May As Well Smile

I was a very young kid when I first listened to “Put on a Happy Face,” an old but popular

song introduced by Dick Van Dyke in the musical Bye Bye Birdie.

I can still hum the words in my head.

Humor me for a moment as I smile in my recollective state of mind singing the very cute

but simple words that make up this darling melody.

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Put on a happy face;

Brush off the clouds and cheer up

Put on a happy face

Take off the gloomy mask of tragedy

It's not your style;

You'll look so good that you'll be glad

Ya' decide to smile!

Sadly to say as I grew up (some might contest that last statement, but do we ever fully

grow up?) …

Anyway moving on…

As we all grew up, we learned pretty darn fast that nobody’s gray sky clears up by

simply putting on a happy face.

While I’m sure dreams were shattered over this (I’m being a little dramatic here) …

I know … I know …

And high hopes were smashed into smithereens …

We’ve all learned that happy faces are more like happy meals, in that they do absolutely

nothing to ensure our happiness.

Not a single thing.

(I left out happy endings on purpose. That’s a different kind of happy, so it doesn't count

for today’s point.)

However, I’d like to tack on an addendum to my happy face statement: Sometimes

happy faces help to make “OTHERS” happy.

So bear with me for a moment while I take you down my rabbit hole. Because I like to

write about things that preserve anonymity for others, I’m going to continue to stick with

my moral compass.

I have attended a “workout place” several times a week for the past two years. Let’s just

call it for the sake of this piece: Flab-U-Less Fitness.

Not to toot my own horn, but I did just make that up on the fly.

Back to my story …

There is one instructor who is really so unfriendly (to answer your question: yes, I’ve

been to her classes multiple times).

But now, I don't go to her classes at all anymore because of her unfriendliness.

Whenever I walk into the studio, she never smiles or says hello.

In fact, she “appears” to turn her head away or look down, immediately provoking a

negative feeling.

You might think I’m being overly sensitive, but I’m really not.

I decided to look up her reviews on Yelp and it turns out I’m not the only one she’s been

rude to.

Shocker.

One would think that a fitness studio that is focused on health and wellness would

stress the importance of being friendly and how crucial it is for building trust, fostering

loyalty, and enhancing the member’s experience.

I’ll go even further by saying interactions that focus on personalized care and

provide a welcoming environment — in any industry — build value and can be a

core component in leading to loyalty and long-term relationships.

When you work for a person or company I feel you are a representative of that place.

How you make people feel has a direct link to whether they will come back or continue.

Customer service and a friendly face are what distinguishes excellence from mediocrity.

So back to the grumpy instructor whose cheeks look like they would literally

crack if she smiled …

The other day upon my walking in, she looked up at me and once again didn't say hello.

I took the high road, smiled, and said, “good morning.” She could barely utter the wordsback, but she did indeed respond. However, she was annoyed by it, almost as I had

changed the ecosystem she had grown comfortable with.

I thought, what the heck — maybe I’ll just be the bigger person.

My theory about putting on a happy face is real.

Sometimes a happy smile is the olive branch of connection in a relationship, whether

romantic or professional.

This is especially true when you represent an industry or business.

The culture of an organization permeates in every interaction with guests, from the initial

greeting to the final farewell.

Cultures that seem to prioritize happy guests (hello, goodbye, have a nice day,

whatever) really does ensure a personalized connection that leads to empathy and

professionalism, and a positive overall experience that really matters in the end.

Like, a lot.

Chances are, I will most likely never go to one of her classes because of this

constant negative interaction.

Not because it affects me so much but because the environment an unfriendly person

sets up is not the environment I want to be around.

The good thing about smiling is that everyone can hide their crazy behind a

beautiful smile.

As far as I’m concerned, life’s short, so smile while you still have teeth.

That’s my Reveal for the week — delivered with a smile.

Love,

Karin