Smile! You're On Candid Camera!
Posted on December 22, 2012 by Liz Bruce, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Learning to smile will not only make you feel better, it will also project a happy, confident image.
One of my clients said, “Won’t people think you’re a little weird if you’re smiling all the time?” No. They will think you are a happy, approachable person.
Telephone sales courses teach smiling while on the phone. Why would that make a difference to someone who can’t see you? Our brains associate a smile with happiness. It is difficult to be angry or impatient when you put a smile on. It is an automatic response. All you have to do is smile, and you will project a positive message. The tone of your voice, your attitude will change. And that’s possible without even seeing the smile!
Imagine how much more powerful that smile will be when people can see it. You will project a happy, self-confident, image. You will be approachable. You will become part of the world around you. You will FEEL happier, more self-confident, and more approachable as well. A smile not only gives us a more positive tone automatically, but it also relays the visual message of trust, understanding and human connection . All these benefits because you’ve learned to smile.
It may be very difficult for you to smile if it has not been your habit. Sometimes we don’t realize why we don’t smile. I had to learn how to smile myself because of having a gold cap on my front tooth when I was six years old. The adult tooth came in, but I had learned not to smile and did not realize it until I focused on this problem. In fact, many cultures discourage smiling or even looking at a stranger. If this has been your background, you will be amazed at how friendly strangers will react to a simple smile. So this is a very important skill to master to improve your well- being and to enhance your perception of the world.
Start by smiling as part of your daily meditation. Pay attention to the changes in your body. Smiling will release endorphins, the feel good hormones. That smile will fade fast until you train yourself. Do it again and notice the happy memories that are awakened. Your brain can’t help identifying your smile with pleasure. Conversely, choosing to frown will trigger unhappy events. You don’t have to go there. Choose your thoughts. Choose how you are perceived. It’s your choice.
Go ahead and choose to smile.
