The Power Of A Smile

Take a mirror and see yourself in that mirror. Then smile. Make a variety of smiles and see how you look in different smiles (the way that other would see you). 

Come to think of it, other people would actually see more of you than you see yourself.

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Momentarily you would have discovered that you have the power to smile and it gives you a sense of control over your life notwithstanding the challenges that you are facing. Nobody can make you smile unless you want to do so.  

You have the power to decide whether to smile or not. When you smile, you are the immediate beneficiary.

According to United Concordia Dental, the top 7 health benefits of smiling are as follows:

1. Improved Mood

2. Lower Blood Pressure

3. Stress Relief

4. Better Relationships

5. Stronger Immune Function

6. Pain Relief

7. Longer Life

For the full article, click here for THE TOP 7 HEALTH BENEFITS OF SMILING. 

Smiling also make you an attractive person. When you smile, people will find that you are approachable and that would open up an avenue for interaction. Smiling conveys both rewards and 'risks'.

Choose wisely who you give your smile to and calibrate your smile accordingly (by drawing from your mirror exercise). You wouldn't want to overdo your smile and create a wrong impression with resulting undesired response from the other person.

Smile and the world smiles with you. This may not always be true as some people love to wear a poker face while others are self-confessed sceptics. Be that as it may be, you smile as you please, please, with mindfulness to influence yourself and others for good.

You Can Be Happy

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." - Marcus Aurelius

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature." - Marcus Aurelius

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To the uninitiated, happiness may depend on happenings like a crutch. This would be sad as your happiness would then be subject to the toss and turns of relationship with other people, your opportunities or the lack it, and your entire external environment. 

No doubt, there will be setbacks and disappointments in life. Paraphrasing from Marcus Aurelius' "Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil", you will find that life is neither happy or sad, but only a place for happiness or sadness. 

Circumstances, including other people, are a given and may not be changed instantly. Whether you respond with happiness or sadness, your circumstances will not give you a hoot.

You are the one who suffer if you choose to to view your challenges negatively.

Therefore, choose happiness. Happiness is free and holds manifest benefits. Think yourself happy until you're happy!

P.S. Thank you for choosing to visit Daily Refreshing blog. Share your happiness and you will multiply it.

It's OK to Fail

When you fail, that doesn't make you a failure. After all, failure is universal; it happens to everybody and everywhere. Think of failure as free valuable feedback or tuition fee to learn something new.

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In his book "Resilience", Eric Greitens says, "You will fail. Especially in the beginning. You will fail. And that's not just OK, it's essential. Without resilience, the first failure is also the last -- because it's final. Those who are excellent at their work have learned to comfortably co-exist with failure. The excellent fail more often than the mediocre. They begin more. They attempt more. They attack more. Mastery lives quietly atop a mountain of mistakes."

The flipside of failure is success. "Failure is success if we learn from it," says Malcolm Forbes. 

On an even more positive note, Henry Ford asserts that, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Get help from an expert or consultant because they have more experience and expertise to help you figure out how you can do better the next time with some training and adjustments, including a change of mindset.

From experience you would be able to attest that the people who have inspired you the most are the ones who have gone through a trial of hardships, struggles and deprivation. For example, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years in his fight to end apartheid before he was liberated and went on to become the first president of South Africa.  

You will check all the boxes for success as you roll with the punches and get up each time you fail. You are more, much more than the sum of your failures. There is still a lot that is going right with you and you should just treat your failures as mere blips in the course of your life as you learn and grow.

Ralph Waldo Emerson would have you know that, "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Daily Refreshing believes in you and that your best is yet to come. All the best!

Finding Happiness

How can I be happy? Where can I find happiness?

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If you are on a quest for happiness, click here for "Finding Happiness" by Dennis Burke Ministries. 

Take your time to read through and meditate over the Word of God as contained therein; it would be well worth your time. 

Slow down, be still, and know that God is real and present with you.

Have a wonderful life!

The Happiness Code by Domonique Bertolucci

Domonique Bertolucci's mantra is as follows:-

Click here to download a free copy of Domonique's "The Happiness Code Workbook" among her other free resources.   

An extract from the workbook on the first key to happiness, which is to Take Charge (The Principle of Choice), is as follows:-

"1. Happiness is a choice. Choose to be happy and you will be.

2. Perfectionism is a lost cause. Focus your energy on being the best you can be.

3. True happiness is a state of being, not one of doing or having.

4. You only have one life. Make sure that yours is one you are happy to be living.

5. Focus on what matters. Honour your values and make decisions that are aligned with them.

6. When you make a choice, acknowledge all the consequences. That way you won’t be left feeling compromised.

7. There is no such thing as ‘no choice’. There are always other options. Explore yours.

8. Self-pity never leads to happiness. Remind yourself, the situation may not be ideal, but it’s rarely the worst that could ever happen.

9. Don’t sabotage your chance for happiness. Own up to the real choices you are making.

10. Choose to be happy. It’s the only sensible option!"

Click here to make your further connection with Domonique Bertolucci.

What is Happiness?

Source: Anonymous