Why Wear a Smile when You’d Rather Not

The first step to increasing the amount of joy in your life is to smile. It sounds easy, too simple, yet when you do this something profound is taking place. If you put on joy, when you are not feeling joyful, you are re-writing your brain and body to think and feel differently. 

Affecting Your Subconscious 

You have a conscious part of your brain and a subconscious part.  Your conscious is what you are aware of.  Your subconscious is what you are not aware of, this is where our reactions and feelings come from.  You do not have direct control of your subconscious. It does its thing and brings you along for the ride. The conscious part of your brain, on the other hand, you do have control over. 

You can choose what thoughts you put in it, what you will watch, listen to and how you will think.  In fact, the conscious part of your brain has the ability to override what's coming out of your subconscious.  This means you can re-wire yourself to think and act differently. 

If knee-jerking reactions bubble up in an instant, and you don't like what's coming out, you can choose, intentionally, something different. 

So how, exactly, do you choose joy when every fibre of your being is raging with unhappiness? By choosing to put joy on your face. 

Put it on, on Purpose 

• You may be upset by how someone treated you, but you can put a smile on your face that says, "I'm okay, and I'm going to move on." 

• You may be genuinely hurt by what someone said to you, but you can make your face display a calm, contentment that says, "I will not let you steal my joy."

At first, this will feel odd.

It's not natural.  It's not easy. It takes practice. 

Putting a smile on your face is taking action on a deeper decision, which is not to let someone's unhappiness steal yours. 

With time, what you once used to do with intention and by choice, will become your norm.  Overlooking offence will get easier, holding onto joy will become natural. 

Reaping Benefits 

As your joy increases, it not only feels good, but you'll notice surprising benefits. Your confidence grows, your motivation levels increase and you feel more empathetic towards others.   You'll also become easier to live with, which will have a positive impact on your relationships. 

The first step to increasing your joy is to make sure to put it on your face, on purpose, especially during those times when you'd rather not. 

As you do this, you're re-programming your mind and subconscious to respond to difficult situations in a positive way, which results in a happier life and healthier relationships. 

I understand this principle. That’s why I’m teaching it to you.

I’ve successful crafted my life into one where I’m experiencing heaven-on-earth, but I remember my days of hell-on-earth. I remember when I was a blubbering mess. If you’d like to read my story and hear about my struggles, you can do so HERE.