The "Make A Smile" Challenge

[Anthony W.]

Well, guys, I get out a lot. I see a lot of people just mindlessly going through the motions of their routine. I see a lot of scowls, frowns, and poker faces.

Well, lets change that up a bit.

For the past good while now, I've been going out of my way to make total strangers smile - to add a little something to their day. Just my little way of making the world a better, friendlier place to be - appealing to the general human sense of compassion and caring.

Last night I was thinking about how I just don't see many people approach total strangers like that.

So, I'm going to start a Facebook page called the "Make A Smile Challenge".

The goal is to, once a day, go out of your way to make a complete stranger smile.

So lets give this a try - can't do any harm, can it?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Make-A-Smile-Challenge/264217853596140?sk=wall

[Tribesman]

I've been going out of my way to make total strangers smile
Certainly worked here:rotfl2:

[Betonov]

Certainly worked here:rotfl2:

C'mon Triby-man, don't be such a sourpuss, smiiileeee :D

[Platapus]

Keep smiling. It makes people wonder what you are up to. :up:

[Stealhead]

Depends on where you are from I think. In the South people tend to be much more friendly/courteous to people it is not uncommon to see someone wave at you when as you ride past each other along the road or for someone to say a general greeting to someone in public.In my experience in other parts of the country people are less likely to do such things.To me things like that do generally make people feel well.

The only other place where people seemed to be generally more friendly and to people in public was in Germany or at least the region I was in they where fairly friendly.

I never have understood why some people are so negative to someone smiling(unless there is some common knowledge reason in a situation why they should not be).Perhaps it is because some folks just have a generally negative attitude towards life.

I dont see why you have to go out of your way you can make someone smile or at least feel good and not really go out of your way.

What makes me question what a person is up to is when they look nervous or out of place that is the person to look out for not the smiling person.

[Anthony W.]

~Stealhead yeah I've noticed that too

Here in the Midwest and North, it seems like life is some sort of - purgatory - for lack of better words. Or at least that's the attitude a lot of people take.

[STEED]

Facebook :haha::har:

[Jimbuna]

Facebook :haha::har:

Behave yersel http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8586/smacka1.gif

[Betonov]

Jim, smile when you're hitting someone :DL

[STEED]

Behave yersel http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8586/smacka1.gif



Facebook. :rotfl2:

It has that effect on me. :DL

[Jimbuna]

Facebook. :rotfl2:

It has that effect on me. :DL

Me as well if I'm to be totally honest...but each to their own.

[frau kaleun]

Jim, smile when you're hitting someone :DL

I usually hum the "Ode to Joy." :O:

Seriously, though, while I'm all for random acts of kindness that actually amount to something and can brighten up someone's day, I draw the line at standing around berating complete strangers because the look on their faces isn't cheery enough to suit you. I've had this happen to me and it's infuriating. Some woman standing outside a grocery store I was going into starting babbling at me from 20 feet away while I was trying to get a cart about how I wasn't smiling and didn't I have something to smile about and why didn't I put a smile on my face, etc. I didn't even realize she was talking (more like: shouting) at me until I got closer. I had about a billion things on my mind at the time, not all of them pleasant, and the last thing I needed was some stranger hollering at me in a public place because I didn't look as happy as she thought I ought to. Clearly she was in a happy place, but I wasn't, and since it was none of her business IMO it would've been more polite if she'd kept her nose out of it.

Later on I realized that what I should've done was answer her continual "WHY AREN'T YOU SMILING?" crap with something like "Because I just found out that [insert horrible personal tragedy of your choice here]" just to teach her to mind her own business. :O:

[STEED]

Me as well if I'm to be totally honest...but each to their own.

I forgot Twitter. :har: :up:

[Jimbuna]

I forgot Twitter. :har: :up:

Oh it gets worse...if that were possible :DL

[FIREWALL]

Watch Out !!! They may mistake you for the Village Idiot !!! :haha:

[FIREWALL]

Certainly worked here:rotfl2:


:har::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2::har:

[Jimbuna]

Never!!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ilYjaL-WBAo/TcA0cPp4hLI/AAAAAAAAAFs/qmn_6Rh9EBQ/s1600/Idiot.JPG

[Stealhead]

I have found that most Texans are fairly friendly as well I spent close to a year in various parts of Texas in military training.Also I was stationed in Tuscon AZ and people where the same way there to some extent.

