Smile, You're on Life's Camera - 25 Day Challenge

“You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.” ― Charles Chaplin

Each day leading up to Christmas, I will provide you with one or two things to do during the day. Call them acts of kindness or call them acts of just being nice. Each will only take a few minutes and are very easy to accomplish. Try them and then let me know what you did and how it went by leaving me a comment.

Day One - Hope On A Lamp Pole
Day Two - Allowing Others First
Day Three - Calming Automobile Rides
Day Four - Picking Up Litter
Day Five & Six - It was your weekend, what did you do?

Day Seven - Smile, You're on Life's Camera

There are many beneficial reasons one should smile as we go about our daily lives. Some of the things it does for you are;

Smiling makes you attractive, relieves stress, elevates our mood and is contagious. Yes, others will catch the feeling and begin to smile as well. Your smile has the power to lighten up the room. It can change the moods of others around you make things happier.

So your challenge today is to give a simple well-meaning smile to one or two others. Along with your smile, give them a sincere compliment. Make them feel good about themselves and in turn, you will feel great about you.

A very easy challenge that you can certainly grow from one or two today onto three or four times every day. It becomes your way of life to smile each and every time you encounter other people.

Let me know how it went and stay inspired my friends!

A Brighter View Of Life

“When you are joyful, when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation, and people want to be near you.” ― Shannon L. Alder

The following video will have different meanings to different people. It is not meant as a cruel thought or taking light of any serious issue you might be confronting.

It is intended to make you think about the good things in your life.

Your life matters to those around you and there will always be a shining light of goodness from your part in it. Do not be hard on yourself, do not think your life has been a collection of just bad things.

Our lives are filled with many good things.

So always look on the bright side of your life. Everyone else does!

 

Stay inspired my friends!

Supply of Smiles

Picture by Dj Arnel G.

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” ― Joseph Addison

It is one of the few things you can give away at no cost. There is a huge supply ready and available. And at any time of the day you can use it to change another person's life.

The 'smile' is what I'm talking about.

This simple but effective gift not only lifts other people but you might be surprised at how it lifts you. So be of good cheer and smile. It does not cost you a thing.

Stay inspired my friends.

Smile - Life is Good

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

For all of my life, I have tried to carry a smile on the inside and to express it whenever possible. But I have come to realize lately that outwardly I don't really smile all that much. It could be that a smile doesn't fall naturally upon my face.

My wife has that upon her, a smile that just naturally flows from her.

I am not one that feels plastic surgery or a painted smile like the Joker from the Batman movie is all that appealing. So I try to smile and reflect my inner joy in most all that goes on in life. I also reap benefit from the smiles because others will respond in kind.

A day is brightened by the exchange of friendliness, two smiles that lift the day.

Have you smiled today?

You say you have nothing to smile about? You have a lot to smile about. A new day, new opportunity and chance to live a great life. Stop for a few minutes, maybe spend seven minutes of the day to reflect. Seven minutes to bring your smile to the outside.

Spread the cheer to others.

Smile - life is good.

Stay inspired my friends.

Enjoy Life

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." - Dr. Seuss

You hear it often about 'being on top of our game' and 'giving it our all' in regards to doing anything in life. Many people seem to think this means toil and drudgery in their daily life. They would say that if you are having fun, you are not working hard enough.

if you are not having fun, you may not be working hard enough.

Life isn't meant to be lived in a depressing state. We all know depression is a serious thing. I myself went through a year-long state of it. I received help from the right people and came back from those lows.

All of this means you should enjoy your pursuits in life.

You need to find joy in all that you do. If working hard, climbing the next rung on the ladder of success, enjoy it. If toiling away at your desk, truck, show floor, or any number of occupations, enjoy it. If raising your kids, in or out of a relationship, talking to friends or just walking alone in the park, enjoy it. If the glass you see is only half full

If your glass is half empty, enjoy it.

Enjoy what you do have instead of what you don't have. You are working towards having something greater in life but while you are at it, enjoy those things you do have in life.

Enjoy life.

Stay inspired my friends!

North Platte Canteen

North Platte Canteen

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” - Leo F. Buscaglia

What can love of a fellow person do for their life?

Watch and listen how people in an unknown place touched the lives of so many young men. It began with one person deciding to move forward in care of others.

It turned into a human event nearly unparalleled since.

Stay inspired my friends!

