I only did 2 approaches today, but they were both really good approaches.
The first one was at Barnes & Noble. I saw a woman sitting in the used book section, so I went over and introduced myself. We talked about our hobbies and the challenge. I talked to her for awhile, maybe 20-30 minutes. It was probably the longest conversation I've had while doing my challenges. This was helped by the fact that we were just sitting there talking. I found out that she's originally from India and just recently moved back to Madison from Pittsburgh. We had a really in-depth discussion about the challenge and being social and things like that. She had mentioned that since moving back, she's found it difficult to make friends, which was when I brought up the challenge. After we talked 20-30 minutes, she had to go meet up with her parents, so we exchanged numbers and I told her that she has made a new friend in Madison.
The second approach was at HyVee. I introduced myself and found out that she's a HS teacher, which is what I used to do, so we talked about that. I also asked her about her hobbies and what she likes to do. Then we talked about my challenge and being social with people. She was very nice, I can definitely see her as a teacher.
This was a great way to end August.
On to September!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Day 30
I set 2 personal records today: the most number of approaches in a day (8) and the most number of approaches for a 30-day challenge (70.) I still have tomorrow to add to the monthly total for August, so 75 is a reasonable goal to strive for.
The first approach was at Metcalfes at West Towne. I saw a woman that looked rather classy, so I told her such. It wasn't a very long conversation, I pretty much just told her about the challenge. I think I might have given her my card as well, but I don't remember for sure.
The second approach was also at Metcalfes. Since the first approach went to the checkout lane right soon after I approached her, I felt like I could try for one more approach. This one also wasn't a very long approach, as I just told her that she looked good in glasses and then told her about the challenge.
The third approach was at Shopko. I'd almost given up on that place, since I've never found someone to approach, but I finally did. I told her that her hair looked nice. Also a short conversation, as I just told her about the challenge after that, and that was pretty much it.
My fourth approach was in Target @ Hilldale. I approach an Asian woman and told her she looked classy. She seemed very shy and I could see she was trying to get out of the conversation, so I just let her go.
My fifth approach was also in Target. I told her that her glasses looked good on her. This was a pretty lengthy approach, as I told her about the challenge and we talked about that for a bit. Then I asked her what she did and found out that she's a Vet Tech. She asked me what I do, so I told her. Then we talked about books for a bit. This was definitely my longest conversation of the day.
My sixth approach was in Metcalfes @ Hilldale. I told the woman she looked classy, but I don't think she understood the word, so I said "elegant." I found out she just recently (as in a few weeks ago) moved here from Turkey to study at the university. She seemed nice, but she didn't know what to make of a stranger talking to her at the grocery store. Even after I told her about the challenge, she still seemed unsure. I chalked that up to cultural differences.
My seventh approach was really interesting, because for the first time ever, I actually approached someone for the second time without knowing it. I told her that her glasses look nice on her (I know this might seem like a broken record, but I think glasses do look nice on a lot of women, so this isn't a lie) and started telling her about the challenge, when she stopped me. Here's a from-memory transcription of the interaction:
her: I don't want to sound rude, but do you go around stores just talking to random people?
me: Well, I set 30-day challenges for myself to meet at least one random person every day.
her: Well, because you already came up to me and did this before. That's kinda weird.
me: Why is that weird?
her: Because you've already done this to me.
me: Well, I've met over 150 people while doing this challenge, so it's hard to remember them all.
her: Well thanks.
me: Yeah
Funny.
Undeterred from the seventh approach, I told the checkout woman at Half-Price Books that her glasses look nice on her.
An even 8 for the day and 70 over the 30-day challenge. Tomorrow being the 31st is a bonus day. August was definitely my best month so far.
The first approach was at Metcalfes at West Towne. I saw a woman that looked rather classy, so I told her such. It wasn't a very long conversation, I pretty much just told her about the challenge. I think I might have given her my card as well, but I don't remember for sure.
The second approach was also at Metcalfes. Since the first approach went to the checkout lane right soon after I approached her, I felt like I could try for one more approach. This one also wasn't a very long approach, as I just told her that she looked good in glasses and then told her about the challenge.
The third approach was at Shopko. I'd almost given up on that place, since I've never found someone to approach, but I finally did. I told her that her hair looked nice. Also a short conversation, as I just told her about the challenge after that, and that was pretty much it.
My fourth approach was in Target @ Hilldale. I approach an Asian woman and told her she looked classy. She seemed very shy and I could see she was trying to get out of the conversation, so I just let her go.
