We all know that person who never takes the smile off their face, who doesn’t have a worry on their mind, who manages to always find something positive no matter what the situation. Wouldn’t we want to trade places with them? We tend to compare our current state looking at them enjoy life.
The truth is we all have our own share of problems and just because I don’t show it doesn’t mean that they don’t exist! Just because I don’t share my pain and keep my struggles to myself doesn’t mean that I’m indestructible. Just because I don’t complain about things that drive me crazy doesn’t mean my life is perfect. And just because I laugh away my troubles doesn’t mean I cry myself to sleep at night. At the end of the day, everyone is fighting their own battles.
There are countless ways in which we can compare ourselves to tons of people. The grass always seems greener on the other side. However they say that comparison is the fast track to unhappiness as all it does is keeping you focused on the not so good parts of your life.
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough
Oprah Winfrey
We have so much to be grateful for and one of the ways that helps me is to focus on myself, my blessings. Less of the “shoulds”, less of the “why’s” and more of gratitude. See how you can nurture and care for your own grass! Embrace your past, accept who you are at this moment in time and be proud of what you have accomplished so far!
Being more compassionate and understanding with yourself as well as others goes a long way as we all have our loads. It costs nothing to be kind, and a simple smile can make a person’s entire day.
When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you
Louis Armstrong
I came across this lovely poem by Barbara Back at age 13
She smiled at a sorrowful stranger…
The smile seemed to make him feel better…
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
And wrote him a thank you letter…
The friend was so pleased with the thank you
That he left a large tip after lunch…
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
Bet the whole thing on a hunch…
The next day she picked up her winnings,
And gave part to a man on the street…
The man on the street was grateful;
For two days he’d had nothing to eat…
After he finished his dinner,
He left for his small dingy room…
He didn’t know at that moment
That he might be facing his doom…
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
And took him home to get warm…
The puppy was very grateful
To be in out of the storm…
That night the house caught on fire…
The puppy barked the alarm…
He barked till he woke the whole household
And saved everybody from harm…
One of the boys that he rescued
Grew up to be President…
All this because of a simple smile
That hadn’t cost a cent..
What better way to show you care than to simply just smile…
Kenrick Vaz 