"Hi welcome to Yogo Bowl!"

Although I would have loved to enjoy my Fall Break away from school, work, and Georgetown it was my boss's 21st wedding anniversary and I was the only worker who had not already requested off. I was scheduled to work 3 seven-hour shifts for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... Lucky me!

Despite the money I would make from the large amount of hours I was given, I was not excited. I decided to challenge myself and complete my "Day of Compassion" assignment on Sunday... the day of my last seven hour shift and the day I, as well as everyone around me, would need it the most.

I believe that compassion can be displayed in many ways:

-Being goodhearted -Being loving -Being sincere

-Being kind -Being honest -Being friendly

-Being understanding -Being sympathetic/empathetic -Being polite

My Sunday started off early. Even though I had had a late night and Dee was laying sound asleep, I woke up to make breakfast (eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls!) Breakfast was great... cleaning up the breakfast mess? not so much. I usually make Dee clean when I cook but I decided to take care of it that morning. After breakfast and the cleaning it was time to get ready for work! I made sure I got to work extra early to help Steve (my boss) with whatever he needed; he had actually been running behind that morning so it worked out great and he was able to leave earlier then he expected. I was somewhat excited about my Sunday shift because Sunday mornings at work are usually slow but of course this Sunday the customers started rolling in bright and early! With a huge smile on my face I welcomed them in and instead of going to the back to finish other things I was working on I decided to stay out to chat. I continued this throughout the day and learned more about my customers then I ever had (good and bad...I never realized how many people try to get more yogurt or toppings without paying for it!) After a long seven hour shift I was beat. When nine o'clock comes around on a Sunday I make sure the open sign is turned off at 8:59:55 so I can get out of there as fast as I can, but this Sunday a customer strolled in at 9:02 and I acted as if there was an hour until close and treated them like anyone else who came in letting them try samples and lolly gag. I was finally able to start closing at around 9:15 and I made sure to take my time so that the place was spotless. I got out a little later then usually but it was no biggy. After work I called my mom who was making  mums for my brother and sister's

homecoming that week. I have made them every year and she didn't sounds to happy to be making them herself. Because I planned on going home the next day anyway, I ended up packing my things and heading home to help her. The look on her face was priceless as I walked in the door!

Although I am normally a pretty compassionate person, I liked who I became by the end of my "Day of Compassion". I was more fun and a lot more of an enjoyable person! I believe that psychologically it takes more effort to be overly compassionate because instead of acting automatically, throughout the day I found myself constantly thinking of ways I could be more compassionate. The ways in which I went out of my to please others made my "Day of Compassion" not only psychologically costly but physically exhausting as well (waking up early... cleaning... when I was washing something in the back or cutting up brownies and someone came in or out of the store I would run to the front to make sure all the customers were welcomed as they entered and satisfied when they left... making mums). It might have been costly but the benefits definitely outweigh the costs of being compassionate. I believe that because I was overly compassionate I had a smile on my face that made me feel more happy and made the work day more enjoyable... and not only did my work day go by faster but being extra compassionate really paid off when it came to tips. I made $19.75 which is great compared to the usual $3-9!!!

The recipients of my compassion responded very well. I had never seen so many smiles in one day or smiled that much myself for that matter. I talked to customers about everything from their volleyball games to their grandchildren and a lot of the customers who came in alone seemed to really appreciate the conversation and kindness. Because the people I am closest too knew that it was my last day of my seven-hour shifts and expected me to be a bit on the grumpy side I believe that they attributed my compassion to my personality. I believe that the customers I encountered also attributed my compassion that day to my personality. I am generally a nice cashier and experiencing the compassion I put forth that day would only enhance their thoughts of my service. Who is happy working a minimum wage job as a busy college student? No one... therefore they must attribute the trait to my personality.

If I was to encourage others to behave in the same manner that I did for my "Day of Compassion" assignment I would explain to them the theory of Reciprocal Altruism (Krebs, 1987; Trivers,1985). This theory explains the benefits of being compassionate by stating that helping someone else can be in your best interest since it increases the chances that they will help you in return. As a Yogo Bowl employee, being compassionate and helping the customers with whatever needs or questions they have will make them more likely to help you by giving you tips or calling the manager and getting you a raise. When Steve called me to tell me my schedule on Tuesday he mentioned someone calling into Yogo Bowl about how great of a worker I am. He then explained that he now wants to teach me how to open the store and give me a key (a task that another employee that has been working at Yogo Bowl for over a year is not able to do) and I am sure with that comes a raise! I would also explain the Facial Feedback Hypothesis to encourage compassion (Laird, 1974). James Laird (1974) explored facial expressions and emotion and found that changes in facial expressions can lead to similar changes in emotion. Being compassionate, can lead to smiling which can lead to an overall more happy feeling!

If I were to predict my behavior in the future I would predict that it would be changed as a result of my "Day of Compassion".  Although it may be hard to be compassionate to others all the time due to different stresses and the busyness of life, there were a lot of things I liked about myself that day. I was happier and so were the people around me. My "Day of Compassion" has helped me appreciate all the good things that can come out of a simple smile or helping hand and has shown me how much a little compassion can do in this crazy world. Because of my "Day of Compassion" I believe that I will be an overall more successful person in understanding others and making a difference.

Last but not least I couldn't end without sharing my favorite song on the Yogo Bowl play list that repeated about 3 times every shift:

and as I would say to a customer who was heading out

"Thank you so much for coming in. Have a  great day!"

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Krebs, D. (1987). The challenge of altruism in biology and psychology. In C. Crawford, M. Smith, & D. Krebs (Eds.), Sociobiology and psychology: Ideas, issues, and applications (pp. 81-118) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Laird, J.D. (1974). Self-attribution of emotion: The effects of expressive behavior on the quality of emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 475-486.

Trivers, R. L. (1985). Social evaluation. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin/Cummings.