My fifth approach was also in Target. I told her that her glasses looked good on her. This was a pretty lengthy approach, as I told her about the challenge and we talked about that for a bit. Then I asked her what she did and found out that she's a Vet Tech. She asked me what I do, so I told her. Then we talked about books for a bit. This was definitely my longest conversation of the day.
My sixth approach was in Metcalfes @ Hilldale. I told the woman she looked classy, but I don't think she understood the word, so I said "elegant." I found out she just recently (as in a few weeks ago) moved here from Turkey to study at the university. She seemed nice, but she didn't know what to make of a stranger talking to her at the grocery store. Even after I told her about the challenge, she still seemed unsure. I chalked that up to cultural differences.
My seventh approach was really interesting, because for the first time ever, I actually approached someone for the second time without knowing it. I told her that her glasses look nice on her (I know this might seem like a broken record, but I think glasses do look nice on a lot of women, so this isn't a lie) and started telling her about the challenge, when she stopped me. Here's a from-memory transcription of the interaction:
her: I don't want to sound rude, but do you go around stores just talking to random people?
me: Well, I set 30-day challenges for myself to meet at least one random person every day.
her: Well, because you already came up to me and did this before. That's kinda weird.
me: Why is that weird?
her: Because you've already done this to me.
me: Well, I've met over 150 people while doing this challenge, so it's hard to remember them all.
her: Well thanks.
me: Yeah
Funny.
Undeterred from the seventh approach, I told the checkout woman at Half-Price Books that her glasses look nice on her.
An even 8 for the day and 70 over the 30-day challenge. Tomorrow being the 31st is a bonus day. August was definitely my best month so far.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Question:
So if you're reading this and you're someone that received a compliment from me, then found out that I've complimented maybe a dozen other women or more, would you think that makes the compliment less meaningful, or would it be just as meaningful?
In my mind, I feel like it shouldn't make it any less meaningful. The sincerity is not lessened any because I've complimented more people. There's a good quote from Buddha that speaks to this: "A thousand candles can be lit from one and that candle is not diminished. Happiness is not decreased by being shared." I think that applies to this as well.
Anyway, if you're reading this, leave a comment on this page, or email me: will@30daysofwill.com
I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.
In my mind, I feel like it shouldn't make it any less meaningful. The sincerity is not lessened any because I've complimented more people. There's a good quote from Buddha that speaks to this: "A thousand candles can be lit from one and that candle is not diminished. Happiness is not decreased by being shared." I think that applies to this as well.
Anyway, if you're reading this, leave a comment on this page, or email me: will@30daysofwill.com
I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.
Day 29
I did 3 approaches today, which leaves me at 62. If I can average 4 per day for the next two days, I'll hit 70 for the month. Considering it's a Friday and Saturday that I'm dealing with, that's totally doable. If I need to do 6 approaches on Saturday to hit 70, I'll do it.
The first woman I complimented was at Metcalfe's @ West Towne. She looked classy, so I complimented her on that. I found out that she was originally from Russia. I liked her accent. We talked a little bit about the challenge and it seemed like she thought it was really cool. I gave her one of my cards and told her to check out the blog.
The second woman I complimented was the waitress at the restaurant my running group went to after our run tonight. So, a waitress is a bit of a stretch, but since I'm only just complimenting random people for the 9 Days of Giving challenge, I feel like that counts. She had red streaks in her hair, which I complimented her on. And when I say red, I mean like fire engine red.
The third woman I complimented was in Target @ Hilldale. Her hair was really wavy and it looked nice. I told her about the challenge and we talked about that for a little while. She was really nice and easy to talk to, which is always nice. It makes doing these challenges easier, knowing there are nice people out there.
The first woman I complimented was at Metcalfe's @ West Towne. She looked classy, so I complimented her on that. I found out that she was originally from Russia. I liked her accent. We talked a little bit about the challenge and it seemed like she thought it was really cool. I gave her one of my cards and told her to check out the blog.
The second woman I complimented was the waitress at the restaurant my running group went to after our run tonight. So, a waitress is a bit of a stretch, but since I'm only just complimenting random people for the 9 Days of Giving challenge, I feel like that counts. She had red streaks in her hair, which I complimented her on. And when I say red, I mean like fire engine red.
The third woman I complimented was in Target @ Hilldale. Her hair was really wavy and it looked nice. I told her about the challenge and we talked about that for a little while. She was really nice and easy to talk to, which is always nice. It makes doing these challenges easier, knowing there are nice people out there.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Day 28
I did 4 approaches today, leaving me just one shy of 60 for the month. If I include the 31st, there's a chance I can hit 70. We'll see what happens!
