Smile More

Stop what you are doing, and do yourself a favor. It doesn’t matter what is going on in your life, or how you are feeling right now, just put a smile on your face. Maybe you are having a good day, or maybe you are having a bad day. It doesn’t matter. Just smile more. Why? Because it’s contagious. Not only will it make you happier, but it will also make the other people around you happier as well.

Why don’t we smile more often in life? Why does everything in our lives have to be taken so serious to the point where we can’t enjoy life itself? Sometimes there is no reason to smile, but it’ not like smiling more can hurt us. In fact, it can only help every single situation that we face.

Yes, I actually practice smiling. Every morning that I wake up, the first thing that I do is go to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and put a smile on that big ole face of mine. Not because I think that look good, even though I do. Not because something amazing happened. Rather, I start my mornings by smiling simply because I am alive. I smile because I have been blessed enough to live to see another day.

When I wake up, I smile. When I drive to work, I smile. I smile when I am on my way home from work,  when I eat, when I am with my family, and I smile during all the times in between. Or at least I try to. I don’t need a reason to smile, I just smile because I want to be happy, and it is proven that smiling makes you happy.

Some days you just aren’t going to feel it. One day, you might be tired. Other days, you are naturally just going to be irritated. But ask yourself if it is worth it to wear your emotions. Is your life really that miserable to the point where you are willing to walk around all day in a negative state of mind? What good is that going to do for you?

You are alive, and you are breathing. There is very little pain that we, as humans, can ever experience where it might acceptable to do anything other than smiling. Even then, you should learn to smile more.

Smile because it is going to make you feel better. Smile because everyday that you are alive, you are living the greatest gift known to man. And smile because it is contagious. Smile more because when you do, you are more likely to put a smile on the face of others and positively impact their lives as well. Do you want to make a greater impact in life? Then smile. 

Now I get it. You are probably thinking why is this dumb guy telling me to smile more when he knows nothing about my life. You’re right, I don’t. I am telling you to smile more because I want you to live the best possible life that you can live. I am telling you to smile more because your life is too short for negativity of any sorts. And I want you to smile more to learn from my mistakes.

Some might say that I am overly optimistic. Others might say that I am fake. I say that I am just happy. After years of being miserable, I now smile more than ever because I want to experience life at it’s finest. I smile more than ever because it has once again made life enjoyable again to live.

You don’t have to be happy to smile more, but when you do smile, you will become happier. You will improve your quality of life, and you will also be improving the quality of life of others around you. Smile more and watch is spread like a fire. If nothing else, just smile more because it’s free.

Michael Bonnell

9/14/2018

 

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