This week I've been reminded of two superpowers we all possess. The first is our smile. When frantically travelling on the tube between meetings this week a stranger smiled at me and immediately I felt better. I went from being caught up on being late to being more relaxed and in the moment.
That small raise of the lip can have a big impact on the way that someone feels. Not only does a smile make you look better but it also releases endorphins and serotonins to the brain transforming your mood. Research even shows a forced smile can boost your mood. But perhaps more importantly a smile can be contagious and as the song goes 'when you're smiling the whole world smiles at you'.
I've put it to the test this week in the office. A smile often gets a smile back, opens the door to a conversation you never thought you'd have or on more than one occasion, can get someone to do something for you. Now that really is a superpower.
The second superpower is our response. This week I came across this quote from William James, the American Philosopher, who said 'the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another'.
This struck a cord with me. In my life today there are people who frustrate me, cause me to feel stressed and quite frankly, I've even gone as far as trying to change them: but the reality is that's one superpower I don't possess. Instead I'm reminded that the sole thing I do have control over is my response. This is an underused superpower that we all possess.
Go on give it a go, no cape required.
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