RAOKA:Beauty-The Beautiful Smile Experiment

On By Zeenat Merchant Syal|PositiveProvocations.comIn Mind, Heart& Soul-Motivation&Inspiration

November Theme: BEAUTY(as suggested by Brandi at Joy Rebel and has been all about spreading beauty). For more details on what RAOKA is and how you can be a part of this awesome crusade, see details below this post. [logo designed by Melissa at Operation Nice]

The Beautiful Smile Experiment

“DO THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT COME FROM YOUR HEART. When you do, you won’t be dissatisfied, you won’t be envious, you won’t be longing for somebody else’s things. On the contrary, you’ll be overwhelmed with what comes back.”–Morrie Schwarts

We all know that a thing of beauty is a joy forever and that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Isn’t it interesting how the perception of beauty changes from person to person and heart to heart.

Today I will share with you an act of Beauty that also spreads Beauty all around us. I noticed and experimented this month(all of November) from my Hearts perspective as to what would spreading beauty really mean and how it feels deep down in my heart. And this is what I came up with:

A Beautiful Smile: Now, smiling isn’t such a big deal. We all smile, so many times in the day. Sometimes we smile when we have found something funny, sometimes when something nice happens, sometimes we smile at our own silliness and sometimes we smile as a greeting to another person. And most of the time we smile out of courtesy.

Always always, a smile that’s from the heart will have a boomerang effect. If you simply smile for the sake of smiling it isnt going to be reciprocated.

So, as my monthly experiment on spreading beauty I started smiling. I mean really smiling from the heart. The kind that makes even your heart swell with happiness.

I started smiling with feeling not out of courtesy– at the grocery store clerk, at the building watchman, at the neighbors, at any living thing I came across. I also started smiling at the pigeons that come to my balcony and the trees, flowers and plants. Think of me as weird, but i actually felt those birds smiling back..!!!

Conclusion to my smiling experiment: Ok, I mustve done this for like just two days and already everything around me was suddenly becoming beautiful. Not only that, all those smiles I was giving away were coming back to me in the form of pure beautiful love. That feeling was so indescribable that I continued this experiment all through the month.

Now, I never ever courtesy smile. I truly smile from the heart. Cause I know, maybe my smile isn’t picture perfect like those toothpaste commercials, but I feel that simple smile of mine doing its job of spreading BEAUTY everywhere it goes.

One good smile will have a domino effect. The person you’re smiling at will feel that genuine love with which you’re beaming away and will smile back. Inturn he/she/it will smile at someone else cause your smile just made them happy. And this will continue…I saw it happen.

At the grocers-the clerk seemed in a mood, or rather no mood. But, when I reached the counter, I smiled at her and and so did my little one. Instantly her face beamed up and she started smiling and chatting away. After we finished, she actually greeted the next customer with a beaming smile too!!

Imagine a world full of Happy Smiley People…….How BEAUTIFUL is that??? 🙂

A Smile not only makes you beautiful but makes everything and everyone around you beautiful too!

What are you waiting for??? SMILE 🙂 Its free. Its easy. Its always available in abundance. You know you love to Smile !!! 🙂

Smile and Spread Beauty!!

Our world needs all the BEAUTIFUL positive energy generated from that beautiful Smile of yours 🙂

NOTE: What is RAOKA? Random Acts of Kick Arse is a movement to bring more of {a monthly theme} into our lives, and the lives of those around us. This awesome movement was initiated by Sami from Life, Laughs and Lemmings.  RAOKA Logo courtesy of Melissa from Operation NICE. The theme for December is “wacky” (courtesy of awesome and wacky Lance from The Jungle of Life). If you would like to join this movement please contact Sami on her blog for further details.

Other RAOKA Crusaders:

Lori from Jane Be Nimble
Dani from Positively Present
Melissa from Operation NICE
Brandi from Joy Rebel
Lance from The Jungle of Life

with love Zeenat

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44 thoughts on “RAOKA:Beauty-The Beautiful Smile Experiment”

  2. Hey Zeenat, what a great way to spread beauty. So simple but so effective.

    I once read/heard a story about a victim of domestic violence who received a genuine smile from a complete stranger. She said it saved her life because that very day she’d planned to commit suicide. The smile she received gave her hope and she changed her mind. Goes to show the power of a smile and makes you wonder who you’re smiling at.

    1. Hi Sami,
      Now thats an awesome story! I do hope my smile and the smile of everyone else has that impact.
      Am so glad you stopped by and shared this story.
      Thank you for your lovely comment 🙂

    1. Hi Jonathan,
      You have brought up such a great aspect of a smile…we can give it from right across the room..and it will do its job 🙂 Who knew such s simple act could yeild such wonderful results…
      And your smiley gravatar pic does that everytime you visit 🙂 Thank you.

