The Smile Inside

Happiness is just the smile inside

Written with Kittirat Yothangrong

This is a little song that I sometimes sing to myself when I'm feeling down. Inside our life we have lots of problems, worry, things to be upset about, anger, seriousness, worry, grief, and sorrow. This all comes from thinking too much about things going on around us. Something we all share as humanity.

We never turn inside ourselves to look for that something special we have. Inside of ourselves we have all the answers, all the strength, all the confidence, and all the courage we need to get by in life. It's all in our mind, so what the secret is?

In our life we make ourselves happy by doing things that take lots of planning and even money, just like that vacation at Le Meridian or Disneyland. This takes time and money. We do all this in the pursuit of something very simple: a smile and the inner happiness that comes with it. Some people go to all this trouble, and don't even get to smile because they are too tired. The pursuit of inner happiness can be so stressful and even deadly.

Why do humans have to search so far for their inner happiness?

So here's the alternative. The holiday you can have when you don't go on holiday. The revival of your happiness without going on a stressful pursuit of it half way around the world.  You only have to travel inside of your mind.

So here is the key for you about how to find that little bit of inner happiness.

Just stop for a minute. Sit down, relax, or even just stand there. Do this now while you are reading my article. Breathe in and smile with your mind. Breathe out and feel the inner smile and happiness. You can do this anytime to replenish your happiness, calm down your stress, and decrease your anxiety.

Practice this regularly and you will start to feel good each and every day.  You may over time even feel like it's a waste of time to get angry over things that may in the long run right themselves anyway.

Our inner smile helps us personally develop and become much more aware about the things going on around us. You will start to see things through a happy light, rather than a negative or pessimistic light. It won't matter whether you hear good or bad things your mind will still smile. Your smell and taste will become much more sensitive and appreciative of what you experience. Your body will be able to experience pain and discomfort without making you unhappy.

When you smile your threshold to suffering and pain will dramatically rise and your outlook to life will become very much more positive.

So remember you happiness is just the smile inside.

Originally published in Emigem Magazine 13th January 2013

KITTIRAT YOTNANGRONG or Akoi as she is known, is one of the very few people who have been a Buddhist nun and a runner-up in the Miss Southern Thailand Beauty Quest as a “mature” contestant. She is a ‘practical’ vegetarian who believes in herbs, healthy living, and meditation. An avid yoga fanatic, Kittirat is also an organic farmer. She regularly speaks to community groups in Malaysia and Thailand on empowerment, health through herbs, and spirituality.

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