At first I felt a bit silly as I walked along with a smile on my face, but I quickly realized that no one minds if you’re looking happy. What you feel inside matters a lot more. I try to smile whenever I interact with someone, like bumping into someone I’ve never seen before along the corridor, queuing up after looong minutes waiting at the ATM, or even going through scary looking security guards before going up to an office, things like that.
Smile and try to be happy.
Okay. Let me give you an example. Imagine yourself in the grocery store. Wandering around to anywhere you wish in a pure state of happiness. Touching all the products on the shelves as if it were the first time you saw these items. Screaming (okay maybe not screaming but maybe a little shrieking yelp?) with joy as you picked up a very yummy looking apple, pressing it up to your nose and inhaling the sweet smell, then rubbing the apple against your face. Looking up at the other shoppers with your eyes wide open, laughing out loud in pure excitement. One of the other shoppers may give you the ‘look’. Another shopper may be wondering why you are off your medication. Ha ha. You would be viewed as being a lil bit wacko.
But who cares, right?
Being happy and cracking up a smile are interconnected.
I think, it’s also all about facial expressions. Facial expressions don’t merely reflect emotions, they also affect emotions. You have to agree that the mere act of smiling makes people feel happier—even when they smile mechanically, as I’m doing, or when they’re asked not to “smile” but rather to contract specific facial muscles.
Random smiling is an example of my simple resolution of feeling good with myself while others may think that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. So by acting happier, I should feel happier. And you know what, I think I do. Dig me, ya'll?
Also, because of emotional contagion, people often mimic the faces of people they see. I’ve definitely noticed that people are much more likely to smile back at me when I’m smiling. Maybe because they feel they are in a way, forced to smile back, but still, they SMILE, right?
I assure you, right this very moment, even though I feel a little bit out of the place (trying to figure out what to do with schedule+assigments+stuffs), I insist on smiling and feel good about things. Because, again I do believe by trying to be pleased and happy with myself, I will tend to actually really feel happy. Am I making any sense?
It’s all in your mind, babe. So smile!
4 comments:
Of course you are making sense, my dear. Got to remind myself to smile often. An old friend of mine, always accuses me of having a stuck-up face. But trust me, I am not a stuck-up *shudder*
Dear M'am Elviza,
Phew. Thanks. Lol. Maybe I should admit too that once (back then when I was alot younger with so much attitude), my friends (one or two who had the guts) and even my father said that I looked abit sombong. Hehe. But no more. It's alot better to look sweet and all bubbly. You've got nothing to lose, right.
Btw M'am, you do not have a stuck-up face. Trust me. And I am bloody certain that you're super nice and cool. I knoe. *winks
dear suria, haha...so, now u smile a lot ekk??good for you..i wonder how's the new sweet and bubbly suria would be..
u know what, here in ikm (for now-baru 1st week) i have a lot of free time, because i only have 10 hours/week. so, the rest i spend surfing the net, YMing, and assignments.. but as usual, i smile a lot in front of the laptop especially while YMing and reading blogs..a few people noticed, and tegur laa for i constantly smiling... so what i say is, it's better for me smiling rather than crying... kann??? like u say, who cares?? yang awet mude, gua jugak..tak gitu??
Dear Peed,
I try to smile alot, babe. Cos yeah, smiling makes us look and feel younger. Like you said, awet mude gitu. Auw! And also, people usually look more candy-to-the-eyes cos face it, we are naturally drawn to people who smile.
Btw, you're entitled to just teach for 10 hours a week? That's so cool. All the best.
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