Just Smile

“Smile, for everyone lacks self-confidence and more than any other one thing a smile reassures them.” - Andre Maurois

“A merry heart goes all the day, Your sad tires in a mile-a.” - William Shakespeare

“The joyfulness of a man prolongeth his days.” - Sirach 30:22

“The days that make us happy make us wise.” - John Masefield

In an article published by the American Psychological Association entitled, The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?, finds that 'happy people show more frequent positive affect and specific adaptive characteristics.'

In other words, being happy and having a positive attitude will place you in a better frame of mind to accept new opportunity.

As you make change or movement in your life towards a more positive lifestyle, opportunity seems to just appear. Yet that opportunity was there all along. But with the wrong attitude you simply do not see the opportunity.

As you become happier, you see those opportunities more clearly. And as you take on those new opportunities, additional changes occur and success begins to unfold around you. Of course, success generates more happiness and good feelings within.

Your spirit will tend to rise dramatically. This rising spirit will fill and store inside to carry you through any of the downward cycles that can occur.

So can a smile actually cause success?

Maybe not immediately, but it can start a ripple effect in your life and on those around you. Smile once in a while, carry happiness with you more often and experience a change.

Stay inspired my friends!

Why Not Smile

"Men of action, above all those whose actions are guided by love, live forever."
- Jose Marti

All attribution to Andy Andrews for the content in this article. I truly enjoy his writing and every once in a while, I like to share some of his thoughts and ideas. After you read this article, take a few moments to follow the link provided to find out more about Andy.

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Learning How to Express Our Gratitude
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There are so many invisible people in our lives who provide services and never get thanked. You will stand out when you stop and say, "I just wanted to say thanks for what you're doing." The possessor of a grateful spirit, who gives that gratefulness to others, will not have to daily choose to be happy. It will be a conditioned effect. You'll wake up happy. You have to choose to be happy at first, but the conditioning will take over and soon you will BE happy.

How does this translate into personal, business, and financial success? Happiness leads to opportunities. Become somebody that other people want to be around. People want to be around happy people. That's why happy people receive opportunities. Opportunities translate into success.

Nobody expects you to be happy every moment of every day, but you can make a choice to smile. You will attract people in your life and when you become a person other people want to be around, you will attract their opportunities as well.

I've been asked, "What one thing can somebody do to change their life? It's going to blow your mind because it's so simple:

"Smile while you talk."

Very few people do this. Even when people tell jokes, they don't smile while they talk. Most people talk with a serious or bland expression on their face. Get in front of a mirror and learn to smile while you talk. Add a little chuckle while you're talking, and have laughter coming through in your voice, and everything will change. When you smile at people, they will smile back.

And I dare you to have people not participate in whatever it is you want them to participate in. If you want people to sign the deal or be your client forever, learn to smile while you talk. Your spouse, your kids, your neighbors, everybody will react to you differently when you smile as you talk.

Happiness is a choice and you are making that choice today. The bubbling laughter in your soul is an expression of enthusiasm, the fuel that moves the world. Your smile is the most potent weapon you have. Always remember to be the possessor of a grateful spirit, and to share that gratefulness liberally!
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So today, choose to be happy and stay inspired my friends.

Check out more on Andy Andrews. He is a great author and can help you change your world for the better.

Just Smile

Spot Lite Entertainment

"Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family." - Mother Teresa

The idea of trying to start your day with a smile seems so simple, yet so many start with a disgruntled expression. The day will seemingly never get better because you have already set the dour mood.

The mood extends to your interactions with others which will create greater distance between you and others. But a smile creates connection. It is said, "a smile is the shortest distance between two people."

Just what is a smile though? In physiology, a smile is a facial expression formed by flexing those muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. The smile can also be found around the eyes. It is also that well-known 'Smiley' image which is universally recognized.

The 'Smiley' face was created by a commercial artist named Harvey Ball, from Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) in 1963.



Harvey Ball over the years developed a concern that the original meaning or intent of his symbol was being lost. He is quoted as saying about the 'Smiley' symbol is it, “…just reflects what is inside every one of us – a smile is what we want to see when we look at another human being.”

He goes on to say, “Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes the world seems big and filled with problems that are too hard to understand much less solve. We start to believe that we are too small to make a difference. But that’s not true. The truth is that every one of us has the ability to make a difference every day.” It was out of those concerns came his idea for World Smile Day®.

The benefits of a smile can help improve your life as well. In an article titled Top 10 Reasons To Smile by Mark Stibich, Ph.D., the benefits seen are:

1. Smiling makes us attractive.
We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away -- but a smile draws them in.

