70 mm Smile

     A hen lays eggs to live, tiger has to hunt, a buffalo has to give milk, a man has to choose his profession... but what does a dog do to live? It does only one thing and i.e. it has a broad, radiant 70 mm smile on its face, wags its tail happily & barks at the sight of its owner. For just doing this the dog is feed with rich meat & pity, I am feed with simple, plain bread & no meat after this lot of hardships. Why? (Jolt your answer on a paper)

    Have you ever observed a small kid having fun, or the happiness in a child’s face eating a chocolate? If yes, then you probably remember that you want to see more and then you open up, positively comment about him & may feel happy. Have you ever wondered why?

    True, it’s the smile & not the kid alone. I mean the rich, broad 70 mm smile on kids face. Not only that, have you ever wondered why young boys (or men) like to talk to girls? It’s usually the smile on girl’s face or in other words they have & make cheerful faces, smile &with a friendly companion laugh too. This excites a man to go closer to them, share a smile or two & start a chat. In other words a smile on your face brings you a good reputation to live. 

   Here is a real life experience; I had “I traverse a good deal everyday in the city buses of Hyderabad. One day I saw what a smile could do. I just exchanged if not a glimpse at least a smile in its nascent form with a grey haired gentleman to sheepishly conform him that he was on the right bus. And then it was all the same everyday’s tough journey. All the way I didn’t even speak to him. Only once or twice I did smile or gave cheerful look at him. The old man on his part remembered to wish me back when his destination arrived and was cheerful to do so.”

   I wonder if a smile in its nascent form can do this with a stranger then what a 70 mm smile on your face radiating with happiness does mean to a friend of your’s? Ever tried to appreciate the happiness in the face of kid at the sight of chocolate? Doesn’t it make you happy? If yes, then your happiness can mean the same to a stranger, or even to your friend. So try to smile a little and appreciate this little thing. Next time try to show your big smile to watchman at the parking after a tiring day, try to tell the conductor that you don’t have the required change with at least a nascent smile sheepishly, try a smile before trying to start a chat with unknown girl, try to smile while your friend fumes his anger at you for almost missing his birthday party (believe me it works), try to smile while accepting your sheepish mistake pointed by your superior (but not at your fuming “BIG BOSS”) & see what it does . Try to smile after reading this article at least then you will like it and see its content.

   Let me tell you a instance told to me by a friend of mine “he was a math’s teacher & one day he challenged the class on a difficult sum, one student in particular worked out the entire sum (if it were I, the sum would never reach its destination, but I would reach the detention room surely). But my friend fumed out that it was wrong. Now the girl smiled and said “sir, I may be wrong, as I usually am. But I would like to work out the sum again, this time with your help. Please tell me the instant I go wrong”. She reached the same conclusion again. She indirectly served my poor friend a severe, deep blow for his bad manners with a gentle smile.

   My friend was lucky you know, if it were I in the girl’s position I would roar, went my anger, criticize him, argue with him but may or may not reach such honorable conclusion.

    Why believe me or in others? Just look around yourself. Look at the hoardings, advertisements…. What do they feature cheerful models, actors… and not dull, sad, or dumb faces. Why? An add shows someone or other smiling, laughing rather than just manually reading out the special features in their products or in their services. Consider the “radio jockeys” the one who can make maximum number of people smile is the most successful one, hospitality demands it, others want it under the name of communication & interpersonal skills and tell me who says they want dull colleagues.

   And to know how to smile, stop reading (at least for a while) go to your friend (possibly a girl), chat for sometime & watch the smile on her face (and don’t tell this to her) or give a kid a chocolate, or thank your cook (i.e. either your mum, girl, friend, spouse..) and tell them how deliciously they made your previous meal. See how it warms you. And try to enjoy it. 

    I think I now know why with a serious, grin face I was not able to make any girl friends or go for dating in my high school. I remember an incident during my pass out exams; I had to travel a long distance to reach the examination center (you know it’s extremely tiring and that too in the public transport system). This is the same plight for Mr.Prasad a companion of mine. Added to that my school made it mandatory for all the students to pay a visit to school during the examination days. We both didn’t follow the rule, and then on the last day we decided to visit the school. 50 yards away is the principal’s room. We both have not obliged her rule no.1. Prasad stoped warned me not to open my foul mouth whatever may happen. He told me just to smile for what all be asked & I just obeyed. Principal vent all her anger upon us for breaking the rule (all the time we were trying to smile) and then the principal smiled too (of course seeing both of us smile) at her helplessness.

  See if a smile can soften the principal, then it can do the same with your superior (but don’t smile, giggle or laugh with others when you commit blunders, this may get you fired) & I now regret for arguing, rebelling & having a bitter school life rather than enjoying with all other students. (Now I am sure that you need not live like me)

   Anyone, I mean anyone, I bet with a smile can open up others’ heart & get his or her business done, if not in the first attempt at least in the next. I am sure Ghori of Mohammad wouldn’t require 17 attempts to defeat his enemies if he had used his smile on face along with his sword rather than his sword alone.

The above post is made after reading similar stuff in Dale Cargine's How to win friends and influence people