It may sound overly simplistic, but a smile can positively impact you and others around you. Having a smile on your face, even when undergoing challenging times, can keep you calmer and aid with recovery from difficult situations. When you smile, it spurs a chemical reaction in the brain, releasing the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins — all of which help your body relax, increase feelings of wellbeing, and reduce stress. Your smile doesn’t even have to be a real one. Studies show you can fake it and still receive brain benefits. Just moving your facial muscles to create a half smile is enough to make positive changes in your nervous system. Those feel-good neurotransmitters will release even if your emotional state is not ideal.

For context, my 9-year-old son was having a rough morning a few days ago. He was procrastinating on getting dressed and generally moving very slowly. I could feel myself getting frustrated as the time ticked closer to leaving for school. I intentionally decided to put a (fake) smile on my face, made good eye contact, and asked him to get dressed. This time, he smiled back at me and started moving in the desired direction of getting ready to go to school.

That smile changed the trajectory of our morning from tense and frustrated to connected and relaxed. Smiling is truly contagious! Further studies show that our brain contains mirror neurons that fire when we perform an action, enabling us to copy or reflect the behavior we observe in others. Simply put, when we see a smile, we want to reciprocate it. This positive feedback loop reinforces positivity within yourself and others. Try smiling a little bit more than you usually do for yourself! It may have a profound impact on your everyday life!

Everyone is capable of making a difference. We teach every student to respect themselves and others. One of the ways we do this is through the practice of excellent manners. Really good manners are not common these days, and it’s an easy way, especially for younger students, to stand out among their peers. Kids who listen and are considerate set a good example for other kids around them. Friends will notice and emulate that behavior leading to a positive impact that propagates through that peer group. One of the ways to demonstrate respect for others is to create an experience in which every person feels valued and heard.  Manners create this experience.  Do you want to have a positive impact? What do you want that to be? Make your choices in accordance. Then we see the results of those choices in the world. 

Everyone wants to matter, but too often, we place value on others (even idealizing people) while we forget to give ourselves that same value. Each of us matters and can have a positive impact in profound ways that we may not even learn of in our lifetimes. A compliment you give, a high-five at the gym, or a smile to a stranger might seem small or insignificant, but these efforts can shift a mood or an outlook. If you enter a room filled with positive energy, you can share your energy with someone who needs uplifting or a little dose of hope. I remind myself and our daughters that every moment matters — even the tiniest of interactions. Kids are often told to “be bucket fillers” and go out into the world with kindness and a spirit of helpfulness. This is fabulous advice for adults, too. What if we approached our days and interactions with the intention to fill buckets? Just don’t forget to fill your own bucket first.