A Genuine Grin Can Help the Heart

“Smile more–feel better, live healthier. A smile does not guarantee that you live longer, but why not try?“—Manny Kagan

 

When we stepped out from our hotel on the streets of Havana, we were greeted with a smile. Young people walked toward us with a genuine grin on their face. They did not notice us, and the smile was not for us…just for themselves.

We spoke with an American guide, who lives in Havana, and asked him , “Are Cubans happy?”

His answer was “Yes… are they content? No.”

People have very little, materially. Life there can be tough with much fewer resources and opportunities than we have here in the US.  So, what makes them happy?

As I wrote before, the reason I want to go back to Cuba in December is because I would like to be in the presence of these people and their smiles. I’ve provided more examples of what I’m talking about in these images. I decided to write about “Stress-Busting Smiles”, after reading the article with this title, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on February 26, 2013. We went to Cuba with a US Treasury Department permit for travel with the “People to People” exchange. We were supposed to bring them ideas of the US way of life. I am sure Cubans can learn a thing or two from us, but what I’ve learned from them is to be happy in any adversary situation.

 

After reading the Wall Street Journal article, I try to remember to smile whenever I can. According to the article, this is not only beneficial for your health; but also, the physical act of smiling actually lifts your mood. Next time, try to smile and be angry, or depressed at the same time. Mission impossible.

Read the article to live a healthier life.

 

P.S.

The mortgage business is plagued with a lot of new government regulators imposing changes. In my humble opinion, these new regulations–while they are called Consumer Protection–have an anti-consumer reality. But what can I do about it? After a trip to Cuba and reading the article, I found a solution.

I smile.

Actually, I have a lot of compassion for those hard working regulators, who also have children in private schools, have to pay mortgages, and are simply lucky to have a job in today’s economy. As far as mortgages are actually concerned, we need to find solutions in the given circumstances, like the one I describe below.

We just closed a mortgage for a client, who bought a pre-foreclosure property. We had very limited time, and our client had a number of personal issues and problems–solutions for which I describe in my forth-coming book, “Mortgage Solutions for Smart People: 5 Easy Ways to Get a Loan”. We submitted the loan to a bank, but because of the date of a possible foreclosure, (which was actually postponed), the lender declined the loan. We only had three weeks to close the loan. As it often happens in my life, at the last moment, I found a bank that could close a mortgage in three weeks on a no income (remember the ol’ good days?) loan. Where there is a will, there is a way.

P.P.S.

If you want to meet smiling people, join us in December for a trip to the Havana Jazz Festival.