Hello Friends,

The following is an article that I shared a while ago on my Bacon & Kids blog ( a blog for working parents). I thought you all might appreciate it as well…

Act as if it is the happiest day of your life.  Easier said than done, right?  Especially if you’re having a bad morning, day, week,  month, or year.

Why pretend? Why act as if? Why put a smile on your face, even though you don’t feel at all happy?

Research shows that even a forced smile can help to boost your mood and spirit. Did you know that if you’re smiling, other people will consider you as being friendlier and more approachable?

Along with a smile on your face, your appearance contributes to your happiness.

Clothing ~  Look the part.  If you’re wearing clothes/or uniforms that are dirty, wrinkled, too big, too tight and or damaged it will only add to your bad mood.  Wearing clothes/uniforms that make you feel good will help

Hair ~  CLEAN hair shouldn’t be a luxury.  You may not have much time to style it but make sure your hair is clean.  Although, taking a few minutes to style your hair will make you feel & look  more confident  and “put together.”

Nails ~ I’m not talking about your hands, we all know that the nails on our hands should be  clean and polish free or clean with a fresh coat of nail polish.  I’m talking about toenails.  A silly, non-important thing right?  Wrong. Have you ever been embarrassed when you caught someone staring at your feet,  particularly your toes? And not just staring, but staring in disgust?  Then you know what I’m talking about.   Clean, trimmed, moisturized toenails is a really good thing. (Ladies, painting your toes may be the last thing on your already too full to-do-list, however, having a pretty colored, chip- free polish on your toes gives the appearance that you have it together and well, sometimes it’s all about appearance 😉 )

So now that you have a smile on your face, and are looking pretty good too, what else can you do to help make you feel happier?

Do a good deed ~ It’s a scientific fact, it makes you healthier & happier. Must be why the scriptures tell us “there is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”  But, you might be thinking: “I don’t have any time to do a good deed.”   Not so, here are some things that you can do that take just a few minutes.

• Be friendly.   When running errands think about the people who serve our daily needs, say hello, thank you,  have a nice day.  You just might make their day a little happier.

• Send a text to a friend (or friends) telling them you are thinking of them and hope they have a great day.

• Sign up to be an Organ Donor.

• Be spontaneous, hold the door for someone, pay for their coffee, help with the groceries, bring your neighbor’s  garbage can up from the curb, etc.

• Clear the clutter –

– Do you have any books you are no longer reading?  Drop them off  at your local library.

– Clothes or household items you no longer need or want?  Drop them in a donation box or to a charity of your choice.

– Any extra non-perishable food items in the pantry?  Take them to a local food bank or shelter.

– Recycle – Do your part no matter how small, to prevent waste, and help keep our world clean.

Instead of focusing on and being consumed by the negative things in life and our own personal problems, focus on what you can do for others, and do good deeds as often as possible without asking for anything in return.

So you might need to start off by “acting” to create your own happiness but when you do before you know it, you’re no longer acting, you truly are happy.

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Yours for Greater Success,

~Betty