Smile!

Photo Credit: Lovin’ Scoopful via Flckr

Smiles and happiness are SO good for the heart and soul. It is great medicine a person. The following thoughts are are fabulous reminders as to why a smile is so important.


A smile costs nothing, but gives much.

It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.

It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.

None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor, but that he can be made rich by it.

A Smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship.

It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone, until it is given away.

Some people are too tired to give you a smile;

Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.

The Beauty of a Smile!

Smiles are universal. No matter what nationality, race, ethnic background or religion a person might be…everyone the magic of a smile. Smiles have many positive effects on the human body such as helping the body build the immune system and helps guard it against some illnesses and some mental disorders. It also helps people attract more friends, tell stories more effectively, give people a better sense of self-worth and confidence. Simply put, smiles and laughter can help people heal broken hearts and minds. Today's story gives us a good illustration on the beauty of a smile.

The Beauty of a Smile!

~ Author Unknown ~

Driving down the road recently, I had a flashback to about twenty-five years ago. We were on a vacation, driving to see family in Pennsylvania. Mom and Dad, looking for ways to keep their two young kids busy, borrowed a sign about fifteen inches long and three inches high. On one side of the sign was painted "Smile" and on the other side, "Thanks!" The sign got a lot of use on the trip. One of us would hold up the sign, so a car behind us could read "Smile". If they did, we turned the sign over and they got the reward of "Thanks!"

We would be turned around, pressing the sign to the glass, hoping the following vehicle would see the sign and we could elicit a smile. Or we would try to get passengers as they passed us, pressing the sign up to our windows. The biggest scores came from trucks who would often punctuate their smiles with a blow of their air horns!

These were the memories I pondered as I drove last weekend, with everyone else in the car asleep. I wondered if the exercise would build the same kinds of memories for my kids some day as it did for my sister and I. I smiled as I drove and started to realize that the sign taught me much more than a fun way to pass time in a car. It taught me something about human nature, sharing and giving, and the power of a smile and a thank you.

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when you are smiling? Scientists can tell us about real changes in our body chemistry when we are smiling, and most of us have heard that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. All that is interesting, but not as important as the mental and physical feeling we have when we are smiling. It is very powerful.

It is human nature to smile when we are happy or when things are going well, but did you know how easy it is to just smile (it is just a choice)? Also do you know how easy it usually is to make someone else smile? I do this all the time. Walking along, if you make eye contact and smile, what happens? Invariably people smile back - regardless of how sour they looked before that! You don't have to say anything, just smile. And what happens to you when you do that little test? You keep smiling long after they pass. (And I suspect so do they.) They have benefited from your simple act, but you have benefited at least as much or more.

The smile lesson is important, but no more so than the flipside, the thanks! Playing this driving game was one of the many ways my parents taught me the importance and value of gratitude, most easily expressed with a simple thank you.

The story goes that a farmer took some of his corn to the State Fair and won the prize for the best corn. A reporter asked him what he was going to do with the prized ears of grain he was holding. He said that he would share the seed with his neighbors. The reporter was visibly surprised and asked, "Why would you want to do that?" The farmer calmly answered that his corn was only as good as his neighbors. "Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."

So it is with smiling. You are the wind. You can produce smiling faces by spreading your pollen. The cost to you is slight, but the fruits of your pollen will be felt all around. So who are you going to smile to today?

Smile! Thanks! That's much better!!! J

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Note: In addition to writing my own blogs / stories, I also like to search for stories and other inspiring / motivating / encouraging things from around the World Wide Web. If you see an article or story that you have written and want it removed, please feel free to let me know. I do try to give credit to the people and/or web sites that I find the information when I can.

Ten Things to Tell Yourself Today

Ten Things to Tell Yourself Today
~Marc: marcandangel.com~

sandykumskov.com

Count your blessings, not your troubles.  Live one day at a time.  Let the wrong things go.  Give more than you take.  Look for the good in people and situations.  Make time for those who matter.  Laugh when you can.  Cry when you need to.  Focus on your priorities.  Make decisions, not excuses.  And always stay true to your values.
Yes, today is the perfect day to stand up and say…

