The Importance of Friendly

Friendly. I love it when people are Friendly. Everything just works better. One of my pet peeves is unfriendly people. We can disagree and have different ways of doing things, but at least be Friendly.

As the old saying goes, "Friendliness is next to godliness." Okay, that's not quite it, but it's close. Friendliness is closely related to kindness, and God is most certainly kind. But even if you're not concerned about God at all, you can still be Friendly, and the rest of us will greatly appreciate it.

Sure you may hate your job or feel awful today, but please try not to take that out on innocent bystanders. Set your issues and attitudes aside, and for the sake of your fellow humans, do even just the bare minimum, and be Friendly. Maybe not Happy or Enthusiastic or Sugary Sweet. Just a basic Friendly. It's kind of like Courteous.

A smile, a wave, a helpful tip... Friendly creates community. Friendly makes the world a happier place. Friendly encourages, cheers up, and quickens the step. Sometimes Friendly even saves lives.

Save the whales. Save the planet. Save common decency. Friendly can do all this and more. Encourage Friendly wherever you find it.

Just Start

So Christmas came and went, along with the month of January. It's a whole new year, month number 2. How are those resolutions coming?

My resolution of sorts for 2012 comes from the ever-insightful Seth Godin. I resolve to start and keep starting. Attaining a goal is the culmination of a thousand starts. Take action and keep on with it. Start every day. Over and over until you arrive (or "ship" in Seth's lingo).

So I'm actually faring rather well with my resolution. I'm working on a little secret project, learning new things and making progress. If I keep at it long enough, I'll have a product to ship. Then I get to see what happens with it.

How exciting! Go out and start something!