Have you ever gone an entire day without seeing a single person smile? Have you ever gone an entire day when everyone you saw was smiling? On which day did you feel more positive?
I’ve quietly struggled most of my life with self-confidence, not as bad as some, but enough that I’ve stopped myself from doing something I wanted because I didn’t think I was pretty enough. I think most women and girls have felt this way at some point in time, regardless of our upbringing. In the first year postpartum, I realized it was worse than ever before, so I decided to do something about it.
I decided after 14 months to work on finding confidence and finding myself. The first year postpartum is hard, and trying to reconnect with who you are outside of being a mom is important. I thought about all of the women I admire and look up to, and realized they all have something in common, positivity and confidence (whether it be real or fake). I realized that they all seem so genuinely happy regardless of their size or figure.
So I thought back to something I realized when I was a teacher: You may think one smile cannot change a life, but it can. In my years of teaching and working with students I’ve learned that ONE smile can make all the difference. One smile and one “Hi! How are you?” can completely change someone’s mood. It may be the only smile they see in an entire day.
I decided to spend an entire week actively SMILING more, regardless of what was going on around me. You may think this sounds silly- but have you ever ACTIVELY thought about how much or often you are smiling?
I tried it out for a week, and here is what I found.
- I felt more positive then I ever have. No matter what was happening around me- I felt happier than I normally would have.
- I noticed way more people talking and smiling with me. Friends, Family, Strangers, it didn’t matter, I could feel the people around me also smiling and feeling more positive.
- My child was in a better mood than normal, because our happiness and positivity as parents rubs off on our children. Next time your kid(s) is screaming and crying in public- instead of getting upset or frustrated or wishing a line would move faster- Smile at them and say something positive. It will help!
- My husband was happier. Same as above- our happiness and positivity spreads!
- I had more confidence this week than ever before. I didn’t care how I looked on the outside, I truly felt so so happy on the inside, simply by just smiling a little more than usual.
- Last but not least, I received more compliments this week than ever before! So many people told me, “You look so beautiful and happy today!”
It isn’t hard to smile, but actively thinking about it all week changed my perspective. Everyone around me smiled more than usual. Employees in the stores I went to seem startled when I asked them how their day was with a smile. How sad is that?There were many people throughout the week who seem confused by me smiling at them. Wouldn’t the world be so much better if everyone was happy and smiling? If everyone cared how our days were going?
Long story short- I found the saying is true though, Happy Girls are the Prettiest.
This week is National Smile Week- I challenge you to spend your week smiling!
