Everyone is looking for the next big trend amidst the biggest recession in living memory. Plans, budgets and people have greatly transformed. My life certainly has taken a new shape over the past year. Messages between friends, family, colleagues and businesses have become diluted with so much extra information. Often when I communicate an idea or course of action to people, I tend to spend more time giving supporting evidence than necessary. I often forget that, while having reasoning for an idea or action is crucial, its only relevant to the thinker himself. It might seem as though it's a polite gesture in a conversation, but more often than not, a smile is the only reaction you need.Smiling is the most simplest expression indicating pleasure, favour or amusement. Of course there are variations of the emotions behind a smile, but in most cases it is the response everyone wants, but often overlooks. Take for example the Law of Diminishing Returns. In both business and in life, although achievements happen time and time again, the rate at which they are given praise decreases over time. When I first made the Honor Role in High School, my parents were effusively proud. I got taken to dinner and I was able to pick out not one, but two video games. I was the talk of the town it seemed at family bbqs and in phone conversations. It was a fantastic feeling. I have always kept my eyes on the horizon to constantly achieve Honor Role-like status in everything I do. I will no longer experience the level of praise as I once did back in High School, however there is little difference in the smiles I received then, as I do today.
I tread carefully with the next statement. We as individuals need to step back to an earlier mindset, not for nostalgic purposes, but to when things were simpler and messages were far less complex. In fact messages used to take the form of a simple shape which would cause the simple reaction known as smiling. While I was pursuing work experience within advertising agencies and networking like it was my job, I took up a part time teaching role at a primary school in Primrose Hill. I was an aid for a particular child in the reception class. However, my role soon became the 2nd teacher's aid for a classroom of 30 four year olds. They would recieve stickers, for not only doing great work such as learning the letters of the alphabet, but also for being great listeners and helpers. Like anyone, they were disinterested in doing anything that wasn't fun if there were no stickers at the end of it and once they were lucky enough to get one, they wore it all day on their sleeves, hands or book bags. More often than not, would come in the following day with the same sticker decorating their uniforms. 
There is a child in all of us and I for one have not lost the appreciation for a gold star. If account teams, peer groups and people in general began handing out gold star stickers, then smiles would quickly follow! There is an experiment I would love to test out and I would encourage anyone to try this. Next time you find yourself about to go out on a date, out with friends or meet for a business lunch, suggest a restaurant which has paper on the table and a cup of crayons. Be the first to begin drawing and encourage your party to do the same. Aside from it being a great catalyst for creative conversations and ideas, take a moment before the check comes and award your table with gold stars for their drawings. Messages can be as simple as the Super Simple Power of the Smile. :)