I think it has much to do with where a person lives people that live in large urban areas seem to be less friendly in general I think they get so caught up in the rat race so to speak.Then again some people in London are very friendly and that is one of the largest cities in the western world.

Of course you cant make everyone happy it is just not in some peoples nature some guys are "Negative Nates" as they say.Of course if you want to be friendly to people on the street that is fine in fact I think a lot of people just assume kindness is not welcome for some reason so if someone is nice to them they will act likewise just dont expect everyone to be receptive.

[MH]

Careful not to get shot or sued.

[TarJak]

I usually hum the "Ode to Joy." :O:
"It had been a wonderful evening and what I needed now, to give it the perfect ending, was a little of the Ludwig Van."

[Stealhead]

What for just being generally friendly to people or for going obnoxiously out of your way?

If someone sues me for just being generally friendly and courteous they will never see me in civil court :D I dont care they can send me to jail for not showing up to court.I will tell the judge that he is an idiot right in court for allowing such a case I really do not care and I will have a great big smile on my face.


See that is what is wrong with the world people dont want to step up to the boot that is pressing their face into the dirt(which may be their own doing in many cases) so they treat everyone like crap and have a negative attitude because they are afraid to challenge the way things are that are making them feel so negative in the first place.The ultimate coward in my opnion the one who knows what the real problem but does nothing about it.

I am not saying you need to go around and seek out those who look gloomy and nag them about smiling that is annoying.But maybe if people were not so busy being mopy about their lot in life when they should be glad that they have what they have in the first place when many others wonder where the next meal is coming from.Maybe if they just gave a general greeting or nod to people they pass by on they might actually feel better.

[Anthony W.]

Yeah, this isn't about going around being obnoxious

Maybe complimenting someone in line at a Subway about their jacket that has a sports team or something

Asking someone that looks upset if they're alright

[FIREWALL]

What for just being generally friendly to people or for going obnoxiously out of your way?

If someone sues me for just being generally friendly and courteous they will never see me in civil court :D I dont care they can send me to jail for not showing up to court.I will tell the judge that he is an idiot right in court for allowing such a case I really do not care and I will have a great big smile on my face.


See that is what is wrong with the world people dont want to step up to the boot that is pressing their face into the dirt(which may be their own doing in many cases) so they treat everyone like crap and have a negative attitude because they are afraid to challenge the way things are that are making them feel so negative in the first place.The ultimate coward in my opnion the one who knows what the real problem but does nothing about it.

I am not saying you need to go around and seek out those who look gloomy and nag them about smiling that is annoying.But maybe if people were not so busy being mopy about their lot in life when they should be glad that they have what they have in the first place when many others wonder where the next meal is coming from.Maybe if they just gave a general greeting or nod to people they pass by on they might actually feel better.
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Your kinda an Angry person by nature by reading your post. Seriously.

While I see your point in there somewhere. You want to fight a Battle that's never going to happen. So you act it out here. :D

No Judge is going to see a Civil case for just Smileing and, No Attorney in his right mind is going to file it. And even is that 1% Nut Attorney did. The Judge in his Chambers would toss it in the Round file.

I read your second to last paragraph and saw this is more a Political post and not much to do about smileing the OP started this Thread about..:haha:

[Tribesman]

I usually hum the "Ode to Joy."
:up:

[Stealhead]

How exactly is my post political? I would not say that I am an angry person by nature by any stretch of the imagination in fact in my entire life besides with siblings I have only gotten into one altercation with someone and we were both in 6th grade so that should be no surprise.I have actually stopped complete strangers from fighting each other or more than one occasion.Maybe my last post did not seem this way to you but then again you do not know me personally.

I would say I was just expressing that I do honestly believe if more people where generally nice and basically friendly to each other it would be a good thing.I dont mean hunt people down and asking them why they are not smiling. I mean a simple "hello nice day" or something similar saying thank you or thanks to someone that has served you(seems many people do not do this nowadays) I fail to see how that in any way is political.

I was being rather sarcastic about the whole court thing sorry I don't really use :D or :DL all the time though I thought the :D implied that I was not being 100% serious in that bit.Honestly I dont think you can possibly analyze a person based purely on what they post in a forum written and typed words can be taken many different ways spoken actions seen in person are more precise a person might be a complete jerk online but not in other settings.