For over a year, it has been a strong effort of mine to not ask people, "How are you?". Instead, I try to hit them up with something more unique like "How's life?" or "What's new?".
"How are you?" just got so boring to me.
I guess I'm justified (partially) in thinking this way. A friend shared this with me:
“How are you?” These are the three most useless words in the world of communication. The person asking doesn’t really want to know, and the person responding doesn’t tell the truth. What follows is a lost opportunity and meaningless exchange with zero connection.
If you have “news,” share it: “I adopted a pet over the weekend” or “My 6-year-old rode a bike for the first time yesterday!” Believe it or not, most people actually do want to know more about others, especially if they both work at the same company.
PREACH IT!
Communication is an awesome thing! Hearing a 1-word response like "fine", "OK" or "good" just doesn't engage me.
As I get older, I'm trying really hard to express genuine interest in people. It's important for me, and I know it's important for (most) others.
This world beats us down. The art of communication and an ounce of time & concern can really do wonders to build us back up!
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt