Random Thoughts 75 - Smile

75. Smile

This past week, I presented some results to a big group at work. I was nervous, because it was an important meeting. After my presentation, a colleague on the other end of the teleconference call praised our work highly. As it was not easy to follow the inputs from the remote site, I listened attentively. Then, colleague D, who sat close to me, muted our microphone and said to me, "This is when you smile."

About six weeks earlier, the prospect of my project looked grim. Since I had been working on it over the past one and half years, my heart was heavy. Then, after one review with a few colleagues, my boss said to me, "Surfer, lighten up! You'll make it happen and we'll support you."

About two years ago, I was working on a challenging technical problem in our factory. As it looked nearly insurmountable at the moment, I was thinking hard how to solve it all the time. During lunch one day, I was lost in thought again and frowned unknowingly. A colleague at the table said to me, "Surfer, don't frown! Smile, and you'll look younger."

Many years ago, I was invited appear at a TV show. Of course I was nervous about what to say, what to wear, everything! Then, after the program had aired, a classmate said to me, "Surfer, you didn't smile at all! You need to learn to smile."

Thinking back, there seems to be a pattern that I don't smile enough. Okay, let me make it a goal to smile more, everyday!
 
Cheers,
Surfer_Diver
2014.2.23