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling is Contagious
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you'll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day -- you'll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful
Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that "Life is Good!" Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

So try to start your day with a smile and feel how it changes your day. Then pass it along to others throughout your day.

As Leo Buscaglia once said, "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

Turn your life around, turn someone else's life around - all with a smile. And stay inspired my friends!

Giant Smiles

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."
-Joseph Addison

How much would you spend on coffee to see a person smile?

A man in Michigan by the name of Dan Dewey has spent $10,000 of his own money to do just that. And it seems this weekly habit causes the line to back up at a local Starbucks each and every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Others may at first be put off by the long wait until they learn he is there to buy coffee for patients undergoing chemotherapy at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in the town of Pontiac, Michigan.

All of this began in 2007 when his father was a patient at the same hospital. It just so happened that every Thursday at the same time, his father was undergoing chemotherapy and Dan was there each time. One particular trip, with his father sitting in treatment, Dan offered to get his father a coffee from Starbucks.

As Dan recalls, “I took a look around. There were several other people there, and they couldn’t go anywhere. So I said, ‘Anybody else want a coffee? He’s buying; I’ve got his wallet.’”

This became a weekly event in which Dan would get coffee for his father, other patients and staff in the cancer unit. When his father had completed his treatments, Dan asked his father if he should continue coming back to get coffee for others. His father replied, “Yeah, go ahead."

Dan says he will never forget his father's words and while his father passed away the following year at age 87, his memory inspires his son to comfort other cancer patients with his weekly trip to the cancer treatment facility which has become known as “Dan’s Coffee Run.”

Those that know Dan also note that Dan Dewey does not have a lot of money, but it does not stop his generosity. He does get fan mail and some donations from those that have never met him. There are the occasional gift cards and letters from those he has never served coffee to but have undergone cancer treatment as well.

But it is the coffee and friendly nature of Dan that rewards him with new friends and lots of smiles. And more importantly as Dan says, "I feel like I’m having coffee with my dad every Thursday morning. That’s all I need.”

Many times all it takes is a friendly gesture, a little conversation and a gigantic smile to make all of the difference in a person's life and your own.

Stay inspired my friends!

Keep Smiling

"Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth." -Martin H. Fischer

Each of us, including me, get discouraged at times. Our work, our relationships, our lives can go through periods of frustration and disappointment. Many times it is simply circumstance finding its way onto the path we are walking.

For me the frustration is work at this time and I do know that this too shall pass. I do not blame the frustration on others but upon how I am responding to it. So with that, I will be taking a bit of my own medicine today.

When things get to a point when it seems all is lost, keep smiling and always look on the bright side of life.

Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life...



So keep looking upon the bright side of life folks and stay inspired!

To Smile

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo F. Buscaglia



Can you smile without someone else? Of course you can but why waste the beauty of it. We can each smile and make the day better for someone else which in turn changes our day into something grand.

Stay inspired my friends and smile!

Smile for Life

“Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.” -Mother Teresa

This week, my wife is in Ecuador on a mission trip. She and a group of folks from the C3 School of Ministry here in Lawrenceville, Georgia are impacting the lives of people in need. It is a trip of importance in the lives of those being helped and in the lives of those on the trip. Doing great things for others is a two-way experience.

Yes, most mission trips bring help to those in need including clothing, medical, education and other forms of assistance. My wife is part of that effort but she also brings her smile. A wonderfully conforting and encouraging smile that lets you know everything is going to be just fine.

I have spoken of seeing her smile for the first time in my book Love Is. It is the same smile that I remember seeing on the face of my grandfather as he waved goodbye for the last time. They are smiles that wrap a genuine peace around your heart and soul.

All of us can bring a smile into the lives of others close to us and to those that we meet each day. We can smile in Cuenca, Ecuador and we can smile in Lawrenceville, Georgia; in either place it has an impact. So smile and change someone's day, week or life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Each Battle

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Plato

The crowds each day in large city can seem overwhelming at first. All are trying to get to work, going through the transit stations, or walking down the streets to their individual office. After a while, you get used to it and start to blend in with the flow.

The interesting part is that it can seem like a battle of sorts. One large group headed up the stairs and another headed down. Bunches of people coming to this side of the street while many more head over to the other side. Elevators crammed full of people and the coffee shops a mad crush of controlled chaos all add to the scene.

And while this really is not a battle of people, each person inside probably has some type of battle they are confronting. It could be relationships, money or health issues. There might be problems with their boss or a relative. Legal or tax problems might be dogging their life. A child might be going through a rough period or their marriage is troublesome. So many battles, so many issues that anyone of us could be dealing with.

