I often wonder why people seem reluctant to smile these days. It costs nothing to smile so come on people let’s start looking a bit happier. This article is all about this and about having a more positive outlook on life which will bring positive results.

I am somebody who used to always think in a negative way, I have now managed to stop this and my life has improved to no end. I now like to be around positive people, as these people tend to be more successful and happier. In my opinion, there are too many people who are always moaning and groaning and are seemingly depressed.

Growing up I had many things to be negative about, I had anxiety, a large birthmark on my arm, and was overweight. Plus, I am also quite short for a man at five foot two. I was one of the ones who walked around in a depressed state, and I used to feel sorry for myself. Even when I write about it now, I laugh about how silly I used to be.

I realized early into my twenties that I needed to change my approach to life. I was quite fortunate in that I had a friend at the company I worked for, who was to prove an inspiration to me. Her name was Shelley, and even though this may seem cruel, Shelley did not seem to have a lot going for her. I won’t go into details but let’s just say even with the problems I felt I had, I was not jealous of her. I became quite good friends with Shelley, and we would regularly have lunch together. I would meet her in the cafeteria at 12 pm and would be waiting in my gloomy state of mind, with my gloomy face, for her to arrive. Arrive she certainly did, always with a beaming smile on her face. This always amazed me as I could never understand what she had to be happy about. We would sit down and talk whilst eating our lunch and she never had a negative word to say. When she talked, she talked with passion, about her work and interests. One day it dawned on me that if Shelley (who from what I came to know of her, seemingly had nothing special going for her) can always be positive, happy, and smiling, why can’t I?

This was the beginning of my new outlook on life. An era of being positive, appreciating what I have got, and more than anything else, plenty of smiles. I now am happy with my weight, height, and the birthmark on my face, and am proud to say I have now overcome my anxiety.