Simple act of smiling

Today I am going to talk about a book, Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act by Ron Gutman. This book is based on Ron Gutman’s TED talk: The hidden power of smiling. All through the book, I was smiling.

I read this book a year back but you must be wondering why I am recalling it now. The reason is the wonderful project I took up this semester as a master’s course project. I am working on facial expression recognition to assist the visually impaired in day to day conversations. Visually impaired sometimes find it difficult to understand the conditions around them, like whether the person next him is listening attentively or not. I am trying to tackle this problem and bring a solution. While analyzing facial expression or emotions, I remembered the book I read on smiling. Obviously, smile is most people’s favorite expression. One can never stop talking about the benefits of smiling. Take my advice, smile a lot as it costs nothing.

The author in the book recommends us to have a “Smiling List or Dandelion List”. A list that includes art, children, trees, certain colors, flowers and etc which remind us to be present and smile no matter what we are doing or where we are.

Our joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes our smile can be the source of our joy.

Event Logger

23rd August 2017: Most important day of my life.

This was the most tension-filled, exhausting day with few surprising turns of events. Till now I never worked for a company. I interviewed for few jobs, bagged two jobs but never joined in any.  On 23rd August, I interviewed for my dream job and got the job.
After working hard for many months, I thought I could finally sleep peacefully.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I woke up well before my usual time and sat contemplating what to do next. Since that day, till today I feel restless. People asked me how I felt after getting the job offer, I said relieved, but I didn’t feel relieved. I feared I would get complacent after this achievement. But, I kept myself busy with work.
I remember saying to my Mom that I will return home only after finding a job I like. And now I can’t wait to go home after months of toiling.

---

Summer of 2017: Memorable summer ever.

This was going to be last summer I would get to spend as per my wish, as I would be working full-time in a company from 2018 onwards. So, I wanted to make the most of it. I did a great deal of reading, learning, and exploring. I spent some quality time with my parents and friends. In short, I made some great memories.

End of year is approaching and I feel a sense of accomplishment for the work I have done and choices I made. Thanks, Universe!

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets