I had an a-ha moment recently about the importance of remembering to smile.
I have been writing a book the last year and despite my great intentions, it has been much harder than I imagined. I enjoy writing, yet my book was an intense process. I would often be stuck, have moments of angst and find my creative flow going nowhere. It took a while but I realised the problem.
I was forgetting to smile.
My writing mentor constantly pushed smile while you write but I had accidentally moved away from that. I wasn’t being a grump but not smiling enough had just snuck up. Once I chose to consciously smile, I started to enjoy the process of writing again. I viewed problems differently. My energy picked up, I quickly came out of my stuck state and had had real progress.
Despite the pressures we have in the events industry, there is no reason not to smile more often. No one lies on their death bed and whispers, "I wish I had smiled less."
Ask yourself; are you smiling as much as you could be? If not, it’s time to change. It has great benefits for your next event. Smiling is known to:
- Make you more approachable
- Boost productivity
- Make you feel good by releasing serotonin and dopamine
Importantly, choosing to smile reduces stress.
A highly stressed state narrows your focus to fight-or-flight mode which severely limits the amount of choices your brain has. Great events are driven by creative people and smiling increases creativity and the amount of fresh ideas your brain can access at any one time.
What are some quick ways to make sure you are smiling enough?
- Have gratitude: Take time each morning to focus on the things that make you happy
- Take five, and remember to breathe
- Exercise: Even a short burst sends endorphins and feel-good chemicals around your body
- Check in regularly: How are you feeling? Do you have to feel overly serious right now?
Smiling is contagious. When you smile, the world smiles back. Who doesn’t want an event full of happy, smiling people?
Simon Banks is a speaker on creativity and innovation for big business. He is also the Director of creative training company VisualFunk – which runs innovation hubs, conferences and training days to shift the way people think and develop market leading ideas.