    1. HI Eduard,
      So nice to see you here 🙂
      Oh…smiling has that magical effect on our mood for sure. Even if you forcefully smile long enough…eventualy it does become a genuine smile…and that according to me is nothing short of a miracle. I think its its a mind body heart soul instant connection formula 😉
      Thank you for sharing your thoughts here Eduard 🙂

  5. Zeenat,
    Isn’t it amazing at just how powerful such a simple thing can be! Your smile, especially when done with love, touched others in some wonderful ways. And it’s touching me today, just reading this. And there’s much beauty in all of that! In you!

    1. HI Lance,
      I really had no idea when i started this experiment that it would lead to soemthing so wonderfuul and powerful…but i was pleasantly amazed 🙂
      And yes, when done with love and from the heart , the opposite person does feel it at the heart level too. Thank you fro your beautiful words here today Lance..every word that you write comes from a place of love and does the same job your smiley gravatar does for me everytime you visit 🙂 Now thats beautiful 😉

  6. I used to say that laughing is the only thing we get from free in this life, for everything else we have to pay. It’s a shame we don’t make use of it more often. And I think it’s a reason we get this for free: it’s infinite, so it can’t be measured with money. A smile is something that never ends. 🙂

    1. HI Dragos,
      Now that is profound…..a smile is infinite!!! Wow…i never thought of it that way 🙂 But you know it really is and hence the effect of a smile never ever goes away…it stays with you long after the smile too….hmm…now that’s truly awesome !!
      Thank you so much for your lovely lovely thoughts on this. 🙂

    1. Hi Juancav,
      A smile really does illuminate and spread such beautiful loving light isnt it…and really as you say thats a really really good thing.
      Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts 🙂

  8. Hi Zeenat,

    I’ve been blessed with a nice smile, folks tell me that all of the time. I don’t even think about it – I just smile a lot. It makes me feel great when I see folks around me smiling as well!

    George

  9. Hi Zeenat, I’m a new visitor to your great blog. Thanks for making me smile a genuine smile with this post. The very act of smiling is so simple and so powerful and yet so easy to forget how transformative it can be.

    1. HI Belinda,
      Youre so right…we do forget how the simple and smallest act of smiling can actually work wonders…..
      I am so glad you stopped by and enjoyed this post. I appreciate your thoughts and your smiley pic too 🙂
      Thank you for your lovely comment 🙂

    1. Hi Sweetie,
      Others do value a smile more than we can imagine. Thats why we all need to smile so so so much more 🙂
      Glad you likeed the post 🙂
      xoxox

  12. I love this idea, and love when people smile — either in response to me smiling at them, or better yet, people who just walk around with a smile on their face because it would seem as though they love life!

    The other day I smiled at someone just because, and when they didn’t smile back I just thought, “Well that’s okay; smiles are free and it doesn’t cost me anything to do it.” A little later a smile came from somebody else unexpectedly, so truly what we give out in smiles and love always comes back to us.

    Keep smiling and spreading joy! It’s an energy that the world needs more of!

    1. HI my joyful angel,
      Wow…what a sight it would be to actually see your beautiful smile 🙂 Just like your beautiful gravatar smile 🙂
      You know..i’ve noticed…when we smile at someone and they dont smile back..its mostly because they have become uncomfortable with our niceness….or just plain find us creepy 😉 I guess people arent used to niceness just as yet….
      We have got to change that….
      Lots of love and smiles to you 🙂

  13. Hi Zeenat,

    Isn’t smiling amazing and powerful? I am a big believer in being kind and smiling just is something that I love to do. Not everyone gets it but no worries. There is enough pain and suffering in the world. If I can spread some joy by smiling…then I am all for it.

    Glad to read that you found your smiling experiment to be awesome! 🙂

    1. HI Nadia,
      Youre bang on target with this Nadia. there is indeed enough of pain and suffering all around…if we all can do a small but meaningful act that can bring joy …then why not? Glad we both think alike on this one…:)
      Thank you fro your lovely and always beautiful comment. 🙂

  14. Hi dear Z, What a GREAT article. I LOVE LOVE LOVE smiling. I can’t seem to stop smiling. Years ago when I was about 21 someone told me in a really snide way that I smiled too much. I was SHOCKED! It had never ever occurred to me that someone could smile TOO MUCH! LOL! 🙂 I don’t even think prior to that comment that I was even aware that I WAS smiling. And when I one day told my Dad what this person said, he said, “You have a face, a heart and a spirit that was meant for smiling. So you just keep right on smiling for the rest of your life. If someone doesn’t like it they will have to deal with their own emotions, but don’t EVER let anyone stop you smiling.” I never forgot that. I am just a happy person and I smile at everyone. I don’t even care if they don’t smile back. My smiles are free.

