A smile - that's all it takes
I read an article the other day about luck. And how you can make your own luck based on your attitude.
The article did an experiment where they took a self proclaimed lucky guy and a self proclaimed unlucky girl and put them in the same circumstance to see how each of them dealt with the situation and what was different.
They sent them to a restaurant where they had taped a $5 bill on the sidewalk outside and then inside seated at the bar was a “millionaire”. Everyone in the restaurant was in on the experiment.
As they walked into the restaurant, the lucky guy saw the bill and picked it up, and then immediately walked in and sat next to the millionaire and struck up a conversation. He walked out with a possible business deal. The woman walked in, didn’t even see the bill, and didn’t speak to anyone the entire time she was in the restaurant.
They asked each to comment on their day. The woman said nothing interesting happened. The man said he was lucky, he found $5 and has a possible business deal with a millionaire.
They explained the difference between the two was that the guy was present or in the moment, and seeing everything as an opportunity. They suggested things like striking up conversations with people on the street or who you sit next to on the plane. And the article said the #1 thing to do to create opportunities is to smile.
Just smile.
All of this made me think. I actually do think of myself as very lucky. Good things always seem to happen to me. I do think that my positive attitude about life plays into this, and that you create the things that happen to you. I believe that you make the choice in every reaction, what makes you upset, and that you can choose to see everything as an opportunity. Usually I feel like this.
Recently though, for ummmmmm… at least the last 3 years, I’ve been really really really really busy with work. I don’t take a moment to look around and appreciate what is around me. I don’t take the time to enjoy life. I’m always in a rush. I’m rude when I don’t mean to be. I am rarely in the present moment. I’ve decided to put being present on my list of goals for the year. (Yes, I write goals every, single year, and you know what, I truly believe that because I write them, they generally come true, just because of my written intention.)
And the first step to the new Dawn was tonight. I decided to do an experiment. As I was walking to a restaurant to meet a friend for dinner I decided to smile at each person I passed. Now this is very different from the normal me. Usually I am looking at my feet and walking as fast as they will take me, not giving any mind to others. I generally walk with a mission! So I was surprised that many people looked at me as they passed. I was even more surprised when most of them smiled back. I felt instant gratification! I loved it. And so I can tell that even this small step has made a big difference in my feeling present. And so I plan on doing the experiment again tomorrow and for each day after that as well! Who knew that something so smile could be so fulfilling?
I will say, though, that my smile worked a little too well because a homeless guy tried to hug me!