The Power of a Smile

“I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.” – Mother Theresa

It’s springtime, time to SMILE and FEEL GOOD! Many things can bring health and happiness, but the easiest of all is the power of a smile. (It is way easier than eating only veggies).

I have traveled around the world and we all understand one thing: the universal language of the smile. During covid, it has been hard for me to wear masks because I am normally always smiling at everyone. When I smile at everyone (including complete strangers), it always uplifts me, and hopefully it uplifts them too. Smiling is so essential to feeling good, looking good, and spreading joy.

I learned the energy behind the smile when I was racing. When things got tough — and they normally did around the end of an Ironman race — I learned that if I could just smile, my whole outlooked changed. So my go-to “survival tip” was to put a SMILEY FACE on my bike handle bars. That would instantly lift my spirits, even in a head wind, and remind me to lighten up, relax, and look where I want to go. Later when I studied Qigong, I learned that smiling opens up the central channel of the body and allows all kinds of good positive energy to be available to you.

Pass a smile around today, and make a list of the things that make you smile!

Colleen’s Smile List:

• The hummingbirds at my feeder and how sometimes they share feeding spaces
• The buds on the trees where each day a new green sprout has emerged
• The Pink Trees
• The flowers making their way through the frozen ground, especially the Pasque flowers
• Kids. They always make me smile, and they smile 400 times a day. More than 30% of us smile more than 20 times a day and less than 14% of us smile less than 5 times a day
• The return of the bluebirds
• The smell of the thawing earth
• The smell of my horse as it has rolled in the thawing muddy earth
• Friends laughing together on THE QUEST
• Chocolate
• Bread and butter
• Singing or listening to someone singing
• Fresh clean warm sheets
• Massages
• Snowflakes and gliding on them
• The water – any form of water. The ocean, drinking it, surfing it, swimming in it, etc.
• Dolphins and they are always smiling
• Talking to my friends and the Quest staff around the world… they are all my extended family and I love them and hearing from them makes me smile
• The art of slowing down, which I love
• My dog always makes me smile because she loves everything
• How the universe always works out everything. Currently, it brought me Lily and Sarah who are helping with Women’s Quest. True angels!
• Fun yoga and talks on the Quest. Last week Syl Corbett really made me laugh and smile. Check out her book here www.d-funk-it.com

Seriously, just about everything makes me smile. Even when the painful news hits hard to the heart, I say a prayer and send a smile to the situation. Then I turn off the news. Here’s a key: I never let my inner smile energy go out. When it starts to dull or it feels lonely or depressed, I immediately say 5 things I am grateful for and eventually my frown turns upside down, back to a smile.

Smiling is more than just an expression; it’s a physical and energetic act.

In the ancient practice of Qigong, which I practice every morning, the smile acts as a secret key. It unlocks the central channel, a vibrant highway for energy flowing through your body. This channel, known as the “Ren Mai,” nourishes your organs, boosts your mood, and grants access to a reservoir of inner peace. Imagine a smile as a sunrise, gently warming the earth and coaxing forth life. That’s the power of a smile in Qigong: it awakens dormant energy, ignites your spirit, and lets your inner light shine through. So smile generously, and watch your well-being blossom from the inside out.