"Always Smile, It Gets You Places"

Since I was a child, whenever I left the house my mother would yell out the door something like; "Don't forget to eat your lunch", when I was on my way to school, "You girls stick together", when I was going out with my friends, or the better, "My whole life is in that car" when I was going on a date. All of this would lead to a very annoyed "MA!" from me. But something else she always made me do...that I never quite realized until recently...was she told me too always smile. When I was little little, like 5 or 6, she would always tell me to "make sure I smiled" at whatever it was I was doing. From dance recitals, trips to see family, volunteer visits at the convalescent hospital to even basketball games (who smiles at the enemy come on?) but, in the end I was smiling at everyone I saw. Even if I didn't feel like it, or I was having a bad day, I still smiled. And you know what? There was three things that came out of that. One, when I was smiling, my mood instantly changed. I perked up, I laughed more, I seemed, well...happy. Even when a few minutes before, I wasn't. Two, I noticed if I was smiling, people around me started smiling more. The air seemed lighter. And, they themselves started to be in a better mood. Three, I noticed I felt more confident in myself. Look at yourself in the mirror and smile. And not a fake smile, (we all have a fake smile) a real, genuine smile. You instantly feel better. You look better. You become better. Have you ever noticed a very confident person? They can walk into the room and command attention. One day in the dorms, a friend of mine was having a really tough day. I think once a month we all just have a day where EVERYTHING goes wrong. And it led into her believing she was not pretty, she needed to lose weight...the works. And I remember I told her, "Always smile, it gets you places". After I said that, I thought to myself, oh geez, I'm sounding like my mother...but she looked at herself with new light. That night we saw a guy she had a crush on, I said smile at him, and guess what? He came over to talk. This saying has now become something we all say to each other before a big interview, date, or if were having a awful day. It's just interesting how a smile can go a long way. How it can open doors that were once closed to our previous negative attitudes. So here is my challenge: Be that person who walks into a restaurant, bar, coffee shop...etc, that is smiling. Command that attention wherever you go. Make that first impression great, be that confident person that shines through your smile. Notice those around you who start to smile because you are. And remember, you can light up a room with your beautiful smile.