Whatever we do, we do to get a smile on our face or someone else’s face. We most often do that by giving ‘something’ and that ‘something’ sometimes costs a lot of money.
By no means I am saying that gifting should be stopped. You can continue doing it.. It’s a good thing sometimes to give someone an expensive gift…. Here’s the catch- most often if not always giving a costly gift to someone can bring a smile on that person, but you loose your smile because your bank balance has gone down…😉
So, here are ways to bring SMILE while spending less, Smile for you and to the other person, and not to forget there is a bonus for this smile and that bonus is INNER HAPPINESS.
1. Help a Pet:
There are many pets who need your attention and let me tell you the joy you get feeding a hungry dog, cat etc or even rescuing them is beyond measure… The joy can only be experienced. Try it today.
2. Old age home or orphanage:
Go and spend few minutes with them. They not always require your money. If you can give them-it’s great, but if you can’t- that’s fine. They need your Presence. Try playing a game with them or just give your listening ear..
3. Send a postcard to your old friend:
When someone receives a message on a postcard he or she is on a different level of happiness compare to a whatsapp messages. Try it!
4. Listen:
Listen to the people closet to you. Most often people don’t need advices, they just want someone to listen to them.. Few hours after you have listened to them, person has a SMILE because he/she felt listened to and you have a SMILE because you feel you have done something which is rare in todays world.
5. Shut up!
Sometimes, shutting up our mouth gives more SMILE in the long run to both parties(giver and receiver) than you can imagine. Know the right time to speak.
Practising these gestures mentioned above don’t require heavy spending but guarantees SMILE. Let’s go and spread some SMILE.
-Written by Paul Fernandes
–Photo by Michael Dam
Imagination Breathing 