An unknown poet once wrote a poem called “A Smile” (The Best Loved Poems of the American People, 1936, p. 99). It goes like this:

Let others cheer the winning man, There’s one I hold worth while; ’Tis he who does the best he can, Then loses with a smile. Beaten he is, but not to stay Down with the rank and file; That man will win some other day, Who loses with a smile.

There is a great deal of power to be had in a smile. It can help smooth irritations in a crowded checkout line. Smiles can make friends feel welcome when they enter our homes. They can also help to encourage everyone from a small toddler learning a new skill to an elderly person struggling with the infirmities of old age.

Follow up a smile with words of encouragement, and you have a winning combination.