2015 Smile
Challenge
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| Smiling while Working Out |
2015 is the
year of the smile. I challenge you to smile all day every day and see how your
world changes. Many are stressed, stretched and worried. But what do we really
want? We want a reason to smile. We look for opportunity to laugh and smile but
the world hands us bad news, recessions, bills, more work, and more problems. Some
have the feeling that they have sinned and are being punished. Others believe
that they are above trouble and work so when anything comes their way they fall
apart becoming a whining victim. Where did we get the idea that everything has
to be perfect before we can be happy? Who said that we were supposed to walk
around bitter and angry all the time? Sure it gives a person a false sense of power to
get mad and indignant but when does it really solve anything. In fact, medicine has proven that stress and
unhappiness makes for an unhealthy person. I say let us smile anyway and see
what the world gives us. Worst case scenario: we found a reason to smile.
You are blessed to be able to endure
with joy
Collosians
1:11“you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to
the Father” Paul was praying for his friends that they would have joy through
all things that may come and that they would have joy while they were being
called on to be patient and endure. I
remember being shocked the first time my husband asked me to have joy while I
was enduring. I had never heard of such a thing. How could a person be joyful
while they were going through something unpleasant like calling the phone
company about a bill or doing the taxes.
After he showed me this scripture I saw that not only was it possible
but Paul prayed that blessing for us. Keeping that in mind made it became no
more than a change of habit. This year
let us change our habit from grimace to a smile, turn that frown upside down.
Get a Beauty Treatment Every Time You
Smile
Think of the
way people react to you. Do they smile when they see you; do they frown, look
upset, sad or just look away and ignore you? This has little to do with them
but rather how your face is looking at them. Try it with children. In the Ice
Cream Shop where I work we see a lot of children every day and we play
expression games with them. We have a face we call the bitter face. If a child
is given a bitter face they look alarmed and wary. By the way, this is a good
way to keep a kid from destroying the place and never saying a word. If they
are given a smile 9 times out of 10 they give you a smile back mocking your
expression. We do this as adults instinctively. It is called matching. We pick
up on the expressions of others and become the mirrors of our society. This is
all well and good as long as someone in our society is smiling. But if you look
around even the models don’t smile in the ads any more. They are made to look
pouty and depressed or snooty or what every that look is. Anyway, it doesn’t
make you want to get to know the person or like the person.
Some
cultures do not smile or encourage smiling. But in America it is a sign of
friendliness and approachability. Smiling makes us more attractive. Have you
ever known a beautiful person that when you really looked at them they were
quite average yet they were considered beautiful because they smiled and made
other people feel happy? Take a good look at Julia Roberts sometime. She is not the ideal beauty. She complained that
she was awkward and gawky as a teen. But that smile of hers made her America’s
Sweetheart and listed in People Magazines most beautiful people. Yep, you can compete with Julia Roberts with
your smile.
Feel Better
Smiling
actually makes you feel better in at least 2 ways. It makes you feel better
physically because your smile tells your body that you have a sense of well being.
Next time you feel tired, irritated or under the weather smile. A very bad cold
just swept through San Diego a few days ago. All my employees called in sick at
one point or another and many people I met and knew where sick. One day I came
down with a sore throat and the sniffles. I decided that I was going to stick
to my New Year’s Resolution and smile through the whole cold. I started
sniffling about 8:00 pm at night and kept smiling. I woke up the next morning
and my cold was completely gone and forgotten. So with smiling my cold lasted 2
or 3 hours rather than days or weeks. Now, I am not exactly saying that we have
found the cure for the common cold but what if? Medicine has proven that
happier people are healthier people. Google it if you don’t believe me. I could
not find one article to the contrary.
Eliminate
the Negative Accentuate the Positive
Many people
especially women struggle with anxiety and worry because you begin to think
about the past or the future and have feelings of regret or dread. Every time
you just begin that feeling of regret or dread slap a smile on your face and
see what happens. I challenge you to think of anything negative while you are
smiling. It is almost a magical fog that goes over your mind clearing out the
negativity when you smile. Doubt, fear, dread cannot exist in the mind of a
smiling person.
You may find
yourself not smiling at times. Not to worry just put it back on and you will
not even remember your regret of your temporary lapse.
Success in your world
If you are
in the business world in America smiling will make you more money than
frowning. People will trust you more. Give you more tips. Plus the trouble
maker types will shy clear of you. Being in the Ice Cream Shop we are a sitting
duck for the public including homeless and street people. Sometimes they come
in and attempt to cause problems and I simply smile at them. It diffuses them
and they leave. After all they are looking for drama and a negative reaction and
a smiling person is most like not going to fall prey to their traps. So they go look for someone who will.
What makes
you happy makes you sad.
Ask a kid
that begged for that bike for Christmas the first time he fell of it and scraped
his top lip on the pavement. What made him happy made him sad. If you put your smiles and happiness in the
hands of people, places, things or circumstances you are doomed to their
control of your happiness and joy. There is nothing on Earth more powerful than
being in control of your own happiness. Smiling under all circumstances shows
the world and yourself that you are not affected by the little things. Just smile anyway. What is the worst that can
happen? You look like you can handle your business. You get at least 2 benefits. You no longer
care about all the things that you to make you upset and 2 less things happen
to make you upset.
Of 2 people
who are stopped on a stop sign violation who is more likely to get a ticket: The
happy smiling person ready with their driver’s license when the officer
approaches or the mean angry person that tells off the police officer. No guarantee and don’t test it out for safety
reasons but my vote is the happy person is more likely to get a warning and not
a fine. Try being calm and smiling next
time you are at the DMV or dealing with the telephone company and see what a
difference it makes. Either way, if you
smiled your day will not be ruined and chances are you made someone else’s day
brighter.
You have an unlimited supply and the
more you give away the more you get in return.
I have
tested this out on the boardwalk walking my dog. I see many tourists, locals
and business travelers dressed up in their suits and wearing conference badges
all wondering if the expense of staying in the expensive hotel will be worth it
and wishing they had time to enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather. They all
seem to have that similar business face on. It is a combination of confidence,
resolve, worry, anxiety, fatigue and my feet are killing me in these ridiculous
high heels (what sadistic person thought of these things). All the while, I mosey along with my 15 year
old Bichon Frise, Frost aka The Frostie Dog. They often look at Frost and wonder why he
walks so slowly because he doesn’t really look old. Then they look at me to see
my reaction to their grimace/business face. I smile kindly and every single
time regardless of age, gender or nationality they smile the same smile back at
me. Their scalp relaxes and their shoulders drop. They feel well-being for a
moment. Sometimes that is all it takes, a smile to make someone’s day, to make
them realize the big picture and that their task is their task and not who they
are. They can still smile and be human.
God has
your back
How can I keep smiling no matter what under any and
all circumstances? Because God has your back ; God is Faithful. We are taught
that we are the ones who need to be faithful but in reality we only have the
amount of faith that God gives us. All we need to do is realize the truth. The
truth is that God is Faithful. Once we realize that God is Faithful and his
purposes will prevail. We are simply here to worship him and shine His light on
the world. All other cares seem small. Paul reminds us that God is Faithful and our
job here is to encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:23 “he
who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another
on toward love and good deeds”
Hebrews 11:11 “And
by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children
because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the
promise.
Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Smiling in the face of trouble is not the world’s way
but we are called to not conform to the pattern of this world. Smile and
transform your world and those around you into the life Jesus came to give us;
A life full of smiles.
So keep those smiles circulating around the globe in 2015 and change your world.
