Originally posted Oct 6, 2017 on www.energised.life

The conductor wanders up the first class carriage, tickets are flung under his nose or left in a viewable position on the table.

One man is cleverly hiding himself behind a newspaper to avoid conversation – two others are noisily eating crisps and most other people just have their noses stuck to the screen of their phones. One man looks up to speak, the conductor smiles encouragingly – clearly wanting interaction. The man orders a coffee without a please.

When he reaches me, he looks miserable. He has a social job dealing with people and not one person has spoken more than a couple of words to him. Maybe they’ve had a bad day….

I have my ticket in my hand. Ready.

When he moves on from me, he is noticeably more buoyant – asking the next person how their day is and raising his tired eyes into a smile and his voice has come alive with happiness.

Why?
Because I took the time to acknowledge and converse with him.
I smiled.
I engaged in eye contact.
Ask him how his day was.
I was genuinely happy to chat to him.
I wasn’t in a rush to get rid of him.

By simply being kind, in an environment that not many people are – In helped him walk away feeling more positive. He then, in turn helped others feel more positive along the way. It’s catching and it made me feel great too.

Next time you’re on a train, or a bus , in a supermarket or in any situation where the employee has to deal with you directly, just think how your reaction has an effect on them. I know you may have had a bad day. but is it fair to pass that onto someone else? Plus, in return for showing kindness to others, it will increase the positive emotions in you – helping you to feel better.

Now off you go, make a concerted effort to speak to people nicely, show interest and help promote those positive emotions! I promise it will have a good effect on you too!