Why await joy? Time’s always right for a smile

Emphasising the benefits of laugher last week has helped me realise one more thing – many people are struggling to even smile these days. People always look beautiful when they smile. Then why is it very easy for some to smile while very difficult for others? For a lay person, the analysis would be simple – one would smile when happy and wouldn’t when not. Are feelings and smiling correlated? Do people always smile only when happy? I don’t think so. There are people who smile regardless of what their state of mind is. Is it really a difficult proposition to smile? Smiling when happy is a given – a universal certainty. But to smile when things are not perfect is something commendable. 

The art lies in smiling despite all odds. Let’s not even consider the odds. Nobody has his/her happiness index at the peak all the time. Monotony marks the lives of one and all. The beauty lies in smiling through the mundane and the monotonous. Waiting for the right or happy circumstances for the lips to curve rightly is not fair. Smile as we all know doesn’t cost a thing. So, why this stinginess then?

I am always enamoured by people who can smile through anything and everything. People who smile are much more positive in life as opposed to the ones who hardly smile. Such people can handle any adversity. Even between couples, I have seen, for so many partners smiling is a challenge. They constantly wear a sullen look on their face as if carrying the burden of the world. One of the partners showcasing remorse or resentment by being grave all the time is very common. They get so used to this pattern of behaviour that it becomes very difficult for them to get out of this annoying habit of either being grumpy or sad. They only radiate negativity. The value of a smile should never be underestimated, especially in relationships. The pleasantness it generates is second to none.

A sweet simple smile can change the environment at home. It is the most effective non-verbal mode of communication. Whatever the reason/s for distress, a smile is not only a message for others but for one’s own self too. A smiling person always feels happier than an unsmiling one. People wearing long faces seldom realise that in the process of wanting to let the other person feel responsible for their grouchiness, they end up feeling miserable themselves. It can take a terrible toll on their mental wellbeing. 

It has been proved that despite not feeling happy if one looks in the mirror and smiles for a few seconds, one immediately starts feeling better. An induced smile is better than no smile at all. Stanley Gordon West very rightly said, “Smile and the world will smile with you”. Smile is like a universal elixir. Use it to see how it can transform yourself, your world and your relationships.