​I had taken my 80 years young dad to the hospital for a review of his recent knee surgery to the hospital. Healing is accelerated if there's a smile on the face. Yet, in the hallowed place of healing, I saw straight faces all around me. 

One of my 15 years old personal practises has been to look straight in the eye of the strangers I am passing by and smile with my heart. I have experienced the joy of seeing a beggar lady's toothless smile transform her wrinkled face, probably ugly from the perspective of aesthetics, into a beautiful radiant face. I have experienced the joy of seeing a man's face scarred with life blossom into a handsome face as he smiled back from his heart. It's a heartwarming experience to see people transforming into beautiful beings as they smile back.

At the hospital, as I smiled, I received the gift of heart-warming smiles from people waiting to meet the doctor, nurses busily rushing around, doctors walking by, the wheel-chair pushers and all those whose paths crossed mine. 

Yet, I could have been sombre, sad, helpless and angry. I went to that place yesterday when I went to meet my father and found that he had fallen in the bathroom the night before in the middle of the night. He could not get up and had to drag himself to the bed, and pull himself up to his bed. As I heard it, for many long minutes, I fell from grace - experiencing anger at my sister who is staying in the same house as him for not ensuring his safety and blaming her, anger at my dad for insisting he did not need an attendant and letting go of his 24 / 7 attendant 10 days back, deeply saddened at feeling his pain, guilty and ashamed for not taking good enough care of him by not having him agree to an attendant and simply giving in to him not wanting an attendant, upset at life and struggling with it at the thought of having to reschedule a deep-dive to take him to the doctor for an emergency review. 

Then, I shook myself as I saw despair on my dad's face, and worry and concern on my mom's face; and found my way back to my space of grace - I am whole, complete and perfect as I am right now. My sister, my father, my mother, his earlier attendant are whole, complete and perfect as they are right now. Life is whole, complete and perfect as it is right now. And, I gave a big toothy smile to my dad and boomed cheerfully to him - All is well, Dad. My dad smiled back as the helplessness on his face dissolved and said - Yes, All is well. The tension eased on my mother's face as her body communicated - All is well. Thank you, God.

The energy of the smile is different in Gear 0, Gear 1, Gear 2, Gear 3, Gear 4 and Gear 5. It is the Gear 5 Smile which has the maximum power to heal and transform, which reaches out from our body, energy, heart, mind and soul to their body, energy, heart, mind and soul.

I read a book by Nirad C Chaudhari some 30 plus years ago - An Autobiography of an Unknown Indian. In it, he observes how people on the streets of north India have a frown on their faces. As per him, it wasn't just the poor who had this expression. Even richer Indians often carried the same frown. It wasn't only about poverty, but about a historical memory of failure, frustration, and helplessness built into the culture. Comfort could soften the harshness, but could not erase the deeper imprint.

Whether it is in banks or markets or offices, I don't see people smiling at each other. 

It's always a tiny thing that triggers a transformation. Gandhiji thrown off a train became a pivotal moment leading to India's independence. Rosa Parks, a black woman, refusing to give her seat to a white man in a segregated bus triggered the modern Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Painting over graffiti led to the reduction in crime in the New York City Subway.

Maybe, that tiny thing is a Smile sourced in Love Consciousness.

How about smiling, from least Gear 3 consciousness, at everyone who shows up in your space?

Why Gear 3? In early years of my practise of smiling, I had a man follow me to ask for help because at that point in time, my fear consciousness was so much higher. After that, I did not have the courage of smiling at men. So, I practised smiling at men when I was travelling abroad till I dissolved my fear of unknown men. That is why probably, I started coaching women first till one day, my then toddler son asked me why don't I coach boys. At that time, I didn't have the understanding that I have now.

My daughter, many years ago, once asked me why I centrally lock the car as soon as begging eunuchs came closer to the car at traffic lights. In that instant I saw how I was not being Love. I was completely unaware of my Being till my daughter asked me an innocent question. What you are aware of, transforms. 

J. Krishnamurti beautifully expressed this principle - If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.

In that instant of my awareness of not being Love, I decided to look straight in the eyes of the beggar eunuchs, and smile from my heart and soul. I have been blessed with beautiful smiles radiating from their faces to me ever since. They ask for money, I offer them glucose biscuits if I haven't run out of them, they graciously receive the packet of biscuits from me with a smile. 

Share with me what did you uncover, discover and understand about yourself; and what got created for you as an outcome  of playing this game of smiling at people from at least Gear 3 Consciousness.

Let's be Love to joyously lead ourselves and our businesses from good to great, realize our dreams and have it all with ease and grace; while having lots of fun and adventure along the way 💜

Loving you,
j.