The third Thursday of April is National High 5 Day! Although it was only invented in 1977, the high 5 has become one of the most widely recognized forms of celebration. And for that, the 3rd Thursday of every April is reserved to acknowledge that famous hand slap. Give yourself a High 5 to celebrate the day!
Research shows that physical touch is an important aspect of trust, effort, teamwork, and certainty. Touch triggers the release of oxytocin which is important in creating those benefits. A study of NBA teams showed that those teams who used physical touch most often were also the most successful teams during the season. To take this one step further, another study showed that high 5s exponentially increased persistence and self-evaluation while drastically decreasing fixation on errors made by self or others.
This is an exercise I use on my clients with great results. Try this practice for 1 week: Every morning, go to the mirror and give yourself a high 5 first thing of the day. It’s going to feel weird. After all, we’re not used to self-praise. Throughout your day, give high 5s to 10 random people. They can be people you know or they can be strangers. Some will accept your high 5 and some will not. If they do not, it’s ok. Watch how they smile and watch how they walk a little taller, just from being offered the high 5.
After a few days, the high 5s will become routine and you’ll find yourself giving more than you thought. In fact, if you see me at the grocery store, chances are good that you’ve watch me give myself high 5s in the aisles.
Live with love, live with passion.
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