Smile For Fat Loss, Friends, & A Better Life Lessons Learned From A Fat Kid To Fitness Icon
It’s humbling and bashful to be in a position to help others improve the quality of their lives. I truly appreciate the opportunity of my life, so I’m delighted to share the lessons I’ve learned in hopes of inspiring you to the happiest version of yourself.
Before we begin, I’d like to start by explaining that I do not perceive happiness as a number on a spreadsheet, a vacation of a lifetime, or a bunch of children that drive me crazy. Instead, I see happiness as a frame of mind, and something I can only hope to achieve to a greater extent each day.
Today, I’m sharing my happiness secret with you.
I set out on a path to improve my physique and to get out of pain — in hope, I’d find a partner. In some ways, it was more difficult for me than others; in other ways, my pain led me to a faster solution. The threat of autoimmune disease and blood testing to follow is what motivated me to reach outside of medicine and assume it was my own health, for taking ownership meant I could heal and feel better.
17% bodyfat and 34 pounds later, I felt amazing — and my entire reality changed.
People began to treat me differently, which at first I thought was due to my newfound physique. As anyone who just lost weight might think, I judged people for being so vein and seeing me for more now that I “looked good.”
In reality, I empathized with their ‘situation,’ in that I also silently judged others… but not as a result of the way they look, but their implied motivation towards life. I wanted to help, and now I felt better… I just didn’t know the solution.
It wasn’t until I realized that my ‘state’ was what triggered everyone’s reaction, that I discovered the ‘path’ to happiness that’s worked for me so far…
Here’s the thing — everyone wants to be happy.
If you are happy, then there’s hope for amazing things to come. People will follow you, become inspired by you, and become addicted to your vision.
We all seek happiness, and we, as pack animals, herd ourselves towards it.
The funny thing about being happy is that… well, funniness solves the problem. You might think that you can’t be happy because it’s an incredibly serious moment, but the fact of the matter is that a series of ridiculously funny jokes will completely change your outlook on everything.
INSTRUCTIONS: Create a list of 5 absolutely hysterical jokes and print them out to read out loud anytime you’re feeling lousy — your world will change with just 5 jokes.
MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA FOR HAPPINESS: Smile, ridiculously big, and for 60 second at a time.
There was a dark period in my life. My whole life I grew up with the vision of falling in love with one person, and having that person be the rest of my life, and the source of my happiness. While in high school, I met someone wonderful, but her life and mine were different paths. It took years to figure this out, but before I was able, I felt extremely unhappy.
At the age of 19, I was extremely unhappy. Most people describe me as someone ten years older than my actual age… but I had a strong conviction that my life wasn’t going to “work out” as well as I thought it should.
The funny thing is… smiling changed the game — have fun with your life, because, well, Fuck It.
I don’t say it often, but think about it… if you die tomorrow, then what?
All of this becomes bullshit, and the happy memories survive — smile for awhile.
Live your life, and love it for all that it can be. People fluctuate, and they can be negative, but don’t you dare allow this to limit your happiness and your belief system.
If you think for a second, every celebrity in the world possesses more ‘talent’ than you do, you’re dead wrong. I’m making a deliberate choice not to become a celebrity – honestly, I’d love to affect ‘that’ many more lives, but it’s not worth the trade to my lifestyle.
I love my life — it’s a happy place with incredible people who surround me.
Can you say the same?
If you can’t, it’s perfectly normal, but it’s not the way you should live your life. Inspire yourself for the best of your imagination. Live life to be a smile all the time. Practice now, and inspire yourself with your own ridiculously unrealistic attitude.
The fact of the matter is that you can contradict or dis-believe anything I’m saying — but, in doing so, you’re limiting yourself to not receive the best advice I’ve ever given in my life.
Be happy and lose fat. Be happy and hit your goals. Be happy and don’t worry about money anymore. Be happy and make sense of spirituality. Be happy and live a better life.
Win with me – promise yourself you’ll smile as BIG and GOOFY as you can for just 60 seconds every day when you wake up, while looking in the mirror.
Do it. Promise below and report back.
24 Comments
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this is not only a great cure for unhappiness, it’s a proven therapy for clinical depression. laughter is also a worthwhile practice even is you don’t feel you havve anything to laugh about, force yourself and it will become natural. try it, it works!!!!
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I have felt really down about everything in my life but as you say if you die tomorrow does it really matter, no it does not matter one little bit, therefore appreciate what you have, enjoy your friends, love your family and be happy every single minute of the day!!! It works people do become attacted to you and good things do start to happen!!!
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I have had a seriously year as both my parents died. But due to this experience (and previous ones) I do appreciate my life more and try to live it to the fullest. Take delight in the smallest of things. Yet, there are still a lot of moments that I surely do not feel happy. I will adopt this habbit and am convinced it will make me a much happier person. Thanks for the hint. Though it is so simple and the positive effects of laughter are not unknown to me I hadn’t thought of it myself. So, thanks again for this piece of advise !!
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I love this.
