No doubt about it, being a cheerer upper can really cheer you up. Maybe it is because when you give of yourself, you feel uplifted. The focus is off of you and onto someone else. Or maybe you end up fostering an attitude of gratitude once you see that others often have bigger problems than you do. If you look around there is always someone worse off than you are.
I have often felt that Abraham Lincoln got it right when he said: "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." I believe that. After all, you are what you think. Take control of your brain. Think happy thoughts and you get happier. Think gloomy thoughts and spirits go downhill.
It would be lovely if we were all born cheerful people but, for most of us, being cheerful is a work in progress. “There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul made cheerful by work, love, art, and knowledge.” Francois-Marie Voltaire. Work is a ship. Love is a sail. Art and knowledge are stars sprinkling our interior skies, guiding us into new lands and back to familiar pastures.
Cheerfulness is a tonic for both the mind and the body. There is no doubt that the mind has a profound effect on the body. People like Christopher Reeve, who maintained a good attitude despite his immense misfortune at being paralyzed from the neck down, show us that the mind can be more important than the body it lives in. He was an atheist, by the way. Some take comfort in their religious beliefs but there are others who find their way without religion.
We all find our own path. While some find a belief in a god to be invaluable, while others do not. This is not an indictment. It is an acknowledgement that beliefs are personal and no one belief system can work for us all. God believing or unbelieving, does it matter if you are striving to be a little kinder, more loving, more courageous, more giving each and every day? Zealots of all types tend to forget the finiteness of being human.
One last benefit. “Cheerfulness and contentment,” says Charles Dickens, “are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks.” Your life story shows on your face. We are born with the face that nature gives us. We end up with the face of our nature. Train your nature to smile often, love immensely and be of good cheer and your face will reflect that as you grow older. No plastic surgery needed.
If all else fails, cheer up, it could be worse. Sure, it is thunderstorms today but, like the weather, life changes all the time. There is always the chance of partly cloudy skies or even sunshine tomorrow. Look forward to sunnier days.
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