Fresh Start

"How are you doing" or how Joey, from friends, says it, "How you doin'?"

Those are 4 simple words (or three in Joey's case) that we ask people everyday, but do we really want to hear the answer.
I asked someone how they were doing when I called them recently. They answered, "Well,um, ok."
I proceeded to tell them why I called because I did not want to forget. I got all the business done and then
asked them again, "How are you doing? You didn't sound like everything was ok when I asked before."
Things weren't going ok and she had had a hard day at work. I am so glad that I took the time to REALLY ask her how she was doing.
I was in a hurry that day, but took a WHOLE five minutes extra to really see how she was doing. It didn't take that long, I really wanted to know, and still got things done that I needed to.

This is just a reminder when you ask someone how they are doing please take a few minutes to really ask them. When you ask please listen to their answer. They may say great, but really they are not and you can usually tell. Let them know that you care, that you are there for them, really listen, and give them a hug if they need it.

When someone asks you how YOU are doing, if you are having a hard time with something, tell them. I know that HOW ARE YOU has just become the norm for when you are greeting someone, but really asking, really listening, really answering, and really caring could make all the difference in someone's life.