Putting smiles on faces, carrying out random acts of kindness, and other such simple gestures can radically influence goodness in others.
Positivity perpetuates among others like a virus that infects all those who come in contact with a quiet leader. Small acts of kindness may seem trivial. Perhaps, The Quiet Leader’s emphasis on such ordinary and routine interactions with others sounds foolish or utopian to you.
If it does, challenge yourself to put the philosophy behind The Quiet Leader to the test. What have you got to lose?
Here’s the test: Smile at a stranger.
To smile at a stranger is to make an investment in the betterment of your life, the lives of those around you. Smile at a stranger on the street. Smile genuinely. Say “hello.”
So? How did it feel? If you get a smile back, congratulations. You have taken the first step in reaping goodness in others around you. You are becoming The Quiet Leader.
But, what if they don’t smile back?
Perhaps he or she will not say anything. Perhaps she will not crack even the slightest smile. You might get a bit upset by their reaction. Perhaps you will feel embarrassed, as if the stranger’s rude response to your kind gesture was insulting.
Even still, you are to be congratulated. Why? You have done yourself a service by intentionally bruising your own ego.
You shouldn’t feel insulted if you initially receive a cold reaction. Even that simple interaction can influence positive energy in the form of optimism, happiness, or a sudden mood-swing in the person who just shut you out. Leading your life the way of The Quiet Leader is an investment in the betterment of your life, in the lives of those around you, and amongst your family, friends, and greater community.
Smiling at a stranger is an investment in a more positive future.
The intended, positive effects of a quiet leader are not always be immediate, not always instantaneous. At the very worst, even if your genuine smile and greeting on the street was completely blown off, the worst that results is that your ego — something you should continually strive to deny and keep in check — will be diminished.
While the intended effects of The Quiet Leader are not immediate, what good in life is not worth deeply concentrated patience, belief, confidence, and hope?
What good in life is not worth striving for?
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