The best way to start your day

Repeat after me

Sep 01, 2024

Good Morning!

Hope you had a wonderful week! Can you believe it’s September already?

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TWO WORDS

One of the things I love about our neighborhood is how friendly everyone is. Everyone greets each other as they pass by - whether on foot or wheels. There is always a warm hello or a friendly wave exchanged.

This is very different from where we lived before. Living in a high rise, it was always hit or miss when you tried to exchange salutations. Sometimes it was warmly received, other times you’d stand awkwardly together in the elevator in silence.

It’s been refreshing to feel the neighborly gesture of a welcomed “Good Morning”.

When we are out for a walk or a spin around the neighborhood, we are constantly waving or saying hello. We get such a kick out of it.

The other day as we headed out for our morning run, I decided to count how many times it happened. Every time we exchanged “Good Morning” or a friendly wave, we added another number to our count. It wasn’t long before I realized it was going to be hard to keep track. Just one lap around the 2.2 mile loop, we were already at 38!

By the time I finished my 4.75 mile run, we were at 76! My husband decided to run one more lap and when he came home he added another 31 to our count.

That’s 107 Good Morning greetings in about an hour! And, believe it or not, it was a pretty quiet morning out there!

POWERFUL MESSAGE

It may seem silly, but those two words “Good Morning” can absolutely change your life. That simple exchange sets the tone for your day. It makes your mood better. It brings a smile to your face. It establishes a connection. It builds community. And, that’s just what it does for you! Imagine what it does for the other person!

New research has shown that greeting people, particularly strangers, with the two words “Good morning” and exchanging some friendly chat can actually be beneficial for our own happiness.
The study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, looked at the behaviors of 60,000 people - 40,000 of them from the UK, concluded that “momentary interactions, greeting and thanking” can increase wellbeing by establishing a sense of belonging.
- The New Zealand Herald

That sense of belonging is a fundamental human need. A large body of research shows that social isolation and loneliness have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. And, the effects on mortality are comparable to things like smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.

Current global estimates suggest that 1 in 4 older adults experience social isolation and between 5 and 15 percent of adolescents experience loneliness. It’s something that is impacting all ages across the globe. In fact, the World Health Organization recently announced it is making loneliness a global health priority and they have established a new Commission on Social Connection to gather support and bring proven solutions to scale.

Meanwhile, just sharing those two little words can make a huge difference for your own health and the health of the community around you. Give it a try! It’s contagious!

It’s also kind of addicting! I have noticed that I look forward to my morning run just so I can get that daily dose of feel-good friendliness.

Looking back, I wish I had been more persistent in my morning greetings in my last community. I wish I had been ‘that person’ who always brought a friendly greeting into the elevator - even when I wasn’t sure if it was welcomed.

With feelings of loneliness and isolation on the rise and knowing their detrimental effect on our wellbeing, we really should never let an opportunity to say “Good Morning” pass us by. It’s one of the most simple things we can add to our day to improve our health while also improving the health and wellbeing of those around us.

If you want to feel better, improve your health, strengthen your immune system and maybe even add some years to your life…I hope you’ll join me in being ‘that person’ this week - the person who always says “Good Morning” with a smile.

YOUR MISSION:

This week, I challenge you to say “Good Morning” more times than you can count. Just open your mouth and let it come out. Watch what happens. I promise you, you’re going to get addicted to it.

RESOURCES:

READ: Why saying ‘good morning’ to strangers is good for you - new study | The New Zealand Herald
READ: WHO Commission on Social Connection | World Health Organization
READ: Saying 'Good Morning' To A Co-Worker Can Make Them Feel Valued | HuffPost

IN SUMMARY:

I honestly can’t tell you how much of an impact this little lesson on saying ‘Good Morning’ has brought to my life these last couple of weeks. I hope you’ll join me in making a conscious effort to spread “Good Mornings” far and wide.

See you next week?

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Meanwhile, reach out to me anytime!

Karen Friend Smith
Instagram: @redefiningkaren

The LIFT