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Continued: Good humor is a winning strategy
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Dr. C. Ward Crampton, former director of physical training in the New York public schools, always urged his patients to exercise. He specifically prescribed what he called his "miracle exercise":
• Raise the corners of your mouth an inch, take a deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds.
• You are smiling. If you have people watching you, they'll probably start smiling, too.
• Now release your breath in short exhalations. You're now laughing. Unless those other people are curmudgeons, they'll undoubtedly start laughing, too.
This simple muscular action of inhaling, while raising the corners of your mouth and exhaling in rhythmic, short bursts, causes the diaphragm to bounce up and down. It pats the liver on the back, and pleasantly vibrates the stomach. The heart, which rests above the diaphragm, begins to pump at a slightly faster rate, sending blood coursing throughout the body.
The effect, Crampton explained, is a general feeling of well-being. More important, however, is the effect on others. They feel better, too. This triggers happy emotions within you, and the stage is set for any number of pleasant personal and business relationships. All this from one simple little exercise!
I learned years ago that one of the most powerful things you can do to sell successfully is to smile. Never underestimate the value of a smile. It should be standard equipment for all people. You shouldn't come to work without a smile. And be sure to take it home with you at the end of the workday.
Smiling is the universal language. People like smiles a lot more than frowns. Many careers have been enhanced because of the presence of a bright smile.
I am a big fan of Dale Carnegie, the master of making friends. I carry a poem from one of his books with me and often share it when I am speaking to groups. It's called "The Value of a Smile."
"It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.
"It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad and nature's best antidote for trouble.
"Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anyone 'til it is given away. And if in the hurly-burly bustle of today's business world, some of the people you meet should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours?
"For nobody needs a smile so much, as those who have none left to give."
Mackey's Moral: The most powerful single thing you can do to influence others is to smile at them.
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