A week ago, a dear friend, Simran Melwani came to visit me and she slept in my bed with me. As girlfriends do, we chatted till the wee hours after enjoying a bottle of wine together. The image that has stuck in my head ever since was that of her wide and truly happy smile first thing in the morning. She woke up and when I turned to look at her, she was smiling ear to ear.
It struck me that probably due to being woken up by a shrill alarm or my mum telling me I was going to be late for school, I had developed a habit that I wasn’t even aware of till that morning of waking up with a very scrunched up expression of stress and drudgery. Sure with all my own learning and my own personal development, later in the morning, I would start to smile and think of happy thoughts, but the distinction I learnt from her was to wake up and smile. Smile a big, happy, joyful and excited smile. A smile that would set the tone for the day and that acknowledged all the things to be grateful for.
So being a lover of fine sheets, I have consciously been waking up and smiling a wide happy smile and feeling my soft pillows and sheets in absolute gratitude for a good nights’ sleep before jumping out of bed, in fact I have also been practicing getting out of bed with grace and ease, what is the rush anyway? Even if thoughts of all that you want to do are knocking on you to start planning and organising your day, whether it is work, exercise, the meals and all the calls you need to make, allow yourself in fact insist that the first order of the day is to smile a huge smile.
As we know habits can take time to instil and until they do become real habits, we need to truly be conscious and mindful and remind ourselves to practice. I have been diligently practicing the sleepy smiling to myself every morning and I promise you it has been a magical shift in my way of being and the wonderful gifts I receive every day.
Due to time difference around the world, I don’t know what time it is for you right now, but if you truly want to experience joy in your days, relationships and the results you have in the areas that most matter to you, wake up and smile a happy smile for as long as you can. Try it out and see if you can carry the smile to the bathroom and brush your teeth smiling too. It works! it truly works. Say goodnight to the days that you used to feel the urge or need to wake up grumpy or annoyed – it truly is just a really bad habit. Bonus points if you share your bed, because you will be inviting the person you love to smile with you or at you every morning too. Try it tomorrow morning and every morning after this and please share if you feel the difference.
Tweet: @maltibhojwani #smile first thing in the morning, it changes your life not juts your day!
Our success is determined by our habits and empowering habits can take 21 to 90 days to instil, in fact some research says it takes over 4000 repetitions before something can become a habit. Sign up for professional life coaching sessions with me to support you through the installation phase of your new EmPowering Habits. Click Here for details.
PS: Weeks later, I am seeing the genuine ripple effect of this new habit, I wake up reminding myself to smile (it still does not come naturally), and I then smile in the mirror and boy, the blessings and gifts that have been coming into my life since, have been phenomenal. Try it out yourself and please share your experiences after a week, truly, you’d be a fool not to!
PPS: Simran also happens to be my personal dream interpreter and is extremely qualified and gifted at this art.
