“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”
~Mother Teresa
I was watching CBS Sunday Morning when I saw a segment on a mailman who works on the campus of Penn State. Mike the Mailman is not just delivering mail; he’s delivering happiness, too.
From CBS’s Sunday Morning: “My mission is to make them have a little bit of levity on the way out and say, ‘Hey, it’s not so bad after all,’” says Mike Herr. To that end, Mike lives by a simple motto: if you can’t say something nice about someone, you’re just not looking hard enough. Even if it’s only how nicely they filled out their forms. And he’s been like this with just about every customer, every day, for 38 years. “This is what I do,” he says. “I’m just myself, that’s all I can do.” The man really is pure heart, which is part of the reason the lines are so long here. Nicole Logan, a regular, says she comes in to buy stamps when she doesn’t need stamps. “Because he just makes your day so much better,” she explains. (See more here)
Now how nice is that?! A man who has spent his life making other people happy with humor and compliments. Mike also finds incredible benefits on his end. It makes him feel good and students give him gifts. And it doesn’t seem that hard.
You can be a person like Mike. These are simple ideas but ones we often forget! And the simple things are often the most powerful. Here are some of the things I noticed that Mike did:
1. Start with a smile – It may be the only smile they get that day.
2. Use kind words – words that encourage like You’re doing a great job! You rock! You’re amazing! You are making my day! “Be compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong,” as George Washington Carver writes, “because someday you’ll be all of the these.
3. Show genuine interest – Don’t just say “How was your day today?” Remember something from your last conversation. “How did your test go?”
4. Give Sincere Compliments – You look great today. What a wonderful scarf! I like that shirt. Did you get a new haircut? Looks great! A compliment is great way to start out a conversation.
5. Another thing you can do for Valentine’s Day is to express your feelings through words on a card – Maybe you can’t exactly think of the words yourself. A quote can sometimes say it all! Here are a few of my favorite love quotes.
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
~Lao Tzu
“Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.”
~ Kahlil Gibran
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
~ Aristotle
“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.”
~ Judy Garland
“Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.”
~ Richard Bach
6. Say Thank You! There is no gift like real gratitude. We always say thank you automatically. Try true gratitude to those you love.
I have to end with one of my favorite short films, Validation. It’s 16 minutes and so worth watching!
Here is your homework. On Valentine’s Day (and everyday really) use your words to compliment, to show you listen, to encourage and to validate. Be a positive part of someone’s day. You may be the best part!
***By the way, I have a gift for you this Valentine’s Day! My kindle ebook, ZEN TIPS, will be FREE to download February 13th and 14th. Just go to Amazon by clicking here. And my two other books, HOW TO BE A ZEN MAMA and THE ZEN MAMA’S BOOK OF QUOTES are lowered in price to $3.99
More Valentine’s Posts:
Love Is A Choice, Create More Today
Some Bloggers Share Their Favoreite Love Songs
Love Never Dies
Wow, the people in customer service that go the extra mile really leave an impression.
I know that a lot of people that serve me in shops for example are just grumpy and you can tell they can’t be bothered, so when I get one who is happy and friendly it really leaves an impression.
-Ben
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Betsy Reply:
February 10th, 2013 at 10:18 pm
Ben,
It’s worth seeing the CBS segment. What a guy to be so incredibly kind to people for 38 years! I can’t understand the grumpy people of the world but I try not to judge.
Thanks for the comment!
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Wishing you very Happy Valentine’s day well n advance!
Oh yes…there are so-so many ways to make people feel good, which we should use on all days and not just on Valentine’s, but yes, sometimes we need such reminders:)
Simply being yourself and giving your full self to the other person in a true and honest way is what I believe in. Yes, smiling, paying compliments, giving your love, gifts, and part of you all work wonders.
Thanks for sharing.
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Betsy Reply:
February 11th, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Thanks Harleena!
Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too! I think you make a good point about being yourself in a true and honest way.
Thanks for your great comment!
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Mike the mailman is an excellent example of a people person…honest, sincere, & comfortable in his own skin. His secret is that it makes him happy to make others happy.There are a lot of people out in this big world who could be like Mike if only they had the confidence to like themselves a little more. That’s where YOU fit into the picture, Betsy, & a fine job you do! Your posts always leave me with a smile. I was a waitress in the same place for 30 years…you can’t please everyone, but you can’t please anyone if you don’t try!
Thanks for your sunshine,
Kim
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Betsy Reply:
February 11th, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Kim,
Your comments always leave me with a smile! Your comments are my “pay-check”!! So glad you enjoy the sunshine and that you are a part of our positive community!! I do agree that you can’t please everyone but you can certainly try, huh?
Thanks again for your comment!
xoxo
Betsy
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its amazing how simple a compliment can be to one person that can spread to others so positively. its contagious. Thanks for reminding us to be happy and smile even if we are not feeling so well
you can always make someone feel good by just a simple word of kindness
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Betsy Reply:
February 12th, 2013 at 7:11 am
EJ,
I couldn’t agree more about a compliment! Yesterday, I told someone, “Pink is your color.” She looked at me with an amazed, happy face!
Thanks for the comment!
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Betsy, this is the sunshine for my day today. What a wonderful story and it’s so true, it’s the little simple things that can make a huge difference in someone’s life. If we would smile as we go through our day, not only will we feel good, but a little loving energy is sprinkled all around.
Love Elle
xoxo
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Betsy Reply:
February 17th, 2013 at 5:55 am
Elle,
So glad to have this be the sunshine for your day! Thanks for stopping by!!
xoxo
Betsy
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So heart-warming. I experience that often in my locality. Kindness always rules!
Thank you for a beautiful post, Betsy.
Love, and happy Valentine’s Day to you!
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Betsy Reply:
February 17th, 2013 at 5:56 am
Vidya,
“Kindness always rules!” I love that!
Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and that you’re feeling better!
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Hi Betsy,
I saw that episode as well and it is so wonderful to know that people can be that kind and generous. What a great guy and fun that people go to the Post Office just to get a little love from him. Thanks for sharing
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Betsy Reply:
February 17th, 2013 at 5:57 am
Cathy,
Don’t you just love Sunday Morning? I call it my happy news. So glad you enjoyed the post!
Thanks for the comment!
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Hi Betsy, I love running into people like this! Some people are just naturally so cheerful or funny or otherwise uplifting and really can just perk you up at the right time.
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Betsy Reply:
February 17th, 2013 at 5:58 am
Hi Julie,
Looking forward to checking out your blog today!!
So glad you enjoyed the post…thanks for the comment!
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Hi Betsy,
Hope you had a good Valentine’s Day and this was a lovely post!
I loved the point you made about genuine interest. You can always tell when someone is genuinely interested in us. There is a distinct difference in tonality when they ask us a question, compared to those who don’t really mean what they are asking us.
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Betsy Reply:
February 17th, 2013 at 5:59 am
Hiten,
It sure is true that you can tell when someone’s interested or when they’re a million miles away. That is so interesting about the tonality of their voice. I’d never thought about that. I’m going to be on the lookout to listen for that. Thanks for introducing that thought and for commenting!
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Betsy, I loved everything about this post!!! The seemingly smallest gestures can make the biggest difference to people. And we may never know the impact, but it’s there nonetheless.
Just watched Validation – it’s FANTASTIC. Had me grinning from ear to ear!!
Thank you for being such a ray of sunshine!!
Christine
xoxo
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Betsy Reply:
February 17th, 2013 at 6:00 am
Christine,
So glad you watched Validation! Isn’t it great? I never know if people are watching or not. Glad to be a ray of sunshine for you!!
xoxo
Betsy
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