Sometimes customer service experiences are about as pleasant as a colonoscopy. But today, I hit the customer service jackpot. Here's the wild thing– all it took was one simple question to transform my whole day.

I needed a refund on a recent purchase, so I reluctantly dialed up customer service (since “chat” was not available for what I needed), bracing for the usual onslaught of endless hold music and robotic apologies (“We appreciate your patience. Your call is extremely important to us. But we’ll keep you on hold so long that you’ll determine that the $48 return just isn’t worth it. You’re caller 97 in the queue. Expected wait time is…4 days.”) However, the guy who answered flipped the script."Mr. Brenton," he said, "how can I make you smile today?"

I literally couldn't help but smile. Think about it – that's not your typical customer service line. I stammered, a bit surprised, "You could make me smile by processing this refund."

And guess what? He did just that. Quick, painless, efficient. BOOM! Smile achieved.

This little interaction got me thinking. How often do we stop and ask others, "How can I make you smile today?" Seriously! It's a question guaranteed to spread good vibes like free street tacos from Taqueria La Unica. Imagine if every store clerk, every waiter, heck, every person you passed on the street asked with genuine curiosity. It would be a game-changer.

Maybe the smile comes from a well-timed joke or a random act of kindness. Perhaps it's offering a listening ear or just a simple compliment. The thing is, a smile is contagious. It triggers all those happy little chemicals in our brains, and who doesn't need more of that?

So, here's your challenge: Become a “smile evangelist." Spread smiles into the world with intention. It could be as easy as the question my customer service friend asked me.

You never know, you might just turn someone's whole day around, and, as a bonus, you'll probably get a few smiles in return. 🙂