I think this past month’s challenge has been the most rewarding I have done so far. Constant smiling, while awkward at times, really focuses your attention on the present moment, which I believe is one of the keys to leading a fulfilled life. Here is what I learned:

• Smiling will lift your spirit in most cases. This is especially true if you are doing it on your own initiative. This is because when you choose to smile, it becomes harder to think negatively and easier to think positively, and the more you do it, the more this happens.
• Smiling encourages eye contact. I believe an important component in living for consciousness is eye contact. This is something that is not natural for me. However, when I wear a bright countenance, I feel more excited to make meaningful connections with people in this way.
• Smiling makes you more conscious about other things. I notice that when I am smiling, I tend to be more conscious of my posture, priorities, and hygiene. This was a natural result.
• Smiling makes it hard to be moody. Seriously, it is just difficult to be very moody when you are wearing a toothy grin all the time. Since I tend to be more moody by nature, this was a good antidote for me.

Here are some examples of when smiling does not fit the bill:

• Yoga. Smiling seems to take away from the absolute concentration on movement, position, and breath. Although I still got plenty of great results, the environment was just a little less than ideal.
• Studying. It is somewhat difficult for me to think about a problem when smiling. If I am working relatively simple problems or just reading easy text, it is no problem. However, if there is something I need to really think about, smiling takes away from the thought process.
• Sleeping. Smiling right as you lay down, to channel a peaceful atmosphere, is good, but then everything should be neutral. Even if  some want to argue that smiling is their default expression, from a muscular perspective it is not – a neutral face is.

So, what will I retain from this past month’s challenge? First, I would like try to make smiling one of my standard expressions. Unless I have a good reason not to smile, I am going to try to wear one as much as possible. Second, I want to create and maintain empowering beliefs that will give me good reasons to smile. One of these I will talk about in my next post.

Last, I want to read and think more about inspiring positive actions that happen in the world. I focus quite a bit on the big questions in science, theology, politics, and medicine, but I want to also absorb a good dose of heart-warming stories and songs that will create more positivity.