This post is a part of the With Love series.

Whenever I look at myself in the mirror, I say these words “I love myself.” I concentrate on looking straight into my eyes and I smiling at my own reflection.

Smiling helps me to see myself in a happy state, and helps me focus on the positive things about myself. When I do so, the things that bother me about my appearance become insignificant and disappear. The positive things take precedence over the negative things, and drowns out all criticism.

And so I try to smile, renew my thoughts, and steer my thinking into a positive directions. This gives me joy and peace, and I radiate and shine! And then I think to myself:

• I know how to radiate and shine.
• I deserve to radiate and shine.
• I know it is possible for me to radiate and shine.

Keep smiling because life is a beautiful thing and there is so much to smile about.

– Marilyn Monroe

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.

– Phyllis Diller

Smiling has many benefits:

• A smile reduces stress.
• A smile reduces negative thoughts. You can test this with a simple experiment: try to think of something negative, but keep smiling as you do. Otherwise the test won’t work. You will soon see that it is hard to combine the negative thought with the smile!
• A smile makes you look years younger.
• A smile makes you feel better. Smiling releases endorphins (natural painkillers) and serotonin that also makes you feel better.
• A smile will give you favor with others. It’s so much harder to say no to people who smile, and they also seem more confident.
• A smile makes you beautiful. A smile can light up the room!
• Smile and the world will smile back at you!

Checklist for today

• Look into the mirror, and smile to yourself.
• When you smile, notice how beautiful and radiant you are. Save this image in your mind, and try to recall it multiple times during the day.
• Write down 3 things that make you smile when you think of them.
• When you feel down throughout the day, concentrate on these 3 things and allow them to bring a smile to your face once again. Radiate and shine!