Do you know that feeling you get when you have a secret... a good secret, a Christmas surprise that beats all other Christmas pasts, a Valentine surprise that's got you smiling randomly for no reason, an out of the blue surprise that's going to knock the socks off of your friend's feet! It's like turning on a hot tub and trying to keep all of the bubbles from splashing out over the sides. Clean up on aisle 7, the secret is spilling out all over my face - smile's everywhere! So when John from "Sav Plenti"walks over with the mop and bucket to clean up your mess on aisle 7 he's probably going to see that smile (which is causing the mess on aisle 7) and smile back at you. He won't know why you're smiling, but really he probably doesn't care because he can translate that smile into whatever he needs to hear.
Smiles are contagious!
Whether or not the recipient returns the smile is not a sign that they did or did not feel the affect. You can use a smile on yourself (no mirror required) to bring about a change of heart. When you smile, you can feel the muscles moving and that alone can change your thought process. Just like one negative thought can lead to another, or one act of ungratefulness can lead to another; deadening the feelings of happiness, so, a smile can work in reverse.
Let's say you are in limbo mode, nothing "wow" has happened to make your day awesome, and nothing annoying or minutely bad has happened to make your day sluggish. Limbo mode is more than likely ready to set you up for failure. Due to the degrading nature of sin we are more likely to digress when in a state of neutrality than to climb the ladder of happiness. So, try these 5 things...
Set up cues for yourself - Instead of making a wish when you see a falling star, the clock hits 11:11, when blowing out candles, or any other old tales, switch instead to thinking of something your are thankful for.
When you walk past a mirror - smile.
Hide the words - when you want to say something but shouldn't, whether it be a secret, something inappropriate for the situation, or simply unnecessary, tell yourself instead and just smile about it. (sometimes I am close to vocal laughter due to the funniness of a matter that I've kept to myself, because seriously who understands a joke better than the teller!)
Notice the differences - People watching is the best! When you feel introverted and lonely in a crowd, bored, or out of place, put down the phone you are hiding behind and notice the differences around you and politely pick them apart. "This is a beautiful house, I'm glad I don't have to deal with that weird corner there, I wonder if you could turn it into a reading nook." or "That person is really funny and nice, they remind of the frog from "wind in the willows'" or "That person is complaining so much about this situation, I'm so glad I can see it in a different light right now."
Find things that bring back good memories - Whether you are at a party, grocery shopping, or traveling via airplane, look around you and find things that make you smile. "That persons's hat reminds of my friends hat when we did ____ together." or "I haven't seen that flavor of soda in a while, I had that at camp for the first time." or "That little kid reminds me of my sister's baby."
Now don't be that person who talks to themselves and you can tell that they are carrying on a conversation in their head. We think way faster than we talk, it only takes a moment of time to have a happy thought cross our mind and to smile about it.
Keep the smiles growing! Stifle the ungrateful thought.
I am in no way trying to be unkind in my thoughts toward others, sometimes what we think sounds different when we say it and unsaid is humorous or thought provoking but when said could be taken as hurtful or unkind.
Sarah
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