Also, today was the first time I'd approached two different women with the same name in the same day. And the funny thing is, it's not even a real common name.
The first approach was at Metcalfe's by West Towne. I complimented a woman on her hair (I feel like this is a pretty neutral compliment to give a woman, but one that still makes her feel good.) I told her about the challenge and she seemed like she thought it was a cool idea. I gave her my card so she could look up this blog.
The second approach was at Target in Hilldale. I also complimented her on her hair. It turns out she had the same name as the woman at Metcalfe's, which was interesting. I told her about the challenge and she also thought it was really cool. I also gave her my card to look up the blog.
The third approach was at Metcalfe's at Hilldale. I saw a woman over by the salad bar and she looked like she had just come from the gym, but I approached her anyway. I told her about the challenge and then asked her if she had just come from the gym. She had, so we talked about that for a bit. I didn't give her my card. I'm not sure why, I just didn't.
The last approach was at HyVee. I saw a woman with jaw-length hair, which I think is a nice length on some women. I complimented her on that and then told her about the challenge. She thought it was really cool and said that it seemed like something she should do. I hope she does it, because I know it has really had a profound impact on my life. Actually, to anyone reading this that's thinking about doing it, I say do it. There's no good reason not to and a really good reason to. I promise that at the end of the 30 days, you won't regret doing it.
Also, today was the first time I'd approached two different women with the same name in the same day. And the funny thing is, it's not even a real common name.
The first approach was at Metcalfe's by West Towne. I complimented a woman on her hair (I feel like this is a pretty neutral compliment to give a woman, but one that still makes her feel good.) I told her about the challenge and she seemed like she thought it was a cool idea. I gave her my card so she could look up this blog.
The second approach was at Target in Hilldale. I also complimented her on her hair. It turns out she had the same name as the woman at Metcalfe's, which was interesting. I told her about the challenge and she also thought it was really cool. I also gave her my card to look up the blog.
The third approach was at Metcalfe's at Hilldale. I saw a woman over by the salad bar and she looked like she had just come from the gym, but I approached her anyway. I told her about the challenge and then asked her if she had just come from the gym. She had, so we talked about that for a bit. I didn't give her my card. I'm not sure why, I just didn't.
The last approach was at HyVee. I saw a woman with jaw-length hair, which I think is a nice length on some women. I complimented her on that and then told her about the challenge. She thought it was really cool and said that it seemed like something she should do. I hope she does it, because I know it has really had a profound impact on my life. Actually, to anyone reading this that's thinking about doing it, I say do it. There's no good reason not to and a really good reason to. I promise that at the end of the 30 days, you won't regret doing it.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Day 27
On my second day of random compliments of strangers, I complimented a woman on her hairstyle. It seemed like she really appreciated the compliment, which is always nice to see. I told her about the challenge and she seemed like she thought it was a really cool idea.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Day 26
I started Day 1 of the 9 Days of Giving. For my 9 days, I'm going to do some random acts of kindness by complimenting random people. At least one per day. Today, I did two.
The first one was at Metcalfe's by West Towne. I saw a woman that had really nice-looking short hair. Not "I'm giving up on trying to look good" short, but jaw-length. It looked nice, and I told her so. She looked a little unsure of why a stranger was complimenting her, so I told her about the 9 Days of Giving. Then she was like "oh yeah, that's really sweet." I could see the complete change in her facial expression from uncertainty to happiness. It was quite obvious that it had made a very positive impact on her day, which was nice.
The second one was at Target in Hilldale. I was on an aisle looking at picture frames and a woman was walking by. I smiled at her and she smiled back, so I said "you have a nice smile." She said "thank you" and kept on walking. I feel like her "thank you" was sincere, though.
The first one was at Metcalfe's by West Towne. I saw a woman that had really nice-looking short hair. Not "I'm giving up on trying to look good" short, but jaw-length. It looked nice, and I told her so. She looked a little unsure of why a stranger was complimenting her, so I told her about the 9 Days of Giving. Then she was like "oh yeah, that's really sweet." I could see the complete change in her facial expression from uncertainty to happiness. It was quite obvious that it had made a very positive impact on her day, which was nice.
The second one was at Target in Hilldale. I was on an aisle looking at picture frames and a woman was walking by. I smiled at her and she smiled back, so I said "you have a nice smile." She said "thank you" and kept on walking. I feel like her "thank you" was sincere, though.
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