Smile, and the world smiles back at you

I am back to writing on that rare commodity called "SMILE"...I had written on this earlier but want to do so once again. Someone said, "Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright." Another lovely saying from Phyllis Diller is, "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight."

In all the worries of the day, we forget to smile. It is a proven fact that if we smile, our health actually gets better. Just try out this experiment....when you are walking, look at strangers and smile at them. More than 90% of them will return the smile.  Many a time, I have started conversations with total strangers because I smiled first and that broke the ice.

There are some leadership aspects to smiling that I believe should be practiced. The first one is that when you smile, it sends out a signal that you are approachable. It also sends out a signal that you are friendly. This is helpful when you manage large teams. Your teams should know and feel that you are friendly and approachable. Otherwise, like many leaders, you will be alone at the top.

It is hard practice that will get you to keep your smile throughout the day. It is said that disciplined practice is what makes someone succeed. Practicing to smile consciously helps in building a discipline that is essential to succeed.

It also makes you aware of your surroundings as you try and notice people who are smiling.  Your attitude changes over a period of time and you see life in a totally different light. Every aspect of life seems to be worth living for.

I have also seen that it helps me focus. Smiling and getting in to the habit of smiling helps you focus hard on how you appear to the public and helps you to draw people closer to you.

Just imagine if you always looked like that picture of yours that you adore!!! That should be your face to the public and it is essential that as a leader everyone sees you with that huge smile. As I walked in to the department store, a counter salesperson gave me an amazing smile. I walked up to her and thanked her for lighting up my day. She was so thrilled because no one had every complimented her for her smile. That smile had lit up both our days.

A smile, therefore, goes a real long way in helping you. It lightens up your mood, it changes the mood of the person interacting with you, it improves your health, it changes your attitude towards life, it makes it hard for anyone dealing with you to actually get upset with you, it helps you focus and it actually  changes lives.

That's what a simple smile can do and it does not come at a cost at all!!! So, why should we be afraid to smile at each other?