Grin your way to Success

It was late in the afternoon, and the hunting party should’ve returned hours ago. The men in the camp started to worry.

Teddy Roosevelt had left the same morning, along with his son and a handful of natives, to go deep into the jungle to hunt the legendary jaguar.

Just as the sun began to set, one of the natives came running out of the bush. He was bloody, covered in dust, and dead in the eyes.

“Much work, tired!” he declared, and immediately collapsed in the dirt.

Like gasoline on a fire, this event encouraged the blossom of panic, and one of Teddy’s friends, who had stayed behind, became frantic.

Minutes later a second native came running out of the woods in a similar state as the first.

“Work, tired!” he panted and proceeded to give up the effort of remaining upright.

Minutes later, one last native crashed through the foliage.

“Tired!” was all he could mumble before the exhaustion consumed him and his body went limp.

Teddy’s friend had had enough. He set out into the forest in search of Roosevelt and his son, imaging the worst.

He came upon a clearing and found the strongest native of the whole camp, collapsed and unconscious. He asked a pair of natives to take the collapsed man back to camp and continued his search.

He was certain that if the strongest native couldn’t manage in his own backyard, Teddy must be in the most dire of situations. His fears intensified.

When suddenly, he detected a voice up ahead.

“You’re going to drop him sonny, hoist him higher!”

He recognized Teddy instantly, and sprang through the brush. In a moment he came upon a scene that would be etched into the memories of the native Brazilians for generations.

It was Teddy. Bloody, battered, and smiling wider than his face should have allowed, he was helping his son, who looked similarly minus the grin, hoist an unconscious native off the ground and continue to drag him towards the camp.

Surprised but exuberant, he called out. “Colonel, are you alright?”.

“I’m Bully!” replied the 55 year old ex-president, a term he often used that meant “I’m great!”.

Forever after, the natives would speak in hushed tones of the invincible foreigner who relished even the most treacherous of affairs.

One of Teddy’s favorite expressions was “Deelighted”. He used it so often and with such grinning emphasis that nobody doubted his sincerity.

He delighted in every aspect of his job: in plowing through mountains of state documents, memorizing large documents and leaving his desk bare as a bone by lunchtime, in matching wits with the historians, zoologists, investors, explorers, and actors who crowd his desk daily; in bombarding Congress with book-sized memos.

He relished every second of his life.

Self-Control can be improved

Something great about self-control, which has been demonstrated in numerous studies, is that it can always be improved.

Just like a muscle, it gets stronger with regular exercise. Engaging in activities requiring self-control for even a couple of weeks results in improvements in self-control across all other activities.

The exercises can be arbitrary, such as using your left hand instead of your right to open doors and brush your teeth. Or they can be meaningful, such as working to better manage your money. The only requisite is that you override your habitual ways of doing things and exert deliberate control over your actions.

For this reason, we’ll be practicing grinning throughout the day, regardless of how we feel, for the next 2 weeks.

No matter what situation you are in, you can always smile and make the best of it, just like Teddy in the jungle. If someone asks you how you’re doing, say “I’m great! Today’s been a great day!” and it will become true.

The same way Teddy grew excited about challenging or seemingly boring tasks, you too can learn to enjoy the situations you once agonized over.

You’re going to become radioactive with positive energy.

How to Calmy Disarm a Bomb

A Chief Bomb Disposal Officer, one of the most dangerous and stressful jobs on the planet,  was telling a story about trying to defuse a mine while underwater — realizing that he had become trapped, he was unable to move his hands or feet. What was the next thought that went through the Chief’s head?

“I’m still breathing, so that’s good. Now what else do I have that’s going for me?”

That’s what you call looking on the bright side.

The next time you’re thinking about complaining to someone or you start getting stressed before an important event, interrupt those thoughts with a smile and think: "What have I got going for me?"

Use your self-control to help you see the fun and exciting aspects of even the most daunting challenges.

Do you have a mountain of memos to read? Enjoy the opportunity to strengthen your resolve and increase your ability to devour even the most dreadful tasks.

Do you have a big test or intimidating meeting coming up? Enjoy the challenge that will push you abilities and tackle it with the vibrant energy that Teddy was famous for.

When you re-frame negative situations with this bright attitude, suddenly things get much easier.

This Week’s Plan

One-Time Action

Let’s add a reminder to reinvigorate yourself in the middle of your day.

Think of a place you go almost every day where you tend to face the most obstacles that bring about stress.

It could be your desk at work, where you often find out that you have more work to do or that you forgot to submit something on time.

It could be in your car if you find yourself getting upset by traffic jams and inconsiderate drivers. Think of a place you visit regularly where you could benefit the most from a gentle reminder that life is great.

Now, get a sticky note and write a little reminder to yourself to be energetic and that your outlook is yours to control. It can be a quote, a personal message, or anything else. Then put it in a conspicuous location. I’ve written the following quote on a sticky note by my desk.

Marcus Aurelius, the last good Emperor of Rome, had some great advice about being happy and wise.

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”

Your Goal

Every morning for the next 10 days, start your day with a large smile: we’ll add the habit “What a great day!” to your morning routine.

For this habit, find a mirror and look yourself in the eyes and smile. As you're smiling, declare outloud that the day before you will be a great one! Say it with confidence and it will become reality.

Smile, get excited about the day before you, be grateful for all the great things in your life, and reframe obstacles as exciting opportunities. The key is to mindfully experience the emotional parts of this declaration, saying it with a fake smile won't work.

Allow this habit to prime you for the rest of the day. Feel free to add the habit to your afternoon or evening rituals as well. Then you can check up on yourself throughout the day to make sure you’re staying positive and practicing your self-discipline by smiling when it’s not natural to do so.

If someone asks you how your day is going, even if it doesn’t feel like the best day ever, give them a genuine smile and say “My day is going great! Better than I could have imagined, thanks for asking!”

By declaring this, you’ll be able to make it true. But if you instead complain and groan about how much boring work you have to do, you will make that reality come true instead.

Tap Accept below to start a happy week!

Next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, imagine how much Roosevelt would be enjoying it.

You’ll hear from me again after this happy week you’ve got coming!