Living A FUNtastic Life (Part 23)

by Patrick Liew on September 3, 2011

If you do not know me well, and you have been observing me, you will find that I am smiling most of the time.

When I meet people, I will give them a big smile. Oftentimes, within minutes, I will share a laugh with them.

You will find me laughing heartily and having lots of fun within the span of a day.

Many people have asked me, “Are you happy all the time?

“Don’t you ever feel sad?”

Let me share with you a secret.

Can you keep a secret?

A friend of mine told me, “Patrick, it is not that I cannot keep your secret.

“It is the people I told – they cannot keep your secret.”

As a servant-leader that seeked to connect with my colleagues and salespersons on a deeper level, I have faced many heart-wrenching moments.

Many incidents have broken my heart. They could make me feel sad and maybe, even depressed.

Long ago, I decided to be happy.

It is an integral part of my philosophy.

I want to discipline myself to be happy until it becomes a habit and a vital part of my lifestyle.

One of the best strategies to be happy is simply to ‘Act As If’ I am happy. This is commonly taught by many motivational speakers – and it works.

Before you continue to read, please ask me, “Why it works?”

(“Why?”)

Since you asked me, let me share with you that there are many clinically-proven studies that support the ‘Act As If’ strategy to be happy.

For example, Martin and Stepper conducted an experiment(1) whereby they used an apparatus to help one group of participants to simulate a smile.

Another apparatus was used by another group of participants to simulate a frown.

Obviously, the two groups of participants were not aware about what the apparatus was ‘forcing’ them to do.

In addition, they were not aware of the nature of the experiment.

Both group of participants were told to study a set of cartoons and to evaluate how funny these cartoons were to them.

The results – participants who were ‘forced’ to act as if they were smiling found the cartoons to be funnier than those who were ‘forced’ to act as if they were frowning.

Motivational speakers will generally encourage you to ‘fake it until you make it.’

While it may not be generally true for all cases, it makes more sense to act as if you are positive than otherwise.

It is better to act as if you are happy and, as the experiment has proven, everything will tend to look more positive to you.

Acting as if you are happy can support you to be a happier person. Please start right now.

Go on, feel excited about life.

Smile, expect happy things to happen, have a good laugh, enjoy life…

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

Please go to ‘Notes’ found below my profile picture.

Visit my Inspiration blog at http://liewinspiration.wordpress.com

Visit my Transformation blog at http://hsrpatrickliew.wordpress.com

Please read them and continue to teach me.

Life is FUNtastic!

Question: How can we act as if we are happy all the time?

(1) Inhibiting And Facilitating Conditions Of The Human Smile: A Non-obstrusive Test Of The Facial Feedback Hypothesis, Strack, F., Martin, L.L., and Stepper, S., Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 54: 768-77

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