What does it mean to be successful? What if it was a simple as a smile? Sounds strange doesn’t it? If success was really as easy as putting a smile on our faces, why don’t we all just smile more?

How do you define success if it does not involve putting a smile on your face… and putting a smile on other people’s faces?

I have to admit, I’m one of those who used to think that success came with the massive bank balance, the fancy cars and the nice houses. If you told me to smile more, I’d have told you to get off the drugs and get serious about success. However, the reason I did not smile is because I was not happy. There was always something more to do, something more to achieve – I was always so busy that I did not have the time to enjoy the fruits of my labour. My family rarely saw me and after a while my friends stopped inviting me to things because they knew I was “too busy”. So they were out enjoying life while I was busy working. I just figured that once I landed that bigger deal, I got my fancy car and bought the big house then I’d stop and smile more. Then I’d stop and relax. But of course, I didn’t. Life was passing me by and I did not know it.

I’d see a young child run past me with the biggest smile on her face and I’d wish for a moment to be a kid again so I could smile and be carefree. I’d recall my younger days when I could smile and laugh without being burdened by responsibility. Of course, now I was too busy building my business to be able to do that – at least that’s what I thought. I, like so many other people, believed that happiness came after “succeeding”. I had it backwards and I was about to learn the truth, the hard way.

In just a few months, I fell from being one of the top in my field to being nearly bankrupt and scrambling to make ends meet. I didn’t know if this was a natural part of every entrepreneur’s journey but all I knew was that I was down. So now I finally had some time on my hands, I finally had time to stop and think. As I did, I started to realise that I had been on a journey that was not giving me any joy, happiness or fulfilment. I had not had a reason to smile in quite a while. Sure, I felt good and I smiled whenever I landed a great deal or made a massive sale or when someone cracked a joke, but that sense of happiness quickly faded away.

Now here I was, with very little left to my name, struggling to make ends meet but with plenty of time on my hands. So I had to do something and I did. I started to go for nature walks, get some fresh air, watch the birds take flight and I started to enjoy the little things in life.  I started to let life in. I also started to focus on my health and fitness, not to look good as had been my previous motivation but to have more energy. I also started looking for things to smile about. The amazing thing was that as I started to look for things to smile about, I found them.

I woke up early and smiled at the beauty of the sunrise over the hills, I smiled as I watched the birds go hunting for worms, I smiled as I took a deep breath of fresh air as the wind brushed my face, I smiled at the little kids who ran past me down the street with so much joy, I smiled as I jumped in the puddles when it rained, I smiled after a hot shower and I smiled whenever I got to see my family. I also started to call my friends and reconnect, some of them I was calling for the first time in over 18 months. The amazing thing was the joy they felt at hearing from me put an even bigger smile on my face. As time went by, my challenges remained and I still did not know exactly what the next chapter of my life would entail but I was happier than I had been when I was at the top. I was smiling more than ever before and I just felt like I could handle anything. For me waking up every day, being grateful for having a roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in was something to smile about. Every morning as I woke up, I smiled with gratitude at the day ahead. I decided that in the new chapter of my life, success was going to begin with a smile.

Today I am more successful, by the accepted rules of success, than I ever have been. However, I remember the great lesson the Universe taught me; that success begins with a smile. The amazing thing is that with my new mindset of waking up looking for new things to smile about, I am naturally happier. I am in a better frame of mind and a better physical state – and as a result I am more productive and achieving goals faster than ever before. I am still amazed at how choosing to smile and being happy first leads to greater fulfilment and ultimately longer term success.  I am enjoying my work more and I am often seen with a smile on my face. Why? Because I can smile and because I want to smile. Do we really need any other reason?

Start today and look for more things to smile about. You’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll start looking at your problems in a different light. Smile first while you work and you can happily achieve rather than achieving to be happy.

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. And please share this on twitter, facebook and stumbleupon.

To your happiness,

Niro

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