Our smiles are very powerful tools in our life toolboxes, but sometimes we forget to use them. We easily withdraw into our own head spaces, and the distractions on our phones help to disconnect us even further from the physical world right in front of us. But a smile is a gift, a little piece of light and hope we can send out to others, and it doesn’t cost us anything but a little conscious thought and effort. Before we know it, sending someone a smile becomes an easy habit.
After three years of on again off again mask wearing, one would think that we’d be chomping at the bit to share our smiles. But, it’s not quite so. When you’re empathic, it’s hard to miss the underlying stress beneath the wan smiles that have been unveiled lately. These three years changed us as a collective. We’re all dealing with a lot in this shifting world. Life feels uncertain, not always optimistic, and stressful for everybody. I propose that it’s time to double down on our smiling, a simple way to change the world around us.
A friend once told me, “Sometimes you have to change what’s inside first, and sometimes it’s the other way around”. There is a behavioral intervention technique called “Act As If”, the premise being that if we start to emulate the behavior associated with the changes we want to see, those actions start to change the feelings we have about a situation. Those improved feelings actually reinforce the behavior, which then starts to create an upward spiral.
So this post brings with it a small challenge. Even if you don’t feel like it, send a smile to at least one stranger on your path today. Each smile is full of possibility, the potential to create something good. There is a reason smiles are curved. Yours and the ones you receive back make a circle, a never-ending ripple effect of infinite joy.
Smile, and spread some joy today.
Aside from giving happiness to others, this is an excellent article on why you should smile more often for your own health and well-being: Top 10 Reasons You Should Smile Every Day
Inspirational Smile Quotes:
“I hope that whoever you are, wherever you are, and no matter how you are feeling, you will always have something to smile about.” ~ Sanober Khan
“Peace begins with a smile.” ~ Mother Teresa
“Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.” ~ Mark Twain
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett
“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” ~ Phyllis Diller
“Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.” ~ William Makepeace Thackeray
© SL Hart 2023
In case you missed my last post:
😀
Janice, your smile, coupled with the fact that you are my first commenter ever, makes me smile. Thank you for reading! :)