    I really like what Jonathan Wells wrote here too. It just made the whole magic of smiling sink in deeper in terms of the effect of a smile. This is a really wonderful post, I love things like this. I read it and just felt sooooooo good inside. It makes life more real. What you wrote about smiling to everyone and everything I so relate to that. I too smile at animals, plants, trees, rocks and people (even people I don’t know) and it is REALLY genuine…like you said. I too don’t do polite smiles, mine are full-on heart smiles, all the way down to my toes. Thank you for being soooo spontaneous and loving and open. I just love that about you. You really live what you teach. That means the world to me. You mean the world to me.

    You know, Z, it really is the simple things that change lives and the world. Isn’t it? If all we did was the simple things the world could change in a week…probably a day….maybe even a moment. I just feel sooo good right now. Thank you for that. I am hugging you and loving you. Robin

    1. Darling Robin,
      I have tears of joy reading your lovely and beautiful comment. Youre so so inspiring…..A huge hug to you. And yes your spirit smiles…and i feel that smile everytime i read your words….here on your blog….everywhere. Youre just so full of love and happiness. I’m truly blessed to know you…and connect with you at this level.
      You and I and all of us just keep on smiling and spreading the love and joy….the world will truly begin to heal with our simple gesture. Your Dad was a wise man 🙂
      Big warm hugs and lots of love to you. 🙂

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  17. I remember that Lance had that Morrie Schwarts quote from Lance’s Sunday thought a few weeks ago and to me it’s simply one of the best things ever thought of by any one on this or any other planet.

    This post reminds me of that wonderful Flaming Lips song with the lyrics “Do you realize…”

    I am excited about “Wacky for next month — I think it’ll be a most fitting RAOKA intro theme for me!!

    xo

    1. Hi Jannie,
      I am so glad you enjoyed this post 🙂
      And yes RAOKA is so much fun…youre so so perfect fro Wacky….you have gotta join in….it will be loads of wacky fun 😉
      Lots of love.

  18. You’re right! It is snowing on your blog, and that makes me smile 🙂

    Actually, I love to smile at strangers who look as if what they really need is a big hug, but the hug might scare one who doesn’t know us, so yes, a smile almost always begets a smile in return 🙂

    Karen

    1. Hi Karen,
      I know what you mean about the hugs…they do tend to have a weird effect on some people…smiles are safer that way 😉
      Glad you like the snow 🙂
      Lots of love.

  19. I’d like to teach the world “to smile” in perfect harmony! Well done, Zeenat 😀

    I’m happy to be traveling on the RAOKA trail with you and I’m looking forward to how “wacky” turned up in your world for December.

    1. HI Cheryl,
      Wow a smile in perfect harmony…now that’s a beautiful thought and should be a sight for sore eyes 🙂
      Am glad too that we RAOKA gals are having so much fun with it. Wacky is going to be the in thing this month for sure 😉
      Thank you fro your sweet comment 🙂
      Lots of love.

  20. Zeenat — You have the best site! I love the snow falling:~) How do you do this?

    I smiled as I read this post. It has such positive energy….see, I can’t even see you smiling, but you made me smile:~)

    I also loved Random Acts of Kick Arse! This sounds like fun:~)

    1. HI Sara,
      Ahh I can feel your beautiful smile…. 🙂
      As frot he snowfall its an option for a month on wp.com….it will be on till the 4th of Jan. How wonderful of WP.com to give us this lovely winter gift na..
      I hope you join RAOKA….its so much fun….and next months theme wacky is going to be awesome!!
      Lots of love 🙂

  22. Hi Zeenat .. I too love the falling snow, but glad it’s on the screen and not here .. when I was up north last week – they had snow in the Dales and one of the chaps got stuck in the traffic jams after the snow got too bad .. it was cold!

    “Smile and the World smiles with you” … supposedly taking few muscles than to frown .. and the smile can lead to laughter, fun and joy ..

    Now’s the time to smile – be merry and happy ..
    Hilary Melton-Butcher
    Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

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  25. Yes, smiling is effective, especially for someone brought up in an environment of negativity. I am conducting a 30 day experiment, smiling as much as possible. I am on day 21 now. I have learned much about myself! See TheSmilingExperiment.com for my updates.

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