Be The First To Say, "Hello"


Living on the 18th floor in a high-rise condo building, I do my share of elevator time; you know, those tiny claustrophobic cubicles where people do their darndest to avoid eye contact. Well, not on my ride!

Mind you, I have many reasons NOT to initiate a conversation. For one, no less that 85% of the people in my building are of a different race and culture. (You gotta love these big cities!) Many of them do not count English as their first language and more than a few of them get by on just a handful of English words.

Of course, there's always the difference in ages. Why on earth would I want to start a conversation with someone 30-40 years younger - or older - than myself? What would be the point of that?

Then the real biggie - when a beautiful woman steps onto the elevator, who am I to be so 'forward' as to say "Hello"? After all, I'm married... AND I have a cat!

I hope you realize I'm slicing the sarcasm brick-thick on purpose. What are YOUR reasons for not being the first to say, "Hello"?

You know, there's a tendency to look at "Success" as some huge accomplishment. Sometimes we can get so focused on that one 'Nobel prize' perception of achievement that we fail to take advantage of the hundreds of little 'success opportunities' throughout the day.

And what could possibly be any better than acknowledging the existence of another human being with a heart-felt "Hello" accompanied by a sincere smile? Think about it. How do you feel when someone treats you as if you are invisible?

I'll let you in on a little secret... as good as you will make the other person feel by simply giving them a little personal attention, the one who really benefits is you. Trust me, YOU will feel so much better for the effort!

Want to take it up another notch? Do what my wife does - throw in a compliment.

• On clothing, she might say, "Wow, you look great in that color!"


• When someone is bringing home dinner, "Hmmmm, something smells really good!"


• When a mother comes onto the elevator with an armload of groceries and two young children in tow, "Now there's a Super Mom!"

OK, so you don't live in a big city or ride the elevator every day.

• How about being the first one to say, "Hello" when you get up in the morning.


• Or being the first neighbor to say, "Hello" when you go out in your yard.


• Or being the first to say, "Hello" when you get to work.

Like the old song says, "Make someone happy, and soon you'll be happy, too!"

Master the hundreds of little success opportunities that are right in front of you each day and soon enough you'll find yourself holding that 'Nobel prize'!

All the best from Toronto,
Russ