"I wish I had enough words to express what your book has done for me. Thank you over and over. It's like a guidebook to life. When I don't remember how to navigate, or even that I can, it reminds me. What a precious gift."-Deborah
Read More Testimonials»

Our Being Happier Experts

Michael Anthony

Michael Anthony

Teacher and author of How to be Happy and Have Fun Changing...

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss

Entrepreneur and best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek

Shared by First30Days View Profile»
M.J. Ryan

M.J. Ryan

Creator of the Random Acts of Kindness series

Shared by First30Days View Profile»

Meet all of our New Directions Experts»

News

The latest news on this change — carefully culled from the world wide web by our change agents. They do the surfing, so you don't have to!

Smiling in New York City

Smiling in New York City

How do you make a commute in one of the busiest areas of New York City pleasant and smile-inducing? (This isn’t a rhetorical question!) A woman named Flor (in the orange striped shirt in this photo) is one of those unique gems of a person capable of brightening up a day in an overbearing, bustling city. How does she do it?
 
Flor is a newspaper seller near Penn Station, a train station and also a central subway transfer point. She came up with jingles to sing about the newspapers and to attract customers, but not before putting smiles on their faces. Flor has gotten to know some of her patrons, who refer to her as “The Singing Newspaper Lady” and other endearing names. Flor is able to make a personal experience out of selling something.
 
Although Flor is merely one person, she is helping a lot of people be a little happier each day. She loves her job because of these interactions and the joy she is able to spread. A singular moment like an encounter with Flor can positively affect the rest of the day. Do you know anyone like her? [Realbeautifulpeople.wordpress.com]

Posted: 8/1/08
Dadeeyo189

A chef at my school.

He always smiles and makes [corny] jokes. But I love it because when I've been sitting in a class for almost two hours and I just want food it's nice to see someone joke around.