Definition (unofficial) – Being polite and respectful without any expectation of reward, recognition or recompense. Just because you were raised right.
Good day. Is that so hard? Two words; forming a state of being and, stating a form of time. So simple, yet so powerful.
Over the years, I’ve developed a habit of greeting nearly everyone I come in contact with; nearly, more on that another time.
Essentially, it comes down to this; when I get to work, at the front door, I greet the security guard. Upon entering, there may be another, also greeted. I may encounter the ancillary staff who also receive a greeting, whether or not they’re interested.
In my office, I announce a general ‘good morning’ or on my not so cheerful days ‘morning’. Now, if this is not your natural behaviour, it can be exhausting for the first few weeks, but trust me, it’s worth it.
A few years ago there was a story of a factory supervisor that got trapped in a freezer while doing end-of-day inspections.
She resigned herself to her fate, for she knew most workers had clocked-off and the freezer was soundproof, so no amount of screaming would set her free.
However, moments before she nodded off for her last sleep, a security guard opened the door.
She rushed out, realising how close she had come to death.
When she asked the guard how he found her, he told her she never told him ‘goodbye’.
Apparently, while most workers ignored him, and others admonished him for his manner of work, whether taking too long to open the gate, or some other trifle associated with his job, she always said ‘good morning’ at the start of the day, and ‘goodbye, see you tomorrow’ at days end.
So, when he didn’t receive his customary salutation, he knew something was amiss, and he came looking; opening the freezers one at a time.
The overarching theme of this story is, people matter, not just those that can further your cause, secure your promotion, give you a lift home or lend you some money.
Everybody matters, and the sooner we realise that, the better this place will be.
There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It takes less than 2 of them to say ‘good day’, ‘good morning’ or ‘goodbye’, yet they can have such a profound effect on someone’s life that it might save yours.
Have you ever got to work and someone says something that pisses you off and puts you in a foul mood for the rest of the day?
That something may also have been just 2 seconds, yet it colours at least another 7 hours and 59 minutes of your day, possibly more.
Now flip that around; someone’s having a bad day and you say something nice to them, whether about their hair, clothes or smile. You could be contributing to a turnaround in the emotion of their day; just with a few kind words, that only costs you a few of those seconds.
Here’s the thing: the times that we live in tend to emphasise the dark, negative aspects of life, from social and mainstream media, politics, music and TV; we have become comfortable accepting negatives as a natural phenomenon.
When something bad happens, we’re not surprised, and when something good happens, we sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop, ‘cause we’re certain it won’t last.
I have been working on something to counteract this mindset, and I want to share it with you. It will require you to go against everything they have conditioned you to believe; however, if you can achieve it, you’ll be much happier, and also cause those around you to be happy.
Here it goes:
- Greet everyone you meet – please understand, this doesn’t mean everyone will get a hearty ‘good morning’. For some, a simple nod of the head is enough. You never know what someone is going through, and how your gesture of kindness that acknowledges their existence might turn their day around.
- When someone introduces a negative 2 or more seconds into your allotted 86,400, restrict them to their time slot. Don’t let them infect the rest of your day. If you concentrate on how they made you feel, you’ll miss opportunities for positivity.
- Stop waiting for things to go wrong. Whether by Faith, Fate or pure Luck, enjoy the now and forget about later. You can’t change the past, and you can’t see the future; right now neither of those exist, they either were or are to be.
- Live. We spend so much time trying to make a life that we sometimes forget to live. I used to say, ‘when I get this’ or ‘when I have enough for that’. Newsflash, there’ll never be enough. Enjoy who you have, where you are, and what you have right now. Stop waiting, start living.
Let’s make courtesy common again. It’ll be worth it.
Thanks for indulging my ramblings. If you enjoyed my deliberations, be sure to check out my thriller novels The Martial Art and On Jamaica Government Service on various platforms. They’re available in eBook, Paperback and Hardcover.
However, if you’re having commitment issues, check out my FREE short story, The Martial Art Origins: Severance, available as a free download.
Keep Reading. Cheers.
Dane