Power Of Your Smile š
It was a cloudy day, slightly chilly and there was a hint of a drizzle. I was out for my morning run. Unlike every other day I took an early exit from my route and entered a childrenāsā playground. As I ran down the tracks surrounding the grounds, I heard a sound. It was the sound of two kids playing ball. It was low in pitch. But something in it stayed with me, echoing inside. It wasnāt like I never heard kids laugh before; it was just that today I noticed. It brought a gentle smile to my face and I kept running. A while later I heard roars of laughter. This time the pitch was higher. As I got closer, I could see a group of people, putting up their hands in the air and going āHa..Ha..Haā¦..ā as loudly as possible. It was funny indeed, my smile broadened. Their roaring chorus, echoed inside again. Hands on my hips, I stopped and looked back in the kidsā direction and again at this group of people. I discovered something.
My grandmother occupied a large part of my childhood. And one distinct thing about her was her smile. It wasnāt a laugh, you could barely see two of her front dentures. Her cheeks would bulge out. Something about it used to calm me. What I discovered that morning was an extremely powerful tool we all have. Our Smile.
Consider these situations, and then letās hackāem with our smile tool!
#Situation 1 : You are stuck in traffic for an hour and you have to reach office in 15 minutes. You get angry, depressed, sad and begin cursing all at the same time.
#Situation 2 :Driving idly, you see a cookie shop. Reminds you of your grandmother, who isnāt with you now. You think, āwhat Ifā I had told her how much I loved her.
#Situation 3 : Your assistant screws up big time, forgets to get you the spreadsheet done on time. You are furious.
#Situation 4 : In 30 minutes you are about to deliver a keynote to a huge crowd of people and your hands have gone cold. You feel hollow inside. You are sweating. Your life depends on this.
In Situation 1, Is there anything you can do? NO. You canāt move traffic and there is nothing apart from waiting that will help. But your reaction is natural. That doesnāt mean it is rational. (Note to Self: Natural does not necessarily mean Rational)
Similarly, if you look at Situation 2, these are fleeting thoughts with no relevance to now. But they alter your mood.
What if you could be calm and peaceful in Situations 3 and 4. You would perform better and handle people better.
Now letās figure out how can we hack these situations.
So how do we do it?
Walk up to a mirror. Your front camera is just fine, go ahead no oneās judging.
Stretch your lips, widen your eyes. Oh cāmon! I donāt need to teach you how to smile. Just do it now. Force yourself. Giggle a bit. Now thatās more like it!
Something really powerful just happened. Your stress levels went down. Your muscles relaxed and you look and feel great!
In all the above situations,if you can force a smile on your face. What that will do is, it will instantly get rid of irrelevant thoughts and feelings. It will fill you with happiness, calm you down and bring you back to NOW.
Much harder done, than said. With practice, you will learn to observe your own thoughts and feelings, and not indulge in them. Use your smile to make them go away.
Now that you know what a smile can do for you. Keep š
P.S : Try this once, and let me know if it made a difference š
