Being a face in a sea of the Faceless

So, I've been trying to follow through on the assignment this week and have noticed one small little change in society from the last time I tried this (Which if you recall was college more than one or two years ago.) When I was in college the only people with cell phones were businesses that needed to be able to reach an employee quickly. Most of them used beepers (Did I just date myself a little) Now almost everyone has one. The obvious challenge this presents today is that there are masses of people walking and talking. You wont find them not on the phone (I personally think this is a defense mechanism but that is a different topic for a different day). The other thing I've noticed is that most people seem to be walking with their heads down and if they aren't their heads drop as soon as they notice someone looking at them. I could spend a bit of time commenting on this fairly new posture in american society but we don't have the time and currently I don't have the research to support anything I would say so I'll hold my tongue and move on to what we should do about it. 

You might be asking... "How am I supposed to look someone in the eyes with a smile and say hi if they are locked on the phone or keep looking away from me? My answer, Don't let those obstacles stop you. Now obviously you can't look them in the eye but you can still smile and say hello. In my opinion it even gives us that much more of an opportunity. As an example I'm going to tell you one more story from college. I remember my Jr Year we used to go to this Truck stop to hang out and study. One day this guy walks in with a friend of mine and honestly my first thought was "This guy is kinda weird" His jokes were not so funny but he enjoyed laughing at them anyway (That should have told me we'd be friends), he had this big nerdy smile, and kind of waddled when he walked. While I had gathered my first impression of him he gathered his impression of me. It didn't take him long to come over and say "Larry I can tell we are going to be close friends" To which I did the smile and nod and thought to myself "I don't think so" For the next couple weeks every time I turned around he was there. He thought we were just hanging out as friends do while I was thinking "How do I get rid of this guy?" I remember one day I called him I can't remember why but after hanging up the phone it hit me. "We're friends! When did this happen?" He was persistent (And maybe a little clueless) and a friendship he desired came to be. Why did I tell you this story? I think what we are dealing with is the same thing just wrapped in a different package. I think if we stay persistent and keep saying hello "With a smile" then we will slowly see heads start to rise and maybe even phones begin to lower.

Here's what I would like you to try. Pick one person that you walk by everyday and choose to say hello to them everyday. I think over time you will slowly see their head begin to rise and after awhile a week or two, maybe even a month or two you may even begin to get them to respond with a "hello" at first hesitant but sooner or later with a big smile as well. Once that happens stop, introduce yourself and say "I can tell we are going to be close friends"

I hope your week is going well. Find some time to get outside and enjoy the weather. Of course lets not forget to 

LIVE IT UPSIDE DOWN!