Sonrisa! (Thats "smile" in Spanish)

Del Sol sent me a paperback copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It's been a pretty good read, partly because it was written in the 30s and it includes a lot of fun historical references. Honestly, this book does not say anything revelatory. It's all good advice that we should know inherently, but sometimes we forget.

The chapter Del Sol wanted us to read was the one about smiling. Its not just about smiling, its about how a smile effects others and yourself. And I wanted to share what I'd learned.

"Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, 'I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you.'"

What does it say when you're not smiling then? "I don't like you. You are bugging me. I'm having a bad day. Leave me alone." But do we really mean that when we aren't smiling? Usually not, usually we just forget to smile. So the solution to that is to always smile!

"You must have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you."

I've been trying this one out on people. I've been reconnecting with lots of old friends and I'm making a conscious effort to smile more. In turn that helps me ask more about them because I'm thinking about how I can share my happiness with them.

"Everybody in the world is seeking happiness -- and there is one sure way to find it. That is by controlling your thoughts. Happiness doesn't depend on your outward conditions. It depends on your inner conditions."

This quote is talking about how smiling can make your worst day best. Think about it, sometimes when one person smiles at you, especially if its a complete stranger, it can totally make your day. And sometimes forcing yourself to smile even when all you want to do is cry can change your whole attitude.

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abe Lincoln 

I really like this one. Have you ever seen how its the rich who always have problems but the poor who always seem to be happy? Happiness is not a situation, its an attitude. You can be happy when your circumstances shouldn't let you, but you can also be miserable when you should be happy. It all depends on how much you are smiling.

So my new years resolution is to smile more. Some of you who know me well may say "Is that possible?" To you I say thank you, but I need to focus on making my smiles contagious.

The title of my blog comes from a letter from my favorite missionary. He was telling me the secret to doing well on finals was to eat lots of chocolate and Sonrisa! I had to look up that word and found out it means "smile". So typical of this kid, he always told me to smile. He was the best example of always smiling. I don't ever remember him being depressed either. You couldn't help smiling when you were around him because his enormous grin was so invigorating!

Happy New Year Everyone! SONRISA! :D