I was working in Midtown on 9/11, and as I was walking back to my apartment amid sirens, smoke and the roar of fighter planes overhead—a strange thing happened. New Yorkers started talking to each other. We were all in shock, no one’s cell phone worked, and so we stopped each other to talk and share small amounts of information we had gleaned on what was happening. Compare that to an average day of rushing by each other or cramming on subways without making eye contact, and it was an amazing occurrence. And this connection reminded me of author and motivational speaker, Leo Busgaglia, who during his era was famously nicknamed Dr. Love. His message was loud and clear: be kind, be human, take time to say hello to someone just because you can. Among other things he was known for facing backward on elevators and starting conversations, often to the chagrin of fellow passengers.
Today there is so much discontent at work, with a surprising statistic (hopefully incorrect) that 14% of people want to smack someone they work with. Often we feel like there’s very little we can do to make a difference and yet extending kindness to colleagues, strangers and neighbors, even if it means getting outside our comfort zone to do so, can really create change. Steven Covey in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, reminds us we have to make deposits in order to make withdrawals. Small kindnesses can change environments, change cultures and certainly change people, and it takes so little. Remember, as my Shortcuts to Success Book says, it takes just one small action to create a ripple effect of transformation. Each idea can be a catalyst for change, making a tremendous difference in a short amount of time.
