What we’re reading // How to Win Friends & Influence People
Who wrote it // Dale Carnegie
This month’s post references // Part 2, Chapter 2: A Simple Way to Make a Good First Impression
“The expression one wears on one’s face is far more important than the clothes one wears on one’s back.” -Dale Carnegie
I’m sure you’ve seen them before, but on any given day, there’s a handful of guys in neon orange vests at stoplights selling newspapers. We’ve chatted with them here and there and know they’re raising funds for a program that helps recovering alcoholics and drug addicts (like themselves) move forward in life and get back into society. Every now and then, we give them 50 cents and they give us a paper.
The other day, Jess and I were at one of those lights, and the guy in the car ahead of us pretended the man in the glaring orange vest (about 3 feet away from him) didn’t exist. A few days later, it happened again. This big dude, bearded and sort of bouncer-like was at the light trying to sell his papers. He had a HUGE happy smile on his face. He was waving to everyone and pointing to his stack of newspapers. But the girl in the car ahead of me looked straight ahead and denied his effort and existence.
I rolled down my window and asked how he’s doing. He said, “I’m doing alright! Some people though. You think the least they could do is just SMILE!” I agreed. We laughed. And he wished me a good day.
This simple little act makes such a big difference. Who wants to hang out with, converse with and do business with someone who’s grumpy or angry. Not us! So then, we must smile 😀 Carnegie makes a great point, though: Sometimes you just don’t feel like smiling. He quotes psychologist and philosopher William James, who gives some great advice when you’re feeling kind of mopey. James says, “Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness, if our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there.”
Smiling is a necessity and the perfect way to make a fantastic first impression. Even when we’re not up for it, in life and in business, we must smile because, Carnegie says, “You must have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you.”