• I am fighting hard for the things I want most. – The longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives.  The harder you have to fight for something, the more it will be worth to you once you achieve it.  And the more pain you have to endure on your journey, the sweeter the arrival at your destination.  Most great things don’t come easy, but they are worth waiting for and fighting for.
• I am taking action now. – Many great things can be done in a day if you don’t always make that day tomorrow.  Don’t let your fear of making a mistake stop you.  A life spent making mistakes is not only more enjoyable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. 
• I am focusing on the next positive step. – A situation can occur in life that stops us dead in our tracks, frozen with fear.  We can either stay stuck in that place by continuing to give it our attention, or we can gently remove our attention from whatever is happening, and focus instead on our next step – on what is possible tomorrow.  Remember, the future holds nothing but endless potential.  There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.  We just have to get there.
• I am proud to wear my truth. – How others see you is not important.  How you see yourself means everything.  To be beautiful means to live confidently in your own skin.  Say it, and then say it again: “This is my life, my choices, my mistakes, and my lessons.  Not yours.”
• I have a lot to smile about. – Happiness is not a result of getting something you don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what you do have.  You create happiness with your attitude, your behavior and your actions.  It is all up to you. 
• I am making the best of it. – Everything you go through grows you.  Sometimes you think doing something is a total waste of time, and then it ends up being one of the best things you ever did.  Don’t judge the day before it unfolds.  Amazing things can and do happen when you least expect them.  Let each day be a scavenger hunt in which you must find at least one of these things: a sincere laugh, an act of kindness, a realization, or a lesson that will lead you closer to your dreams.
• I am letting go of yesterday’s stress. – Sometimes the reason it’s so hard for us to be happy is simply because we refuse to let go of the things that make us upset.  As the sun sets on this day, let it go.  Leave behind the stress, the drama and the worries.  Lay this day to rest.  Tomorrow is about hope, new possibilities, and the opportunity to make a better day.
• There is enough time today to do something I love. – Where did you leave your happiness?  With an old lover?  In a city you once lived in?  In a story you never finished writing?  In a dream you gave up on?  In a hope you got too weary to carry?  Wherever you left it, go back and retrieve it.  If you don’t remember where you left it, dedicate a little time today to doing something you love to do, and you will find your happiness somewhere nearby.
• I am priceless in someone’s eyes. – Being with someone who overlooks your worth isn’t loyalty, it’s stupidity.  Don’t let the people who aren’t worth it get to you.  Focus on those who love and accept you for who you are, and shower them with the love and kindness they deserve.  And above all, cherish the people who saw you when you were invisible to everyone else. 
• It’s not too late. – No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change and become a better version of yourself.  Peace, strength and direction will come to you when you manage to tune out the noisy judgments of others, in an effort to better hear the soft and steady hum of your own inner strength.  And once you hear it, you will realize that it’s not too late to be what you might have been.

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Have any interesting stories / ideas? Let me know!

LIVE LAUGH LOVE

Fish Tales

There really is no other animal like a fish when it comes to a laugh. All you have to do is mention “fish” or “fishy” and a person starts thinking…here comes a joke. So, to help lighten your day and bring a smile to your face, here are a couple of “fish tales” for you to enjoy.

Humorous Fishing Stories

~ guy-sports.com ~

The Ones that Got Away

After a Tuesday fishing on the River Test, near Southampton in Southern England, Trevor is walking from the pier carrying two brown trout in a bucket.

He is approached by a Water Conservation Officer who asks him for his fishing license.

Trevor replies to the environmentalist, 'I was not fishing and I did not catch these brown trout, they are my pets. Every day I come down to the water and put these fish into the water and take them for a walk to the end of the pier and back. When I'm ready to go I whistle and they jump back into the bucket and we go home.

The officer, obviously, does not believe him and he reminds Trevor that it is illegal to fish without a license. The fisherman turns to the warden and says, 'If you don't believe me then watch, 'and he throws the trout back into the water.

The warden says, 'Now whistle to your fish and show me that they will jump out of the water and into the bucket.'

The fisherman turns to the officer and says, 'What fish?'

Learning to Fish

Mrs. Baker wanted to go ice fishing. She had read several books on the subject, and finally, after getting all the necessary equipment together, she made her way out onto the ice.

After positioning her comfy stool, she started to make a circular cut in the ice.

Frighteningly, from up above, a voice boomed, 'There are no fish under the ice.' Startled, Mrs Baker moved farther down the ice, poured herself a large coffee, and began to cut yet another hole.

Again, from the heavens, the voice bellowed, 'There are no fish under the ice.' Mrs Baker, now became very concerned so she moved way down to the opposite end of the ice, set up her stool, and began again to cut her ice-hole.

The voice rang out once more, 'There are no fish under the ice.' Mrs Baker, stopped, looked upwards and said, 'Is that you, Lord?'

The voice replied, 'No, this is the Ice-Rink Manager.'

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Stories or interesting tidbits? Email me richmullercoach@gmail.com

If you are receiving this story through your email and want to read more stories on my blog, please go to my blog site - http://soup-heart.blogspot.com

Live. Laugh. Love
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Note: In addition to writing my own blogs / stories, I also like to search for stories and other inspiring / motivating / encouraging things from around the World Wide Web. If you see an article or story that you have written and want it removed, please feel free to let me know. I do try to give credit to the people and/or web sites that I find the information when I can.

 

A Boy and His Dog - This Will Brighten Your Day!!

A Boy and His Dog

Sometimes you come across a video that makes you just feel good about the world despite whatever other struggles you have going on personally or read about or see on the Internet or TV.

We all know the relationships that people share with other people who may be their friends, clients, spouses, co-workers, etc. But there are always those certain people that show their loyalty more than the others and are the kind of people that just stick in your life with their love NO MATTER WHAT is done to them. Dogs, "man's best friend" are perfect examples of this kind of relationship.....and for all you dog lovers who have ever had one, knows exactly what I am talking about.

It's funny, when you watch little children playing with their dog, how much they love to be around them and even mimic them (if you notice the little boy in the picture...he even has his tongue out like his pal.

Honestly, I wish my dog had lived for a hundred years!!! He was the best dog ever!!!

This video illustrates this well and from a little boy perspective. Dogs are indeed special and maybe this clip will put a smile on your face today. 

Enjoy.

Have any stories or interesting tidbits? Email me richmullercoach@gmail.com

If you are receiving this story through your email and want to read more stories on my blog, please go to my blog site  -  http//: soup-heart.blogspot.com/

Have any comments? Please leave them in the “comment” area below

Live. Laugh. Love