Smile @ workplace

" Smile - a magic curve on the face needs a positive thought to bend it."
"Let your smile be a mirror – let others see what they already have or what they are missing!"

In this fast paced work environment with ‘succeed at any cost’ value system, cut-throat competition, fast food, quick lunch, frenzied work atmosphere etc there is no time for real meaningful breaks. Preoccupied and tired faces with exhausted energy moving around like robots, forgetting the fact that they are humans are common work place scenarios. Sometimes, even informal interactions happen with formal and expression-less face missing out an important element – a smile.

Take a break and smile. A smile provides a momentary break but albeit a valuable one. Smile not for medical reasons or everlasting health – but to take a break, to make a silent communication or a simple ‘hi’. It’s impossible to think a negative thought and smile at the same time. That magic curve on the face needs a positive thought to bend it!

Fake a smile, until it becomes part of the face. While it’s not possible to maintain a positive outlook all the time, but making sure to lend that smile during that common encounters like meeting someone at their desk, when someone comes to your desk, at ‘hi’ to known faces in that walkway, to the security at the gate, to the office-boy etc .will definitely make a difference. Every time you laugh or smile, you are recharging your batteries and others as well- sending out bouts of positive energy. While you may not do a good deed to everyone everyday, you can do a noble act just by smiling everyday. Everyone’s has their own share of burdens; your smile could be a momentary pain relief spray for them. As H. Jackson Brown Jr puts it “Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day”. Let your smile be a mirror – let others see what they already have or what they are missing!

Power of Appreciation

"Nothing is too small to be appreciated. No honest appreciation is too small to make a difference."

Every soul in this world has inner need to be recognized. Appreciation is the inexpensive yet valuable form of recognition. It’s an indicator of effort or the idea or the work being recognized.

Appreciation is morale booster. One never knows what an honest appreciation is capable of doing. When a work cannot be rewarded monetarily, a word of appreciation could be a rewarding one.

Appreciating a person’s effort or work in spite of its failure, really does wonders for the shattered morale. It helps to regain the confidence and propels in moving forward.

When a person appreciates, it shows his/her sense of gratitude, the ability to see the positive effort beyond the failed results, open-mindedness, ability to put him/her self in other person shoes and understand what it really takes to do the work etc. It fosters a good relationship. Anyone will be willing to take a positive criticism from a person who appreciates than from a person who looks for only the shortcoming. A closed mind is incapable of appreciating things.

It just takes a few moments to appreciate but could leave a lasting impact.

Appreciating need not always be restricted to formal atmosphere like cubicles or boardrooms or classrooms alone, it could be a compliment for personal things too like the dressing, a joke, a personal traits, a smile, a positive attitude, a quick response from a customer service, a painting done by a child, good dish in eatery etc.. Each one is unique and special and it’s even more special to look and appreciate the uniqueness.

Nothing is too small to be appreciated. No honest appreciation is too small to make a difference. Look around with an open mind and appreciate with an open heart and create a positive impact! You never know, your simple words could make a positive impact!