Why You Need To Smile Every Waking Hour | LakshyaJournal

Sitting on the stairs at the end of a corridor, Lakshya was gazing at the drops of the rain falling just beside him. Cold moist wind jumping on his cheeks. Heavy thunder and sparkling lightning was making him enthusiastically terrified. So much lost in the moment, he didn’t realise that he was getting late for a mentoring session. It was 10:30 in the morning and the session was supposed to start at 10:00. Fortunately, one of his students called him and, literally, woke him up. He started running here and there by the end of that call, huddling through the furniture while holding a full toast of sandwich in his mouth. This was not the first time that the Great Mentor Lakshya Singh, who was supposed to be a role model, was setting up, really, great examples for his students.

Surprisingly, the class was full of students. The same impatient students who find every small delay from the teachers as a  reason to skip the class. Yet, there they were. This was no surprise for Lakshya, though. He is the kind of teacher that the students wait for and never get enough from. Apologizing to the class with a stupid expression, Lakshya went to the podium.

"Smile!", was his first word. "Smile, as your lips need more exercise. Smile, as your teeth need more air. Smile in a way, your face gets to play." Quoted Lakshya as he danced around a bit. Whole class started giggling and laughing at his dance moves. While retaining the laughter of the class, he continued. "Good! laugh when you feel like it. Don't underestimate what smile can do for you. Smiling is a universal indicator of happiness. All the chaos in the world can come to a halt in front of the power of a smile. It triggers feelings of  joy and lift your mood. Merely smiling can change your perspective of the world."

Silent classroom was echoing with his words. He took couple of seconds and looked up at every student. His shining eyes full of wisdom was attracting attention from everyone. Students were wondering what exactly did he meant with those sentences. Logical thinkers were confused. It made no sense to them that a smile, simple facial expression, can change the way a person thinks. Their eager minds were waiting for a logical explanation.

"Let me give you an example or perhaps a reason for me being late today", Lakshya continued as he folded his shirt's sleeves. "Last night when I was outside it started raining all of a sudden, and I had nothing to save myself from. I was waving one arm above my head, for the formality. I got wet anyway. It rained all night. I was angry, anxious and, kind of, sneezing too." A vibe of boredom was spreading in the class and among the students. "Here he goes, again! Can he ever explain anything without flashbacks?!", their faces said it all. "The rainwater was spoiling all the curtains. Cold breeze, eventually, made him more sick. Thunder and lightning was enough to increase the anxiety."

"When this morning I was looking outside the window. Two little puppies were playing in the rain. Rolling over each other. Jumping here and there for no reason. Their dense fur was covered in mud. The sight was as pleasing for the eye as it was satisfying for the soul. Enough to make me smile." Lakshya explained, as he put his hands on his face to hide a big broad smile from the class. Not a single student could resist smiling with all their teeth out. "It was still raining, I was watching the same raindrops that annoyed me last night. Raindrops that, today, was making my hands blush with pink colour after falling. The same cold wind, that had increased my sneezing yesterday, was making me feel alive as I've never felt before. Nature was enjoying itself and the thunder was nothing but it's laughter", Lakshya paused and observed the class.

“People talk about Positive thinking and optimism. But do they know about this simple yet amazing tool? Your smile can emit such radiation among your surroundings that can, literally, save someone if they are on the verge of depression. When you are happier, you perceive everyone to be happy. Humans have inherited the art of imitating from their great great ancestors, monkeys. Smile in front of someone who has lost all the hope, and you might give him a reason to live. In a TED Talk called “The Hidden Power of Smiling,” Ron Gutman stated that the longer the duration of a person's smile in a day, the longer he lives in his life. Mood enhancement, anxiety alleviation and long lifespans. These should be enough reasons to smile more often.”

“As Dr. Isha Gupta a neurologist from IGEA Brain and spine explains, the act of smiling releases certain hormones including dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness. Serotonin release is associated with reduced stress. In other words, Smiling can trick your brain into believing you’re happy which can then induce feelings of happiness. Dr. Murray Grossan, an ENT-otolaryngologists in Los Angeles points out that just the physical act of smiling can make a difference in building your immunity. The brain doesn’t bother to sort out whether you’re smiling because you’re genuinely joyous, or because you’re just pretending.” Lakshya showered the logical thinkers with a bunch of research.

Students were convinced of what point he was trying to make. They could now see the power of smiling as clear as Lakshya. “In conclusion, let me offer you some more insights.”, Lakshya continued. “A smile can open doors and the hearts of other people whose culture you don't even know. A smile is the most international language that everyone knows. Also, when something goes unexpectedly wrong during the day, use smiling to quickly shift your mood. It will help you feel less stressed and put things in a different perspective. We should keep in mind that, around the world, a smile can mean so much more than a simple facial movement.”, he concluded.

Huge wave of good/positive vibes filled up inside the class. Students were enlightened on this very moment. A new window of wisdom opened in front of all of them. They had been smiling all this time, nonetheless. But from today they'll have a reason. Lakshya wished his students a good day and went out through the door. Bell rang right on time and everyone moved outside the class with one thing in common, a smile. :)