for 30 days, I smiled at strangers :)

Published: Mon, 05/02/16

 
Last month, while cleaning up my room, I stumbled across my Kodak printed baby pictures which I had tucked away a while ago.

I decided to take a mini break from cleaning (i-e procastinate?) to browse through them. 

From the handful of pictures, one picture caught my attention. In that picture my eyes had tears and lips had a smile – I was smiling and crying at the same time. ---> :')

That image particularly touched me, because at that time I was finding it hard to be happy and satisfied due to some recent events. 

So I decided to be my baby self and smile for 30 days of April at strangers, friends and even with myself :)
* my pretty smile * :)
This was the most fun part: When I smiled at people, there faces went from *neutral face* to *confused face* to *hey he is smiling at me* to *hey I am going to smile too!* ----> :| ----> :\ ----> :)


Here is What I learned from April's 30-Day Experiment:
  • Body Language – When you smile, your brain tells itself that things are good. You can do reverse psychology on yourself!  
  • Happiness is a Choice – It is not a pursuit or a destination. It is rather a choice made consistently despite the current conditions.
  • People are Nice – Only because someone is not smiling on the street does not mean they are not approachable or not nice. We tend to judge people on their “neutral” state.  
  • We are Wired to Influence – As social creatures, we play a role in shaping our society, views, and culture – even by just smiling.
  • Friendly Conversations - The smile lead to conversations with people ranging from elderly to little kids! Each time, I learned something new! 

Food for Thought: 
  • "A smile is happiness you'll find right under your nose" - Tom Wilson [Click to Tweet]
Until next experiment, 

Jawwad Siddiqui
Forever Learning