Josh Hagarne wrote a piece recently where he said that the key to making anyone’s day better is don’t make anyone’s day worse. This prompted me to thinking about other ways we can make life better for ourselves and others.

The first that springs to mind, and referred to in passing in Josh’s piece, is to really be there for people. If you are in conversation with someone, really listen. In today’s high-paced world, how often have you had the experience of someone really listening to you, giving you 100% of their attention? Not often, I’ll bet. (Note to self, I must practice what I preach about listening!)

The next one is smile! The weird thing, certainly in the UK, is that if you are on the underground or somewhere else that is crowded and you start smiling, it’s the quickest way to make space for yourself! In a less crowded situation, I do find that people respond to a smile and a cheery “Good Morning!”

The third one is to engage people in cheerful, positive conversation when the opportunity arises. I’m not necessarily advocating that you go up to a complete stranger and start a conversation, though that might work for you! However, when someone says something like ‘How are you?’ answer positively and then ask them in return. So many people just let it drop after they have responded – I’ve had fascinating conversations with checkout assistants, waiters, people in my favourite coffee shop etc just by asking in return and letting a conversation develop. The key is to be positive, cheerful and to listen… let them talk about their experiences. Watch their body language for clues about how they are feeling. If all of their being says ‘don’t talk to me’, it’s probably better to be sensitive and leave them alone.

The fourth is to use situations as they develop as an opportunity to interact; if someone drops an object near you, try moving quickly and picking it up; it will give you the opportunity at the very least to smile and give a cheery ‘No Problem’, when the person thanks you. It’s also, to use an old-fashioned word, the ‘courteous’ thing to do.

So, it’s important as Josh wrote, to make sure you don’t make someone’s day worse for them; it’s even better if you can improve their day!