The Power of a Smile

When in doubt give'em a smile. Don't ever underestimate the power of a smile. I often observe and keep a mental tally of the people I see who are going through life with frowns and scowls on their faces. I'm blown away by how few people actually smile. Even when involved in what appears to be fun activities, often times the serious and intense look is plastered on their faces. Don't they know that their face is gonna stick like that? Now I understand that there are often very focused moments when we are concentrating and the smile may give way to a more serious expression, however, attention to your expression can be a powerful tool. There are also moments, like when we are angry, that a smile is obviously not an appropriate expression, unless you want others to think that you might be a little crazy. The point is, that for many, a smile is not their default expression. If given the choice to be a happy person, or an angry person, which would you choose for yourself?

Why do we smile when posing for a photo? Because we want others to see us in a happy state of being and because we look more attractive. Do you agree? Our facial expressions are a strong communicator of what's inside us. We learn at a very early age how to read the face of another. We knew when our parents meant business and when they were teasing just by the expression on their faces.

The intent of this post is to bring your attention to the fact that it is up to us to choose our mental state of being. We can choose to see the good in someone, or the worst. We can choose to see the glass half full, or half empty. It is up to us to decide if we want to be gripped by anger and hate, or find joy and peace in this short life. We are all fighting some kind of battle in this broken and often cruel world. We can face challenges living in misery, or we can face challenges with a positive attitude. Our face will tell everyone around us which we choose. And let's be real, no one enjoys hanging out with a sourpuss.

Did you know that a smile can actually release chemicals in your body that can bring a calm to your spirit. It can also deescalate confrontations with others. The smile is such a beautiful expression that brightens everything. It's my personal goal to develop age wrinkles that are from smiling rather than frowning. If we're gonna get wrinkles they might as well be smiling ones. Now this post could dive into a very deep psychological essay on the reasons many cannot bring themselves to smile as a result of the tragedies in their lives, and I agree that unfortunately this is the case for some, but for most we can all find reasons to smile. I encourage you to look for the blessings, the good in this life, to find more reasons to smile than to frown. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

What brings a smile to your face? What activities can you participate in that will make you smile. Next time you see someone, or something that makes you smile make a conscious effort to think about your smile and how often you use it. Your smile is contagious and you never know who may need to see that grin on your face. It doesn't take a lot of effort to smile so give it a try. And, regarding "Chill Life", it's difficult to be chill with a frown on your face, so let's see those teeth. Who knows you may even graduate to a laugh.