Here at InsuranceHub, we’re always blown away by the incredible people who make up our team. Today, we want to shine some spotlight on Jennifer Richmond, who works in our Employer Benefits Department. She’s on a mission to make the world a better place by channeling positivity and making people smile. She’s created a positivity challenge.
Jennifer recently took to social media and created a hashtag – #positivitychallenge. The purpose? To make people smile. “With all the negativity running around on social media and even in the personal lives of others, I thought it would be exceptional to start a challenge where we are just making one another smile more often instead of remembering hurtful words and actions. I wanted to turn frowns upside down.”
The challenge centers around changing the way we view our day-to-day lives. Rather than asking “How are you?” or “How was your day?” Jennifer started asking her family and friends this question: What made you smile today? The purpose is to have the other person remember something happy from that day – and, in remembering, to smile again. She decided to start doing this a year ago in response to seeing the troubles and pain of people around her.
“When you ask someone how their day was, most of the time they think about the challenge of the day that made them stressed and unhappy. It just unfolds again to remind them just how negative or bad their day may have been,” Jennifer said. “So, I started asking my friends and loved ones, ‘What made you smile today?’ By doing that, I get to enjoy the moment of seeing them smile once again as they remember and tell me the story of just what made them smile. Not only do they smile once more, but it also makes me smile in return. It creates a more positive atmosphere. I don’t always get an answer on it and when I do, sometimes it’s still not a big enough smile or happy moment. In turn, I then bring up something positive to make them smile and laugh. After all, laughter is the best medicine.”
This habit of asking people what made them smile got Jennifer thinking. Why shouldn’t this trend of positivity carry on through social media? Jennifer decided to share this challenge and took to Facebook. She wanted to be able to track how the positivity was spreading, so she added a hashtag: #positivitychallenge. This was only a few days ago, but already Jennifer has noticed some traction with her challenge on social media. “A few of my friends have liked the post, and I have seen a share here and there. Whenever I noticed a share, I checked the comments on that person’s post and saw that they wanted to steal or share the post as well!” she said.
Jennifer hopes that her positivity challenge will encourage people to be a positive influence in the lives of others. She points out that this can be something as simple as texting someone to ask what made them smile today. “It could help people strike up better and more positive conversations – and even make new friends along the way. It might even help the person you ask feel like there is someone who cares, and cares enough to make them smile and feel happier too.”
To keep the positivity challenge going, Jennifer would love to see people send out at least one message to someone different every day and ask that question – what made you smile today? From there, you see where the conversation leads you. “Even if you’re out in public and you see someone that looks like they could use a smile, you can ask them what made them smile today. You never know what someone is going through, and placing a smile on a face is very rewarding to me.”
We’re so encouraged and proud of Jennifer’s mission to get people smiling. Thank you, Jennifer, for striving to send positivity into the world! You definitely made us smile through your #positivitychallenge. We’re really looking forward to seeing the response to your positivity challenge as it takes off!
Pictured:
From left to right – Leo Fuentes, Jennifer Richmond, Robyn Roberts, Jeremy Valcin.