So maybe as we go about our day, knowing that others have battles as well, smiling or spreading a bit of kindness is in order. For a brief moment in your battle, a smile to lighten the day. A kind gesture can provide a bit of relief that could change the course of that person's inner battle. It can even change you.

Glass Of Water

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." ~Groucho Marx

There she was, the Delta Airlines flight attendant, standing at the front of the plane and pleasure was not written upon her face. It was getting late in the evening of a holiday with one more to go and 142 passengers.

Sometimes you can just see it all over a person. The pain or frustration of a day, a job or a lifetime. Many people would see it on another person and shy away. Not me though, I only wanted a glass of water.

The way she addressed or responded to people was not all that pleasant. I would describe it as a tourist asking a New Yorker for directions on a hot and humid day in Times Square. It was not going to be fun but I was determined to make an effort. Besides, all I wanted was a glass of water.

Rumbling down the aisle, "watch your elbows please" was the constant and stern warning of my flight attendant. I say 'my flight attendant' because I was going to make her smile and let her day finish brighter then it appears to have started.

So many times we see people that we would rather avoid. We get a perception of them that probably isn't very flattering. But we can never know what exactly is happening in their world. So much is hidden inside but it surfaces on the faces of those having a bad day. You can make a difference in that day, sometimes by simply asking for a glass of water.

When our row was approached, before asking for something I instead to ask how she was. I offered up a pleasant great day and thanking her for working on a holiday. All of a sudden it appeared, a smile. The hard shell of the day seemed to melt away. Maybe things would be just a little better. Maybe what troubled her was going to be okay.

And then, she offered me a glass of water.

In A Sea

"I think people are isolated because of the nature of human consciousness, and they like it when they feel the connection between themselves and someone else." ~James Taylor

Here I am on the third full day of EMC World, the yearly technology conference put on by the company I work for. Many of us assist, present and meet with customers to give them more detail on our products and services. This year is no different with a large turn out of people. Roughly 7,000 people roaming the Boston Convention Center.

There is always something new and exciting that happens at an event this large. Sometimes stressful, sometimes exhilarating and sometimes just tiring. But the experience is always enjoyable because of the people.

With such a large crowd of people moving about, you can begin to feel like a small boat out in the middle of a very large ocean. Miles from the shore or miles from anyone you know; it can result in feeling very much alone.

Yet there is an expectation that you just might run into someone you haven't seen in a long time. That familiar face suddenly appearing within the crowd with a smile intended just for you. It can lift even the most weather beaten individual. All at once comfort in this large crowd occurs and you become connected.

Within this large sea of people, there is also opportunity to lift and inspire other people. A chance to do something in their life, to make a connection and not leave them alone out in the vastness of crowd. These people can become new friends, new influence in your life or be pushed to a greater level of greatness.

Conventions can be a workload to some, but to me it is a chance to connect with others. To make a difference, large or small in their life. And it doesn't simply happen at conventions. The ocean is large and vast, so is your life and the influence you carry each day.

Whether it be at EMC World, at your job, in school or at the grocery store; connecting with others can have a significant impact. You can be the one that changes the life of another with a simple smile and hello. Approach each day believing that someone in the crowd is waiting for you. Waiting for you to be that friendly face with a smile just for them. When you do, that large and expansive sea of people will become a little smaller.

To those at EMC World; enjoy the final two days and do not lose this chance to connect with someone new. Change their day and next year at EMC World in Las Vegas, you just might see that familiar face in the crowd smiling back at you.

Start With A Smile

“It's time to shine! So shine your shoes, and you'll wear a smile. Shine your shoes, and you'll be in style. The Sun shines East, and the Sun shines West — Griffin Polish shines the best!” - Griffin Shoe Polish

Andy Williams, at age 11, sang on the 15-minute Time to Shine show at 8 a.m. before going to school. the little advertising jingle for the radio show was a simple way to start your day with a smile.

How you decide to start your day is your choice and not that of someone else. If you choose to be dour as you rise from bed, it is your choice and only yours. By starting the day in a bad mood sets a tone that will likely result in the day not going very well.

If you choose to start the day with a smile, your mood will be better prepared for all that will happen. A smile does not keep 'stuff' from happening, that is life. Yet a prepared mind and attitude will give you the needed tools to get through any circumstance.

So take a moment, relax and smile! Your day will be better for it.
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