Recently, I received an email from a friend asking me about alternatives to the age-old-worn-out-daily-grind-rote-question, “How are you doing?”

 

What would be your alternative to this boring, unimaginative opening question?

 

Here are a few of my favorite “How are you doing?” alternatives:

 

What has your attention right now?  Why? Tell me more! (What has my attention is Dan Harris’ podcast, Ten Percent Happier)

 

What recent movie or TV series keeps popping up in your mind? Tell me more. (Top Gun Maverick and Ted Lasso for me!) 

 

You look important (or special) (or significant) (or unique)! Who dressed you today? (Tone of voice and quisical facial expression are important!) (My favorite clothes come from Orvis and Goodwill!)

 

That aura you are giving off is stunning! How do you do that? (My college psychology senior thesis studied how stimuli impacted an individual’s auras that showed up in Kirlian photos.)

 

May I ask you a deeply personal question? What is the last photo you took with your smartphone? Why? (Mine is of a bear while I was walking Dash this morning! See the picture in the beginning of this blog!)

 

I’m doing a survey. Where do you get your news? FOX News, MSNBC, or Comedy Central? Why? (I always hope it’s Comedy Central!)

 

What is your favorite drink during cocktail hour: Bourbon, wine, or sparkling water? Why? (Bourbon – either New Riff or Michter’s All American Whiskey)

 

Which is the most interesting city: New York, Paris, or Rome? Why? (For me, Paris, although New York keeps me interested. WAY too many crazy drivers in Rome!)

 

You have a chance to have dinner with just one of the following: David Brooks, Fran Lebowitz, Howard Stern, or Michelle Obama, who would it be? Why? (David Brooks would be across the table from me. I’d love to talk with him about his books, The Road to Character and The Second Mountain.)