Just Say Hello

You walk down the hall at your office. You work at a large corporation and you rarely speak to anyone, unless it involves work. You look up ahead and there is a stranger. You notice the man is wearing a suit and tie just like everyone else is. He must work with you. But should you assume that he does work with you or that he does not? What do you do? Do you say hello or good morning? Or do you just duck your head and keep walking.

I have noticed that many people choose to hide their face and walk on by. For those of you that do I want to ask you a simple question. Why?

If you do not say hello to strangers you can absolutely nothing, but much can be gained by saying hello.

Let's run through the scenario together.

You are walking past the stranger. You say good morning. He responds with a smile and a good morning in return. The next day you just so happen to walk by the same person. This time you can smile when you walk past and tell him good morning.

You may ask, what is the outcome? You are happy. Can saying hello truly make you happy? Well of course, it can and you shouldn't need a scientific experiment to prove it. Just think logically.

Let's assume that you pass the stranger everyday for a year. You say hello every day. But what happens when one day the stranger is not there? You will stop where you are supposed to pass him. You will be curious of why he is not there.

Look deeper. Chances are not only are you curious of why he is not there. You actually miss him. It may sound silly, but if you have had this experience, you know the emotion I am speaking describing.

If you miss someone, it means you are happier when they are around. Therefore, you are happy. If you don't believe me, just try it. For one week, say hello to everyone that you pass. Eventually it will become habit. Eventually you will create a bond with those strangers that you pass every day.

Perhaps one of them is your future spouse or future best friend. It may start with a "Hey, I am going to get coffee would you like to join?" But that is not when it actually started. It all started when you decided to say "Hello."