Can you even smile?

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.―Dyer 

Look at the world. Tell me what you see.

You see billionaires. You see celebrities. You see entrepreneurs. You see success. You see the money. You see cool cars. You see luxury. You see fame. You see trends. You see confidence. You see failure.

Here’s what you don’t see.

You don’t see happiness. You don’t see nature. You don’t see freedom. You don’t see peace. You don’t see balance. You don’t see fulfillment. You don’t see the passion. You don’t see love. You don’t see memories. You don’t see you.

All it takes is a Peek-A-Boo before the baby starts laughing. Their laughter is so pure without restraint, hesitation, or fear of being judged. There is no self-control, discipline, or restriction. They laugh when they are happy, and cry when they are sad. They are totally satisfied when a bottle of milk lands in their hands.

What about us? We are worried that our smiles show the gap between our teeth. We think laughing creates more wrinkles. We are scared of the stare we get if we laugh too loudly. We try to smile a certain way to prove we are attractive. We fake a perfect smile for our Facebook profiles. We even think smiling at someone first makes us a loser.

We’ve been told we are weak when we cry. We’ve been told to shut it, hide it, hold it. We’ve been told the lies over and over again until we believe that we are not supposed to express ourselves to the extreme because that would turn out to be our weakness. We are taught to follow the rules and behave like adults.

Once upon a time, we were those kids. We were happy with what we had once. We were capable of smiling so wide it reached our ears. We were born free. Our laughter could be heard from outside of planet earth. Our curiosity got the best of us and we were not even afraid of putting our hands into flame. But things have changed. We have ripped off our emotions, but we still think we are not good enough, aren’t we?

We didn’t automatically become zombies. We were trained to be ones. Actually, we were trained to be the unsatisfied zombies. We had to sit. We had to listen. We had to do as we are asked. We learned rules. We are told what is best for us. What is the point of doing what is best for us if we are not even happy doing it? We learned how to follow. But they expect us to lead.

Will you be remembered for your fancy car? Will you be remembered for your mansion? Will you be remembered for being famous? Maybe you will. The question is: is that how you want to be remembered? For the things you own? For the stuff you make? For the money you have? Are those things even you? Will you be able to smile like when you were 4-year-old when you achieve it all? What is the plan after you have it all? Do you keep wanting more?

We want so much to the point where we don’t know what we want. We all want happiness, but the only things that make us laugh are Internet memes. We want friends, but all we get is likes and comments. We want to take care of our family, but we scroll through our phone during a gathering.

We are not happy. We say we want things to make us happy, but how could that make us happy if we forget to appreciate the moment? The world made us zombies. Now, we are making our children zombies too. How could we live our lives like this? How could we want a bright future for the children while we train them to be like us?

Rules are for people who don’t know what to do. It is pointless to use rules when you are not even stuck. So let your children paint their bedroom wall. Compliment their drawings. Tell them they are clever to be able to see animal-shaped clouds in the sky. Play with the stuffed animals which keep the nightmares away. Make them realize they are beautiful. Make them realize their laughter is the best music in the world.

Shhhhhh… Don’t be ashamed of your feelings. Don’t be ashamed of being happy. Don’t be ashamed of your loved one misbehaving. Why would you care what people think so much? Your entire universe has only you and your loved ones. Nobody else. Why don’t you cut it out and laugh until your lungs burst with joy? Why don’t you stop worrying about the outside and focus on the inside? What is the money for if you no longer know how to smile?

Make peace with your mind and smile. Make yourself beautiful inside out. Do what you love and only what you love. Feel to the bottom of your heart. Let it shine. People will say your light is too bright, but you shouldn’t acknowledge them and ignore the real you. Why is it so hard to do what feels right? Life could be so much easier, you know.

Look at the world. Tell me what you see.

You see your dream. You see your love. You see your pain. You see your emotion. You see your growth. You see your worth. You see all colors molding into one beautiful life. You see the life behind your smile.

You need to see yourself or the things you want won’t work for you. Who are you? Are you happy? If you are not even happy now, how will you ever be? If you rely on something else to make you smile, is it your smile anymore? Prove to yourself that you don’t need anything to smile. When you smile, your brain will think you are somehow happy. When you are filled with positivity, you believe in your dream. Just like that, you are already halfway ahead of the version of you that’s just being a zombie.

Take your time. Your dream can wait.

You can procrastinate. Just don’t procrastinate to be happy.

---

© VITAK CHEAV

---