You always hear trainers, motivational speakers…and probably your boss talking about having an attitude of service. Many people think this means that makes you either a servant, a martyr or an idiot walking around all day with a stupid grin on your face while you’re feeling dejected, fed up or angry on the inside. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Working in customer service puts us in the unique position of helping others on a daily basis. When you help someone it releases feel good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin and the hormone oxytocin, these might give you an extra cushion from life’s little stresses, help your heart beat a little healthier and look out ‘cause OMG you’re in a better mood too! Not too shabby for being all in a day’s work huh? Of course there is a catch…you have to REALLY CARE ABOUT helping other people.

If you are going to change your workplace (or your world) one person at a time, you’re not going to earn any extra bonus points for being miserable. With that in mind here are some practical day-to-day tips that may at first glance seem superficial, but they can really help anyone stay more positive while working with almost any customer.

Smile! – When you’re smiling, you’ll notice a couple of things, smiles are catching. Smiling makes people feel warm, fuzzy and you got it – like smiling back. It could really turn your day around. Smiling can also improve your mood by releasing some of those feel-good chemicals we mentioned earlier.

Play the part – That means dressing appropriately for your environment, while NEVER being wrinkled, disheveled or sloppy looking no matter how casual your atmosphere is. This will help you to exude confidence in your abilities, expertise and overall awesomeness.

Say something kind – Everyday life presents you with another opportunity to say something nice, generous and authentic to somebody. Whether you comment on your co-workers accomplishment or your customer’s fabulous sense of fashion tossing some positive energy into someone else’s life will boost it in yours too.

Create a circle of positive friends – If you surround yourself with people who are optimistic rather than dead-beats, complainers and users…well, that’s half the battle isn’t it?