The Incredible Power of a Smile

This morning I had the opportunity to recognize the incredible power of a smile. As I stood in line at the supermarket I had the opportunity to admire a rosy cheeked baby who seemed fixated on my face. I couldn’t help myself - I smiled at him, and he instantly smiled back causing me to feel those familiar, warm, fuzzies in my heart.

Smiles are powerful things, and very contagious. As the other people around me noticed the child smiling his incredible, toothless grin, they began to smile as well, setting off a chain reaction of smiles by passerby’s. The sad truth however is that few people become aware of this simple mood lifter, and even fewer; ever take the time to smile on purpose.

In my own life I believe that I have gleaned a lot of valuable wisdom from being in the trenches of life. I feel privileged and honored as it seems that my life has been enriched with loads of great and memorable experiences even though there were a few difficult circumstances to deal with along the way. As a Transformational Spirituality teacher I have the honor of getting to know and of associating with a lot of really fun and interesting people, and I have been able to enjoy numerous hours of pleasure engaging with them and making fun memories with each of them in the process. I am happily married, I love my children, and I am vibrant and healthy.

Yet, perhaps like you, there are days in my life when I allow myself to become bombarded with negatives and all I want to do is to hide myself away somewhere and have a good cry. It’s on those rare days that I gratefully recollect the wisdom that my dad always gave me as a child. When I was having an off day he would say to me, 'Dar, remember, whatever happens today, don't forget to smile, because nothing is ever as bad as it seems.'

I've found my dad's advice extremely helpful on countless occasions as I encountered some of life's curve balls. I remember one Friday morning when I was ten. I ditched elementary school because I felt as if my life was about to end. My pet rat Rosie died the night before and I felt like I couldn’t face the world.　The pain was so great that my ten year old heart thought that I was going to die.

However, I felt better about Rosie's death later that evening after my girlfriend Barbie invited me to spend the night at her house for a pajama party. We watched cartoons, played games, and smiled and laughed as we read elephant jokes to one another. The smiles and laughter eased my broken heart.

I also remember a time when I was in high school and feeling as if my life ceased to have meaning. I was interested in student government, ran for class secretary, and I lost. I felt like a complete failure, and the feeling of rejection literally crushed me inside. Dad told me to keep my head up and to remember to smile, and he assured me that my life would turn out just fine even though I was not nominated.

Smiles are incredibly powerful. Here are some ways you can use the power of a smile in your own life:

• Practice smiling at yourself. In my present life, having gleaned the secret power behind a smile, I honor myself and my father by facing every day with a smile. No matter what I may be going through, the minute I greet my face in the bathroom mirror I smile at myself. Practicing smiling at yourself will also do wonders for your self-esteem.
• Look for the humor in life. One of the biggest things that have allowed me to face each day with a giant smile on my face is my pet children. My "kids" help me to keep my sense of humor and my internal laughter meter at 110 percent smiles.　 Especially my curious cat, T-Bone. My pet kids are always doing hilarious things that keep me laughing throughout the day, causing me to keep a smile on my face no matter how harried my day may be. Look for the humor in your life on a daily basis. Throughout the years I have trained myself to look for what is funny in various situations in my life, and I have found that there are a variety of ways that you can look for the humor in life. As an example, watch funny television shows and movies, go to comedy clubs, or read funny anecdotes and jokes.
• Smile for no reason at all, and more importantly, smile often. A smile can change your emotional state in an instant! Remember the warm fuzzies I told you about when the baby smiled at me in the market?　 Medical science has found that smiling activates certain neurotransmitters and hormones such as serotonin, which is often referred to as the "feel good" hormone.

Find reasons to activate the power of a smile in your own life starting today, and remember those words a very wise man shared with me so many years ago -　 'whatever happens today, don't forget to smile. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems.'

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