make a dent in the armor but she stood strong.  Sometimes, I guess, a bad day just will not be fixed that easily which is too bad.  Certainly, things got better after she finished her shift.

3. The gentleman running the register had a warm smile that he gave freely to anyone willing to accept it.  That was nice to see and I’m sure he had quite an impact on the store throughout his shift.

4. As I was leaving the store another older woman was entering.  She scowled at me and seemed to shoot daggers from her eyes as she did.  Probably, I surmised, there were other things giving her a bad time.  It could also be that she was reminded of something hurtful by me.  I remain confident that our exchange softened her mood in some way however imperceptible.

5. As I started to cross the driving path in front of the store a woman who was driving there must have been startled when she saw me.  Though she was not moving all that fast, when she saw me she punched the brakes.  She gave me a timid smile and a wave as I crossed.

6. After I was in my car and driving in that same lane another older woman was waiting to cross.  I smiled and waved her across and received, for my efforts, a beautiful smile in return.

With 3 more smiles today I now have a total of 263 for the campaign.  Keep smiling, it confuses those around you.
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Short And Sweet

Okay, I didn’t do a lot of campaigning on this 77th day of Campaign Smile.  It was the first day of my new job and I was focusing most of my energy on learning all the nuances of that position.  I did manage to gather some smiles, though, during my extended study session at the library…

1. As I walked down one of the rows of books I passed an older woman.  She had a great smile that she shared with me.

2. Immediately behind her, however, was a second woman who only managed to raise the corners of her mouth.  She didn’t actually produce any sort of smile though the effort was and the increasingly positive feelings were stirred.

3. A short time later I had stopped to look at something posted on the wall and rather lost track of myself as I stood looking and smiling.  I finally looked away to find a young woman smiling back at me as she tried to make her way around me.

All told, I was 2 for 3 on the smiles today and the third was well on its way so I am sure it surface soon after.  That brings the smile campaign total to 248.  Keep smiling folks, life is better that way.
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It’s Contagious!

The positive energy surrounding my campaign stop could almost be felt physically.  There was a generally good feeling as the positive emotions seemed to be found in almost everyone.  On this 72nd day of I stopped at the grocery store after work for a few things…

1. Immediately after entering the store I was greeted by an employee.  He was friendly enough but the lack of a smile made me wonder about the sincerity of his banter.

2. I passed an older man on whom I literally watched a small smile push itself onto his face.  He looked at me and had a neutral expression but he was pressing his lips together for several seconds before they pulled back to reveal a small smile.  I’m not sure why he was trying to hold it back but I am glad it made it out.

3. A little bit younger gentleman with a goatee passed near me next and revealed a smile of his own, though with a lot less resistance.

4. An employee pushing one cart and pulling another, both full of product was crossing the aisle at the same place as me.  As we both moved to avoid a collision she smiled at me in passing.

5. The gentleman I walked by next cast me a long, wary glance out of the corner of his eye as he walked on.  He looked deeply suspicious but I get that sometimes.  We all live in a world of our expectations.  Some people expect people to be mean and hateful so they are not surprised when that happens.  I tend to be the opposite.  It’s really a choice for each of us to make.

6. As I approached the register another employee with a couple of quick items jumped ahead.  She then turned, smiled and motioned for me to come to the register anyway.  She knew she would be but a moment.  The cashier laughed at the other employee and smiled at me as well.

5 more smiles on my smile campaign stop brings the total to 236!  Only 999,764 to go.
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Weathering The Storm

Day 67 of Campaign Smile revealed one of my shortest campaign stops to date. Still, I garnered some positive emotions and generated smiles as well…

1. I went to a local convenience store for a snack this afternoon. It had been drizzling all day and was still doing so at that time. When I approached the building there were three gentleman sitting under the shelter of the overhanging roof on the side of the building. They were apparently, judging from the company name on their shirts, landscapers. They were relaxing and enjoying their lunch. I smiled and said hi to them all. All three said hi back to me but only one actually smiled. On my way out I greeted them again and wished them a good day.

2. The cashier was very friendly and had a genuine smile as we made small talk about a variety of topics. His relaxed demeanor showed me that smiling and conversing with everyone was natural and not difficult for him. It was nice to see.

3. With 2 of the 4 people smiling back at me the percentage was again at 50%. That makes the total 222 for the campaign so far.
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And The Winner Is….

Well, today was Day 66 of Campaign Smile.  More importantly, since it was July 1st, that means the James Dean Contest is over.  It was a lot of fun and created a lot of smiles.  The winner of the contest is Cathy Clark.  Thank you to all who entered and keep your eye on the blog.  I am searching for the next prize for this month.  If you are already a subscriber you will automatically be entered into any future drawings.  Okay, here is how the smile campaign stop went today…

1. I went to a home improvement store this evening for some parts I needed for a project at the house.  I was wondering aimlessly down one of the aisles and this woman who worked there stopped pulling the large display she was moving to ask if she could help.  She smiled to match mine and was very detailed in her directions for me.  She even repeated them as she made sure I was heading in the right direction.  I can’t help but feel that the smile had some impact on her enthusiasm for helping me.

2. I passed a fellow shopper next.  This man glanced toward me and looked away, wrapped up in his shopping.

3. Another pleasant young lady working at the store beamed a large smile and asked me how I was doing.

4. The cashier when I was ready to pay for my purchases was nice and completed the sale quickly.  Still, nothing I did could convince her to smile.

