Identify Who or What Makes You Smile

Think about what a smile does for you.  It attracts people.  It says to the world "I'm happy, confident, competent, satisfied person."  It makes it easier to build a support network-people who will rally to your side when adversity strikes. It helps you transcend difficult times.

 

I don't want to say that most people are clueless when it comes to knowing who and what makes them happy, but it is true that people's understanding of the relationship between life circumstances and positive emotion is not as precise as it should be.

 

One simple, easy way to identify your particular sources of happiness is to rummage through old photographs and cull out the ones where you are smiling.  Some of those will no doubt be pictures if family gatherings where everyone is posing for the camera-looking happy for the camera's sake whether you feel that way or not.  But other pictures may capture moments of genuine happiness, as evidenced by the smile on your face.

 

Examine those photographs carefully and ask yourself what the common threads are that connect them.  For example, maybe whenever you are in the company of certain people or whenever you are engaged in some particular activity, you are smiling.  Start your day with a big smile, it makes your day go by easier and make sure you make someone smile today, it goes a long way.