I have not yet evaluated either of the last 2 monthly challenges I completed: constant smiling and projecting confidence in everything. This post will do just that by looking at 3 things for both challenges: what went well, what didn’t go well, and how I am going to incorporate what I learned into my life going forward. Let’s begin!

– – – – – Month of Constant Smiling – – – – –

What went well:

• Increased optimism – Although I didn’t directly experience an increase in joy or happiness, I definitely noticed an uptick in my optimism level. Sometimes this led indirectly to more happiness, but oftentimes it just gave me increased focus and perspective while navigating the various tasks I accomplished during the day.
• Increased friendliness – This one was palpable. Sometimes it was so much, I didn’t even like it. However, on the whole, I felt much more connected to the people around me.
• Increased alertness – This one was also influenced by the challenge addendum I added halfway through the month. Choosing to consciously engage with whomever I came in contact with, however brief, really put a spark into my step.
• Smiling began to feel more comfortable – It never felt natural, but it did start to feel more familiar, which I guess it would have to be. As it grew more familiar, I found I was also able to savor moments of peace I would otherwise have just blown by without thought.

What DIDN’T go well:

• Playing musical instruments – Smiling while playing the violin or while playing the piano just doesn’t work! However, to honor the challenge, I did so to the best of my ability. Not only did it just feel wrong, but it interrupted my ability to focus.
• Zoom calls – Connecting with people virtually always feels a bit weird to me, even though I do it quite frequently. You have to stare at the camera instead of people’s eyes to have good eye contact and it appears as if everyone is looking at you even when they aren’t. Adding constant smiling on top of these issues is just another complication.
• Discipline issues in class – I tend to be a little too serious when teaching (or at least I think so) and so constant smiling put a refreshing lightness into my lessons. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work so well when dressing someone down for bad behavior.
• Extra amount of mental effort required – This goes without saying. Most of the time it helped more than it hindered. However, when working on something that required every scrap of my attention, having to use a small part for this challenge wasn’t optimal.

What to incorporate going forward:

• Open-mouth smile whenever around others as a default – Generally when around others or in a social situation, I find myself feel more extraverted, confident, and cheery if I choose to consciously smile.
• Can rest with half-smile – If I need a break, switch to this instead of nothing. This preserves the same emotions but without the added muscle strain.
• Also, can make any other facial expression I want as long as it is intentional – Flow with my emotions and the situation. I can have an angry expression, a sad expression, a dreamy expression, or any other expression I want as long as I am aware of it and embrace it.

– – – – – Month of Projecting Confidence in Everything – – – – –

What went well:

• Increased resolution – Projecting confidence didn’t increase my sense of confidence, but it did affect my resolution. Whatever my feelings about a project or situation, I found myself much more willing to throw myself into it.
• Increased order – Constantly deferring to other people can be chaotic. Having simple rules like always walking on the right side of any hallway makes life more simple overall.
• Reduced pain/discomfort when by myself – Choosing to walk and comport myself with perfect posture in my daily routines definitely helped with my chronic pain, if only a little bit.
• Open body posture when sitting improves equanimity – I feel more alert, less prone to distraction, and more willing to leap up and get into action when adopting an open body posture. This is especially the case when sitting.

What DIDN’T go well:

• Increased pain/discomfort when around others – Although being more mindful of my posture was helpful when by myself, it was not the case when with other people. I found myself being more stiff and less able to fidget and flow which is the key to managing my chronic back pain.
• Nearly decked one of my nephews – I visited my sister and her family in Denver, CO during the month along with one of my brothers and his family. Upon throwing open the exterior house door, I narrowly avoided smashing one of my little friends.
• Eye contact did not become more comfortable – I have found initiating and maintaining eye contact to be difficult as far back as I can remember. Choosing to project confidence did not make it any less awkward. However, I soldiered through it somehow.
• Made me more self-conscious – Because it was acting in a manner to attract attention rather than divert it, I became more absorbed in exactly how I was doing everything. Not only was this a focus drain, but it also tended to feed back into more back pain.

What to incorporate going forward:

• Maintain semi-perfect posture when by myself – This mainly involves puffing my chest out slightly, pulling my shoulders back and down slightly, adopting an open body posture when sitting, and standing with feet touching. I am only going to think about this when by myself, however. When around others, I want to focus more on maintaining a flow with my body and movements.
• Walk on the right side, mostly – In hallways and corridors, I want to commit to the right side in all circumstances. However, when going around corners or in open environments, I will do whatever feels right while trying to maintain some semblance of order.
• Throw open doors as a default – Yes, yes, yes! I love the feeling of conquest I get when I do this. However, when there are small kids lurking around, maybe I will do so with a hint of caution.

Namaste.