The Power of Smiling

Last week, I said farewell to a friend at work. She was much liked by many people in our office. One of the strongest reasons for that would be her big bright smile. Whenever you would see her you would see her smile. You could tell that sometimes she had not slept too well or that pressure at work was getting to her yet she would always make the effort of greeting you with a smile.

This made me reflect, on what is it about this simple act that is so endearing. A smile is powerful. People often assume that a person who is smiling ought to be happy and smiling without a reason is not possible. However, after reflecting on this the past couple of weeks, I have come to the understanding that smiling is very much a choice on many occasions. It’s a mindset thing rather than a reaction alone.

For starters, let’s look at young children, they quite often are so quick to smile. They do not always have a reason to do so yet they are quick to smile because they are in a playful and joyous mindset.

Can we learn a few things from them? Reflect on some of the people you like seeing in your life. Quite a few of them that you like have this positive energy radiating from them and one of the easiest ways to beam positive energy towards the world is by greeting people with a smile.

Now one might think, how does one put a genuine smile on their face when on the inside you feel terrible? Well, it’s not easy but it’s possible. It’s a shift of mindset. One of the shifts in mindset is to think of what is working out, and what is good in your life, and also sometimes see your life as a bit of a comedy. Especially when things are not so great. Just step out of your own head and think of your life as a sitcom comedy and no matter what the situation you might see the funny angle to it. This I think automatically puts you into a playful mood.

Next up, try to carry this playful mood along with a smile and just greet strangers who you see on a regular basis at work or in your surroundings. A nod, a greeting, a pleasant smile. Maybe one or two would not reflect that energy back but before you know it, you would have received positive acknowledgment for the positivity you shone out into the world and before you know it, you’re having a good day because you feel a good connection with people around you.

As adults and as grownups I think we take ourselves and our lives too seriously. I read a nice quote on this sometime back. I will paraphrase here, It went along the lines of “Do serious work, but don’t take yourself too seriously.”

When we realize, that everyone including ourselves is flawed in our own unique ways, that everyone has personal, professional, and social ups and downs, everyone has their heart broken, their expectations not met, and their loved ones passing, & when we realize we are all human and these experiences have been repeating over and over for millennia you don’t feel so isolated anymore and in such a situation if you take a step back you see the lighter side of things too.

So smile through the pain, smile through the sorrow, smile through the fatigue & if you feel joy then certainly smile for sure. There is time to feel the pensive emotions that I mentioned earlier, but maybe that time is not all the time and there are better ways of expressing and processing those emotions than to be carrying them on your sleeve. Write them away, sing them out, paint them off, or better still speak to a friend who would listen.

In today’s world, we have glorified misery and do not give enough credit to people who continue to soldier on with positivity despite the hardships that come their way so aim to be amongst the latter. You can do it!

So well, would close by saying, farewell to my friend with the big bright smile. You will be missed at work but you left an impression and will be remembered every time I think of our conversation on this.

Happy Sunday.