The other day my Facebook status was "Sometimes it pays to be a little extra cheerful. You never know who might need that smile." At work that day, I had called a funeral director to confirm an obituary; he sounded tired and stressed out, probably from dealing with the family. I was cheery and made him laugh, and later he emailed me to thank me for always being so friendly.
This morning I was really dreading coming into work because I figured there would be at least 20 obituaries waiting for me. I wasn't feeling very chipper, but I put on a face and acted that way. I emailed a funeral home to let them know I got the obituary they sent, and I used exclamation marks, "Happy Saturday!" and a smiley face, like I always do (who cares if emoticons aren't very professional? Someone's gotta make this job a little less morbid). The director emailed me back with, "I always enjoy when you get my obits. You are such a cheerful person. Have a great day."
And that's just what I needed to put a smile on my face.
People do notice whether you're nice or not. My mom always told me if I wanted friends, I had to show myself to be friendly. People don't always respond, and they may growl and ignore your happy greeting, but they pay attention. Being friendly makes such an impression, and it makes it worth it a thousand times over when someone is nice to you in return.
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