The Art of Saying Hello

"Hello"....A greeting known by millions.  A word that serves as the beginning to business meetings, friendships, and love affairs.  But sadly, it seems like it is word that is disappearing.  Lately I notice that more and more people, both children and adults don't take the time to stop, look at you and say, 'hello" anymore. People also don't look up and say hello when someone enters the room.  Why is this?

This blog is directed at everyone. But especially those of the digital age.  Hey!  I'm talking to you.  Put down your phone/I-Pod/PSP/Kindle/Nook/Tablet, and LOOK UP!

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not anti-technology.  I phone, text, surf, blog (obviously), Facebook, own a Play Station 3, and enjoy a good YouTube video.  But I also know how to talk to people. This is the skill I feel is getting lost.

Why is it important to say hello? First it shows respect.  It is VERY rude to walk past, someone you know, a senior, your boss, your parents or your Master without stopping and saying hello.

Saying hello also demonstrates personal confidence.  I know it's scary to say hello.  Especially if you don't know the person. You're putting yourself out there, risking rejection.  What if they don't say hi back?  What if they ignore me?  Being a Taekwondo person means having the confidence and courage to pick your head up, look at someone, and say hello.

Next, it is a tool of self-defense and awareness.  In all of our self defense training, we constantly talk about "Situational Awareness", which is the ability to know what's going on around you at all times.  We also say, "keep your head on a swivel", looking left and right constantly.  Kind of hard when you're head-down, absorbed  playing Candy Crush.

In 1937, Dale Carnegie published a book called, "How to Win Friends and Influence People".  Known as the grandfather of all people-skills books, this literary icon gave me two things I try to use everyday:

#1                   Greet everyone with a smile.

#2                   The sweetest sound that anyone can hear is the sound of their own name.

If you haven't ever read this masterpiece, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Saying hello to someone makes a person feel recognized.  Welcomed.  Accepted.  Important.  Of the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo, Courtesy  [Be nice to people] is the first for a very good reason.  Perhaps it is the most important one.  The one we must foster and spread to others by the way we demonstrate it in our lives.

The world is ever changing.  Technology has become an ever-present, indispensable part of our lives.  But we must not lose those things that make us human.  Those things that connect us, outside the Matrix.

Until next time, train hard, look up, and say, HELLO!