What I Learned From My 4-Month Old Daughter: “Just Smile”

This post is my entry into Robert Hruzek’s monthly “What I Learned From..” group writing project. If you haven’t seen or participated in this, check it out here.

I think if my 4-month old could talk right now, she would say “Daddy, it’s time for you to just smile and brighten someone’s day!” I’ll tell you what: she is going to be a firm believer in this smiling concept. That’s all she does. Granted, she may start to get fussy when she’s hungry or sick, but most every other waking moment is spent smiling! It doesn’t matter what kind of day I have had at work; when I get home to that huge smile, it instantly brightens up my day!!

Shouldn’t this be our goal? To brighten others’ days? Maybe it’s our employees, our bosses, our coworkers, our friends, our family. Shouldn’t we strive to put on a smile and really brighten up the day for somebody else? I know, babies are cuter and have really cute smiles. But, is there really a glaring difference? Don’t you just start to feel better (even if only a little bit) when you get a real, authentic smile from someone else? It doesn’t matter if they’re 4 months, 10 years, 40 years, or 80 years old! Smiles are contagious, and they provide an uplifting feeling of goodness!

So, here’s my challenge: It’s time for us to start smiling more! It’s time for us to be that beacon of light for others! Where do you start? How about this:

1) Start by smiling! I’m talking real and authentic smiling. I’ve heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit, so this may take some of us quite a while!

2) Change your attitude! We need authentic smiles and we need them to come naturally. This can only be accomplished by a real and conscious effort to change our attitudes.

3) Fake it (if you have to)! I know this seems to contradict my previous point on authentic smiles, but let’s think about it. Everyone will have those days when things aren’t going right. To avoid our self pity, it’s these days where we may need to fake it. Who knows, maybe faking it for a while will serve as a self fulfilling prophecy, and the true authentic smile will begin to shine!

So, that’s what I’ve learned from my 4-month old: Real, authentic smiles will brighten others’ days! I know this concept isn’t “new” by any means, but it’s definitely a concept that needs to be reiterated! Who knows, maybe this is one way we all can begin to “Change the World!”

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