Sometimes in life we need to keep our faces smug and so sour that we look like a prune.  Most other times, it doesn’t hurt to smile.  In fact, when you smile it attracts other people and creates a more positive environment. 

Do you ever see someone else smiling and you can’t help but smile yourself?  There is just something so contagious about seeing a natural and bright smile from someone.

I remember walking in the street a week or so ago.  I saw a lady walk by and she just had the biggest smile on her face.  Then a few seconds later there was a guy that walked past me who was also smiling.  I thought to myself, “Huh, I wonder why these people are smiling.”  After that I couldn’t help smiling myself and I felt much happier.

Here are some tips to keep you smiling:

Keep objects around you that make you smile

This is what my little setup here in Hawaii looks like.  I know that it’s absolutely ridiculous, but just seeing a big smiley face brightens my day.  Spongebob is already way out there and the fact that he’s pink just cracks me up inside.

Look for little things like this that you can keep around you to bring a smile to your face.  Instead of a Spongebob, you could have a picture of your family or your pet.  Maybe you have a “blankie” from when you were a kid, or an award posted on your wall that makes you happy.]

Take time to do at least one thing you enjoy everyday

 Stay a happy camper by taking care of yourself.  If you’re not having a good time, it’s hard to keep smiling.  Taking the time to do one thing you enjoy could be as small as stepping outside of the office to enjoy the fresh air outside.  It could also mean going to a wine tasting that evening.  Make sure that when you’re doing whatever it is that you enjoy, be present, and stay focused on taking in the experience.

Spend time with people you like to be around

I went to lunch today with a couple of my dad’s friends who I haven’t seen in a long while.  As we were eating Chinese dim sum, my dad’s friend was telling his life’s stories.  I could tell he obviously was taking time to make his life more interesting and meaningful.  It was also very apparent that he was taking advantage of one of the great reasons to look forward to aging. 

At any rate, I remembered how much fun he was as I was growing up.  After lunch I got in the car and immediately said to my dad, how I missed all the stories my uncle.  See this explanation of aunts and uncles in Hawaii, by clicking on this entry about returning to your roots, and scrolling down to the 5th paragraph.  My dad’s friend’s life was very interesting and his manner of delivering these stories was entertaining.

This brought a smile to my face.

Find the positive in things

There is an author, Henrik Edberg, who has a blog on positivity, called The Positivity Blog.  He wrote an article about 11 Quick and Simple Ways to Spread Positivity Around You Today.  His first way was to smile.

Find something to be happy about even if you’re having a bad day.  The smile on someone else’s face could make you smile.  Maybe your friend at school or your coworker said something to make you laugh.  Perhaps you could smile, because you’re astonished that your day was so bad and seemingly couldn’t get any worse. 

Some people as they are reading this might think that my head is up in the clouds.  Just ask yourself, would you rather smile all day or be grumpy.  We cannot necessarily always choose what happens in our lives, but we can certainly determine how we respond and react to these externalities.  Make the fun choice.  Keep on smiling.