by Chrissy Larson
In the midst of a hectic life, we have to make sure to find ways to keep our spirits high. From the time I take my warm toes out from under my sheets to the time I put them back again, life has the potential of getting me down. Here are three things to keep your head up: think the best of people, remember to smile, laugh at your mistakes.
I don't know how many times in a day I have the opportunity to get offended but I can honestly say it's usually a lot. From the way someone speaks to me to the blank stare I get when I ask a perfectly sane question, I can choose to take things personal or give people the benefit of the doubt by letting comments, inflections, and physical expressions roll off my back. Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." When I choose to think the best of someone, I eliminate offense.
On the flip side of that, my countenance sets not only the mood in my house but affects people in my path. Most days, it's easy for me to smile. Those muscles, from what I am told, were the first to get a workout when I was an infant. But sometimes I have days when the gray cloud just won't disappear over my head. It's best if I don't have to leave the house, make important decisions, or answer many questions. I simply put up a Red Flag Warning, stating it's bad weather up ahead and my family seems to understand that tomorrow should be a better day. No matter how dismal my day is though, I still try to put a smile on my face. It makes a difference, even for me.
In my work, I meet many interesting people. On one particular job, the woman I was working for had many awards and accolades displaying her service and generosity to various schools and organizations. With a letter signed by the president himself, she was one of President Bush's "1000 Points of Light" for making a difference in Jacksonville. I asked her to lunch after my work in her home was finished because I wanted to know her secret to success. The most significant thing she said to me over a Chick-Fil-A sandwich was, "My husband taught me to laugh at my mistakes." I thought about that for awhile and decided it was extremely profound. We make enough mistakes to disqualify ourselves from anything positive or good. If left to my own opinion of me, I am a hopeless loser. But the truth of the matter is humanness is humorous. If God can laugh and move on then why can't we?
So why not laugh at your mistakes? You are funny, especially when you do something stupid! While you're laughing at yourself, a smile will naturally take over your face. That's a good time to roll off offenses and make sure you're dishing out as much grace to others as you would hope to receive yourself. Since life is so full of negatives, be the positive charge as often as you can :)What is your #1 tip for being happy?
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