Overall, half of the people I connected with smiled which is not a bad percentage.  More importantly both of those people were employees so they were then further inspired to share those smiles with other shoppers.  I just got the smile chain started.  2 more smiles brings us to 220 smiles.
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Attitude Adjustment

Day 62 of Campaign Smile gave me another peek into the power of a smile.  I talk and theorize a lot about the positive impact a smile can have on another person.  Maybe it brightens their day, perhaps it improves the way they treat others, possibly it simply gives them hope when theirs was lost.  Sometimes, though, it is something as simply as treating the person who is smiling at them with more kindness than they might have otherwise offered.  I think I saw proof of this during my smile campaign stop…

1. The first couple that I encountered stared at me and then looked away.  I don’t know the impact from that point forward.  However, what I do know is that these two individuals were so perfectly in sync with each other that they seemed to make all the mentioned movements in perfect tandem as if they had rehearsed it.  I think that is striking, as it shows they were very much in tune with each other.  Whether that is always true for them is impossible to know but it truly represents a depth of connection we all seem to long for at some point in life.

2. The next man that I passed studied me for several long seconds as I smiled in his direction.  Finally, he said hi to me, having taken my smile as a form of greeting.  No smile but a pleasant interaction.

3. The next two women I passed, one at a time, each looked at me and, as they turned away felt the gentle upward tug of the corners of their mouths.  Some part of them wanted to smile even if that part was not strong enough to get its way entirely.

4. A woman approached me walking with her daughter shortly thereafter.  Though her daughter was otherwise preoccupied the woman smiled back at me before looking away.

5. Another lady stared at me for a bit before revealing a small smile.  Sometimes, I think, we find ourselves intrigued by something and don’t realize immediately that we are staring.  I know I have been guilty of this.  What puzzled her or fascinated her I don’t know but, ultimately, it resulted in a smile which is my goal, even if it was partially from embarrassment.

6. When I reached the register I found my daily insight I spoke of earlier.  As I walked up I found that all the open registers had several people in line.  I picked what I thought was the shortest line and stepped behind the man at the end of the line.  When the cashier opened another lane two spots down and offered to help some people there both the man in front of me and I looked that way.  I encouraged him to go himself since he was in front of me.  Seeing my smile and casual demeanor he responded similarly.  Though he never actually smiled he, in turn, encouraged me to also go to the new line and allowed me to go first since I had only two items.  If you can find no better reason to get a face lift (smile) do it to get others to treat you better.  Even if you smile for selfish reasons it still benefits those around you.

7. The cashier, after quickly ringing up my purchase, also yielded a generous smile as her emotions ran in a more positive direction.

I received 1 more comment smile for the James Dean Contest.  Make sure you have subscribed to enter.  The drawing is Wednesday, June 30th.  That smile along with the 3 from my campaign stop bring the total to 207.
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Testing My Conviction

June 30th marks the end of my first giveaway, the James Dean Contest.  If you haven’t subscribed to the blog do it now so you can be entered in the contest.  Day 61 was a little tough on the campaign trail.  My smile campaign stop for Campaign Smile yielded no smiles.  The way I see it, though, that just proves the need for what I am trying to do.  The point of life should be enjoying the experience of living, not suffering through it…

1. The first couple that I passed in my stop was amiable enough.  The woman was talking to her husband and did not take notice of me.  The man, however, nodded in response to my smile.  While not a smile it was definitely positive.

2. Next, an older gentleman looked at my smiling visage and stared right through me.  I have to believe that, deep down, the effect was positive for him.

3. Another woman was standing with her cart in the aisle where I was walking.  She was by no means in my way as I had plenty of room to pass by her and her cart.  Still, she jumped to the conclusion she expected to be correct, that she was blocking my path.  Coming to that conclusion she quickly averted her eyes and moved out of my way.

4. The last woman that I engaged before leaving the store did not smile but the corners of her mouth did pull upward.  Again, it was not a smile but it was a move in the right direction.

5. Luckily, when I was walking the dog later I did receive one smile from a neighbor as I passed and smiled my hello.  We exchanged some light banter but I was most pleased by her smile.

Though I received 1 smile out of 5 encounters it is one more than there was in the world today.  Plus, with the half-smile and the kind nod of acknowledgment I know I started some positive emotions flowing which will move themselves outward from me.  The total smiles now stands at 204.
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Shop ‘Til You Drop

I made another Friday trip to a grocery store on my campaign stop today for Campaign Smile.  Fridays tend to be a double-edged sword with grocery shoppers I have noticed.  While many there are feeling the relief of the end of another work week many are feeling other burdens.  These can include the obvious like the need to get food and prepare it for supper.  They could also be more obscure like preparing for company, vacation, wedding or other party, etc.  For this reason I like to try and see if I can brighten any days…

1. I didn’t find a lot of people shopping when I made my smile campaign stop.  The first woman I encountered glanced at me and my smile and quickly looked away.  The funnier thing was when she popped up again about thirty seconds later, having circled the aisle and come back the same way as before.  She looked at me again and looked away again.  I guess she couldn’t believe I was smiling at her the first time and had to see it again.  Even the encore performance didn’t elicit a smile, though.  The benefit came later, I know.

2. I nearly collided with an older gentleman hurrying to pick up a carrier carton for his wine purchase.  (Like a fast-food drink carrier but holds 4 bottles of wine.)  Maybe it had been a long week.  Hopefully, the wine and the smile helped though I could not draw a smile from him right then.

3. As I was leaving one of the store employees greeted me and smiled largely.  This assured me that at least one person would carry on my quest after I left.  Roll, Campaign Smile, Roll!

We now have 203 smiles counted.  More importantly, there is a tremendous wave of benefit rolling forth from these encounters.  Speaking of smiling, if you haven’t already subscribed to the blog to enter the James Dean Contest you can do so now before you forget.  Drawing is June 30th.
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