A Smile Is Your Personal Welcome Mat
The best ‘fortune’ I ever got in a fortune cookie read: A smile is your personal welcome mat. I loved this fortune so much, that I kept it and still have it to this day! I want to share why this resonated with me so much and what it means.
Smiling Benefits You
In the past, I wrote about how smiling is one of the tricks to immediately feel happier. Just the act of smiling can trick your brain. It puts you in a better mood, which can help you relieve stress, feel calmer, and even give you a boost of energy!
Smiling Benefits Others
Smiling can also have the same effect on others. Simply smiling at somebody else can make them happier. Smiling at a stranger as you pass them in the street or at your cashier in the store can unexpectedly brighten their day. Truthfully, just smiling at everyone you interact with will bring more positivity and joy into the world! After all, smiling is contagious!
Have you ever been around somebody who is grouchy and frowning all the time? Now, how about somebody with a bubbly personality who is constantly showing their pearly whites? Just being in their presence likely puts you in a better mood. So, imagine if you were that person. Your mere presence, with a smile, would lift up the spirits of those around you.
Authentic Smiles
Unfortunately, it is not always enough just to smile. The smile must feel authentic as well. An inauthentic smile may not have the same contagious feel to it. This can be a problem for many of us, myself included, who do not wear a smile by nature and must remind ourselves to smile. Smiling more at first will feel awkward, forced, and as a result, inauthentic. However, the good news is the more you do it the more natural it will feel, and over time, you won’t even realize it.
A great tip is to try smiling more when you are alone. Whether it be in the car, at home, or on a walk. When nobody is around….. SMILE! Smile like a complete idiot. You can have the widest, most awkward feeling smile in the whole world. That’s totally fine since nobody will be there to see it but it will make you feel a lot better and prep you to smile more in the future.
Self Consciousness
Another issue is that some people might be self-conscious about their smiles, specifically their teeth. If your teeth are stopping you from smiling more, you do always have the option of a closed-mouth smile. However, keep in mind that you notice your imperfections far, far, FAR more than other people do. While you may not like your smile, others probably won’t even notice or care.
I am also a big believer in if you don’t like something about yourself, work on fixing it. After all, this is all about becoming the best version of yourself. If you do not like your smile, take steps to change it. Whether that might mean getting braces or speaking with your dentist about alternative options. Having insecurities is completely normal but what is important is taking steps towards overcoming them.
Have you smiled today? Has a smile, whether your own or somebody else’s, ever made your day better? Let me know!
Best,
Eric
