THE INFECTIOUSNESS OF A SMILE
An inspiring blog post from our guest blogger Meg For It ! Check out her entire blog at Megforit.com she is an amazing smile activist and energy ball!
When you take a look around, from culture to culture, there is one very unifying commonality….. a smile. We all smile in the same language. A smile is truly infectious. It is a nonverbal action that truly has piercing effects.
For many of us, myself included, we pass strangers on the street daily. Most avoid prolonged eye contact and often are looking down or far into the distance.
Next time you are walking past someone, try to provoke a change in their demeanor. Make eye contact and smile. IT’S AMAZING. The majority of the time you will see their eyes fill with life as they smile back and offer some type of salutation. Then it has the potential to spread like a virus.The stranger then feels inspired to share that smile with another and that person shares it too. It becomes a 6 degrees of separation/pay it forward type of situation. The reason most strangers keep to themselves and avoid eye contact is due to a fear of rejection.
We are so protective of our personal space and so scared of another’s judgement that we avoid contact at all costs. (Self-checkout line please.) This perpetuates a lonely cycle that needs to be broken. Break the cycle.
Whatever we are putting out into the world is spreading. So what are you spreading? Or what do you see being spread? Is it racism, disdain for another person’s political view, a different religion, or fear? You need to put out what the world needs. We need more love and peace. Be the one force of love and peace in your family, in your job, in your school, in your community. It will spread like a beautiful disease.
Recently we have seen the slogan “Make America Great Again”. What would that look like? Personally, I think it would look like everyone having peace with our differences, celebrating the success of others, and thinking less selfish thoughts. It makes me stop and think, “Where do we start?” I would venture to say it’s a smile. Let’s “Make America Friendly Again” one smile at a time.
Love the World and initiate a SMILE
Live a life more extraordinary
Xo
Would you like to join us in our quest to make the world better, one smile at a time?
Leave us a comment below. :)
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10 comments
Thanks for sharing this blog! I live by this motto..and it DOES work! I started practicing this years ago definitely a true connection to “strangers” Eye contact..myou bet! Even a comment from them..I.e. You look happy! Start, with check out lines at stores, saying a smiley hello to those working at the store, positive comments to customers at a grocery store ( I even was in the veggie section, smiled at a woman who was, of all things looking through a big box of cabbage, she said " I only want a small one. I began a conversation..and ended up in a full fool conversation…giving her my cabbage soup recipe!
Another cool and encouraging aspect of smiling to someone, is they tend to remember me and when they see me again, they say hello and smile!
Pass bit on…one smile at a time!
One moment,one connection at a time can change a person to be in a better place to change to world. No ego attached change just one of simple human kindness. It’s all about choices & so true what you said……one smile at a time. I love this site & even more knowing there is a blog. Thank You……Peace & Kindness,Brenda
Love love love this concept!
I have been doing this since I was a child. I especially made more of an effort after an accident kept me from work and I had 4 back surgeries in 5 years.
Smiling at others, holding the door, saying hello MAY help another and ALSO the positivity takes away from your own personal pain! Because kindness breeds kindness!! Love breeds love!!!
Amazing, Meg for it! ?
I was walking in my local town centre recently when I passed an elderly homeless man. As I passed by I smiled at him, he shouted thank you to me so I turned back and he said “I mean it, thank you for smiling at me it means so much to me” and guess what I saw, he too was smiling. Smiles truly are infectious.
Thanx so much for that. It is something i do every day. Let’s spread the joy.