Smile

My manager asked me today whether I'm happy working at IPPUDO. I said yes. And then he said if I'm happy, then I should smile.

I felt weird. I always thought that I was smiling, but apparently others did not see it that way. My tutee also once told me that I'm a very dull person and did not laugh a lot. Maybe I was just smiling in my heart, and did not bring it out. Other people can only see what's on the outside, and cannot see what's inside my heart. Hence the only way to let others know what you are thinking is through your expressions, body language, and words.

I thought that maybe I need to learn how to smile. I know that smiles are very important. They are the antidote to many problems, and just a simple smile can bring happiness to everyone, including yourself.

However, in Japanese, there is something called 作り笑い, which means "forced smile" or "fake smile". You use it to show others when you want to achieve certain motives, and they are not smiles from your heart. I don't want to learn that. I know that after I go out to the society, I will need to do that many times, but I don't think I will like that. It's just too fake. What's the point of smiling on the outside when you are pulling a long face on the inside?

I want to smile right from the bottom of my heart. I want to smile because I feel happy. And I hope my smiles can bring warmth to everyone around me.

Smile! =)