Smile, Laugh, Dance

Smiles are Free - Flickr - dansaysEveryone should smile or laugh at least once every single day. *Everyone.

If you are having a bad day, leverage your network. This could be family, friends, acquaintances, or even complete strangers. Find someone who can make you smile (turn that frown upside down?).

In need of a smile or laugh right now? Check out this short ~30 second video. Watch it first, then I’ll explain what it’s all about and why I’m sharing it with you.

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Video Details

First, did you smile? Did you find yourself doing a little chair dancing? Come on. Admit it. You moved your hips a bit. I did. Either way, I hope you smiled, laughed and even danced a bit.

I filmed this video with my iPhone last week while in Miami for the Marketing Sherpa Email Summit 2010. I had a few hours to kill so I walked down to the Bayside Marketplace and stumbled upon the scene you just experienced above. I’m not even sure the clip did it justice. Basically, it was a local Miami band playing traditional Latin music in a mini outdoor amphitheater. Dozens of people – locals, tourists, black, white, Hispanic, tall, short, overweight, thin – were dancing. Hundreds were watching.

Here’s the catch – and why so many people were watching: Most of the dancers were not that good. Yet nobody cared. It was entertainment. It was fun. To use a business phrase, it was a win-win. The dancers where having the time of their lives. They didn’t seem to have a care in the world. They were smiling, laughing, and dancing. The spectators were enjoying the “show.” Scanning the crowd, most people were also smiling. Some of the tourists even joined the dancers as they were walking by.

Why Does This All Matter?

I think it matters because often we take ourselves too seriously. Stress. Deadlines. Complaints. Arguments. I’m certainly not above any of that myself. I deal with it all too. However, I try often to remind myself and tell others that it’s important to smile and laugh every day. As I say to my colleagues in the email marketing industry, nobody dies in email.

So, take some time out of your day – every day – to smile, to laugh, to dance.

*If you are ever in need of a smile or laugh, please let me know. I promise to help.

Photo Credit: dansays

DJ Waldow
@djwaldow