Growing up in Indonesia as an East Asian with slit-shaped eyes, people like to point out how my eyes seemed to be totally closed every time I smile or laugh. I never take that as an offense at all because subconsciously I was aware that it amuses people around me, even though, I must admit that the look of my smile is not the sweetest.\u00a0 But out of nowhere when I started senior high school, I purposely stopped smiling and I noticed that I was losing my confidence. I was talking awkwardly, I couldn\u2019t stand firm when people were around, and I looked horrible in group photos. This edgy phase continued to happen until I graduated.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there’s this period before I entered university. One day a 5-year-old cheerfully laughed when I greet him. His mother told me that he liked me because of my smile. I was surprised a simple smile could do that. That day I clearly understand what Nat King Cole’s Smile<\/a> is all about.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n For that wholesome encounter, I started to smile regularly again. I began by showing a friendly smile to strangers that initiated eye contact with me on the street. As this trivial behavior started to mold into a habit, I feel more confident. Now talking to other human beings feels effortless, I gain more composure to start any conversation (which equals more friends), and telling the waiter to replace my fallen spoon is not scary anymore. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s a daily practice that you can apply too. Young people today spend so much time and mental energy worrying about how they look. But let me tell you, a sincere smile, a modest outfit, and clean hair are all you need to start.\u00a0The universe won’t end just because 8 billion people don’t consider your looks a supermodel or an Instagram influencer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that even if you’re ugly and you lost a tooth. Your little smiles still matter and your life can start to change from that.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Growing up in Indonesia as an East Asian with slit-shaped eyes, people like to point out how my eyes seemed to be totally closed every time I smile or laugh. I never take that as an offense at all because subconsciously I was aware that it amuses people around me, even though, I must admit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-notes-on-things"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t