Your advice is brilliant.
I promise myself to give the goofiest most hilarious smile to myself and my mirror every morning and with the best of my ability, I will create an environment of happiness and laughter to share with my loved ones. -
My goal for the last 10 years is to make someone laugh every day! Laughter rules my life and has since I was a child. We grew up in the church of Monty Python, silly walks and ridiculous voices, my life revolves around laughter. You know what? No one can believe it when I tell them how old I am ;D
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This is so ridiculously easy. It would be a waste of time NOT to try it! You know what Annie says, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile!” : )
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I can honestly say that I’m content, but not happy. I’m no where near where God wants me to be and I KNOW that I’m settling!! There’s a lot that I need to change – my weight, relationship with my kids, and my financial situation. I promise to give myself the biggest, goofiest smile I can muster every morning, thereby infecting myself and everyone that I come in contact with.
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Thanks so much Dr Kareem. I just so needed this advice at this particular moment in my life.
God Bless you. -
I agree wholeheartedly and practice smiling every day. Thanks for the article. I’ll try to do the whole minute in the mirror thing.
Have a happy day! 🙂 -
I started eating a more healthy diet including green leafy vegetable salads and fruit
I feel happier,good nutrition can give you a feeling of elation. -
I agree with you. I am studying to become a laughter yoga therapist. I find that even the most desperate situations can be dealt with easier when we can step outside the dificulty and see the positive in life. Then look for the solution to make the best outcome. No this isn’t the quick or easiest answer but the one that works in the long run.
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Being positive does wonders for ones attitude. I rather be happy than depressed, so thank you for the suggestion to smile big for 60 seconds a day. I will incorporate that simple strategy everyday. God bless you for what you are doing for so many people. Keep happy.
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love love love this post!
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Wow. Thanks Kareem. You are really helping me. Karen
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im a swimming coach and work with kids between the ages of 8 and 18, so at times it becomes quite challenging (im not a mother but its like raising a bunch of kids at the same time every day) so when ever we do training and they have a resting period, will tell them to put on the biggest smile they have for that time. seems like a win win situation to me :-). they smile i smile (and giggle when the push off the wall again) hehe. awesome tip
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It is a fact that one’s behavior determines his/her attitude and beliefs, not the other way around. So, this advice is simply the most logical I have heard in a very long time. It is inexpensive, simple, not time consuming, and has no negative side effects. There is no reason not to do it. Thank you, Kareem, for bringing this to the fore! I am definitely “in” on this experiment!
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This moment in my life I find that it is much needed to wear a smile & laugh as much as you can. This jesture releases something in your body & it makes life so much better. I’mworking hard to be the person I used to be with God’s help. Back in the day they nick named me Giggles and my family used to call me Aunt Goober (Goober short for Goofy) because I always put a smile on their face. Thank you for the inspiration to enjoy life.
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I promise to bring more happiness into my life, and to make it a point to smile HUGE every day!!!
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This is so weird! Before I even read this article, I smiled at myself in the mirror this morning for just a few seconds. Even with just a few seconds, I felt a little better. I think if I smiled a few more seconds each day, I’ll reach the goal of 60 seconds. It’s just like exercising, start off slow then work your way up til you reach your goal. Smile Big Everyone, You Can Do It!
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Thanks for the reminder to smile everyday and as much as possible. When we’re happy we will cultivate more happiness in our lives, and the same happens when we are sad, we bring more sadness. I once heard that frowning uses more muscles than smiling and therefore creates more wrinkles, true or not that’s enough to make me smile!! Thanks again!
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Great article Kareem… Thanks for being so honest.. It’s true that what we do on a regular basis is what we eventually become… Like you said with the smiling for example… I work a lot with small kids teaching them co-ordination skills for sport and smiling is very infectious and a must when working with young children… Even when your life is not going as you would like you can definitely turn things around by doing stuff like that… Because the more you start to act like that even if you don’t actually feel like it at the time then the more it rubs off on you and the people around you…it’s just positive habit forming 🙂
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Hi Tim! On behalf of Dr. K, thanks for writing in and for sharing that positivity with us. Wishing you the best!
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This article was great about smiling and “enjoying” life. I am 66 yrs. old and I do not drive anymore so I do not go anywhere. However I take a cab and go up the road to a real live band 3 times a week and dance my life away to country music and smile. You wouldn’t believe how many young adults in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s grab my hand and dance with me and smile, have fun and enjoy it. They know I do not drink alcohol or smoke. So many say they appreciate me joining them & they comment on how much I “smile”, enjoy the music and dance so good. I tell everyone they are my “friend” & I meet new ones all the time. Some ladies and guys, call me Mom or Gma, that makes me smile. Dancing has helped me lose 52 pounds cause I mainly do the fast dances. It makes my week & I cannot wait to go back–get out their and dance everyone!!!
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Hi Diana! Thanks for sharing your story with us- it’s all about living your life and you know the saying that it’s a dancefloor right? We might as well dance while we’re on it! 😉
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