Marya Mann : Blog : SMILE, PLAY, SAY SOMETHING NICE

SMILE, PLAY, SAY SOMETHING NICE

Smiling — communication without words — speaks in any language, requires no translation and transcends problems, fear and anger. Play shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul Finding something nice to say – friendliness — opens the heart and calms the mind.

Smiling, playing and encouraging or complimenting someone – even yourself! — don’t cost anything but has huge rewards. The unexpected smile or gracious amusement makes the world a happier, more connected and sane place. So why don’t we smile, play and be friendly more often?

Mainly, people are busy, worried and stressed out. The irony here is that play, smiling and friendliness reduce stress and worry. Playful, spontaneous joy for simply being alive and grateful makes people more effective and productive — but we’re often too stressed out to take the time for these enjoyable actions that reduce stress.

I want you to promise me that you’ll rectify that today. Here’s how:

1 – Set aside the anxious self-talk and simply smile.

One minute of this will make you feel like a fool, and that’s the whole point. We’re too afraid of appearing foolish to try out the inventive, the creative, the original energies that want to express through us. From this moment forward, do NOT fear being a fool; celebrate it!

Swami Beyondananda claims each person is capable of Fool Realization, but let’s face it, some are better at it than others. It’s frightening for the hard-and-fast expert, the serious and certainty-obsessed personality to try out new things. Feel free to try and fail and try again.

2 – Transcend your egomania; become an egoless maniac.

If we’re not already good at something, we don’t want to look bad in front of others, right? We prefer not to diminish our own self-concept. But what if that self-concept is getting in the way of total health and preventing the blessings of life from showering you with infinite blessings? Limit the inner critic’s continual assessments and let yourself breathe. Feel your body. Enjoy each moment as a gift of life. That is what’s truly significant.

3 – Move through the gap.

To get from here to there, we have to traverse the “differential,” the gap between what we can conceive and where we are now. The differential is an energy healing concept that relies on the universe to fill in the blank between present and specific probability we envision for ourselves. When we see the differential clearly, we can make the leap – the quantum leap – to where we choose to be.

4 – Make light of it.

Literally, we can make light and beauty out of even the worst circumstances. Play an instrument, play basketball, play a joke and play with your favorite pet. Who would have imagined that the great childhood propensity for play would turn out to be a life-long stress reliever, powerful healer and rejuvenator not only of the body, but of the soul? Play is one of nature’s best remedies for whatever ails you. Rumi writes:

“Today like every other day,”
“We wake up empty and scared.
Don’t open the door of your study
And begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do
There are hundreds of way to kneel
And kiss the earth.

So. . .save the world. Smile, play and make light of it! Try a smile on that perpetually sad or angry person you see each morning at work. Whatever sadness or worry spawned the frown, a smile and playful attitude can often, at the very least, ease their pain.

Most will welcome the warmth that a smile provides or the compliment that helps them see what’s right instead of what’s wrong in life. Their slumped shoulders or tense jaws will unwind and an affinity for the natural joy in life can unfold. The feel-good endorphins will begin to flow, your heart and mind will feel lighter and the world will be a better place because of you!

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“Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.” – Oscar Wilde

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Marya Mann, Ph.D., is a writer, transpersonal wellness consultant, humorist and uncommon creative mentor who celebrates a shining new world where people and our planet thrive in balance, authenticity and contentment. She co-authored the anthology Healing Our Planet, Healing Ourselves, “a blueprint for the 21st century”, with Dr. Bruce Lipton, Patricia Sun, Deepak Chopra, among others, before moving to Hawaii Island in 2006 to open Kona Coast Wellness. She wrote feature stories on visionary artists and sustainable culture for Hawaii Islands Ke Ola Magazine from 2009 to 2012 and established the Brave New View online newsletter to contribute to the “movement movement”, a free-flowing collective of women and men devoted to Dance for the healing of our planet.

Serving on the Board of Directors of the Loom of Love, she is a volunteer with Farmers, Futurists & Fans United for Nutrition – FUN for Children – devoted to bringing fresh produce to Hawaii homeless and indigent communities during Christmas, Easter and summer when school lunch programs do not provide meals for children in need of good habits and real food for brain health.

Her “alter egolesses”, Stand-Up Yogi and Merry Mana, are devoted to “Quantum Comedy”, midwifing more art, love, and happiness into the world through her favorite atomic asana, the ha-ha asana! To learn more visit www.maryamann.com