Want to make someone’s day today?

Let me tell you a story.

We walked into a downtown restaurant to enjoy a nice winter lunch. We were seated and began conversing as normal. Then our waiter “Peter” approached us.

He asked: “Hi Everyone! How are you all doing today?”

We all said: “Great!”

But that’s not what caught Peter by surprise, it’s what happened next.

“How are you doing today?”, I asked.

He was astonished. The sparkle in his eyes showed his shock. He stammered: “Oh, uh, I’m great! Thank you for asking. You know, not many people actually ask me that. They just want their food as fast as possible and don’t care enough to ask me how I’m doing. Thank you very much!”

So I made his day.

And you know what? It took absolutely no effort on my part. All I did was answer his question and ask him the same question he asked me. Wow, can you do that?

You sure can!

Well, let me tell you, this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened to me. One of my associates would visit me on occasion and ask for my help.

She would say: “Hi Ronnie!”

I responded: “Hi Jana! How are you doing?”

And each time her eyes lit up almost as if she never expected someone to care to ask about her. So one time she mentioned to me how she felt about it.

She said: “You know Ronnie, you always ask me that! I really appreciate it! It’s so thoughtful of you.”

There you have it.

Want to make someone’s day? Genuinely care about their existence and show your concern. Oh, and smiling a little more can never hurt.

Make it a part of your New Year’s Resolution to be a little more considerate in your everyday conversations. It makes a huge difference!