Creating your own sunshine

Sunshine. To me, sunshine means warmth. It means happiness and smiles. When the sun is shining, many people are more pleasant to work with, more open to new ideas and more productive. It’s true, studies have proven that! Check out this study from SSRN.

Five out of the last nine days, we’ve experienced rain and dreariness. Just thinking about rain is enough to make me frown because I LOVE seeing people happy, motivated and sharing smiles. Unfortunately living in Minnesota, weeks like this can happen anytime, and often.

Years ago, after a drought of sunny days I challenged myself to find ways to spread sunshine even when there were clouds in the sky. One thing I tested out was seeing if the word ‘sunshine’ had similar affects as looking outside and seeing the sun shine and I found that it was true. When I talked about sunshine or asked people their plans for the next sunny day, people would smile.

This challenged me to take things a step further and see what else I could do to brighten people’s day. What I discovered was that whether it was a piece of chocolate, a short conversation at the drinking fountain, or a fun greeting when they arrive at work like “good morning, sunshine.” It brought out smiles. We were able to forget about the dreariness going on outside and enjoy the day.

What I learned from my challenge is that I can’t wait for the sun to shine in order to have a great day. There are many things that can bring out the sunshine on a cloudy day and I need to take things into my own hands. So, the next time the sun decides to hide out for a few days, try any of these tricks to bring a little light to everyone’s day:

• Tell a joke/laugh with those around you.
• Share a new recipe.
• Take the time to chat over a cup of coffee.
• Give a sincere compliment.
• Help someone out with a task.

These are just some things that can bring a little light to someone’s life. What are some things that you do to bring the sunshine when it’s dreary outside?