Cheerfulness is a perpetual lubricator of the mind. It is the oil of gladness which dispels friction, worries, anxieties and disagreeable experiences. The cheerful man has creative powers. The pessimist does not possess these creative powers.
There is nothing which will so completely sweeten life and take out its drudgery as cheerfulness. There is nothing that will so effectively ease the jolts on the road, as a sunny, helpful, optimistic disposition. With same ability, the cheerful thinker has infinitely more than the despondent, more than the gloomy thinker.
This life machinery of a cheerful man does not wear away. The life machinery of the cheerful man does not grind away as rapidly as that of a person who is moody or has a sour temper and wears the delicate bearings and throws the entire machinery out of harmony.
In the maintenance of health and the cure of disease, cheerfulness is a most important factor. Cheerfulness has the power to do good. It works almost like a medicine. It is not an artificial stimulation of the tissues, to be followed by a reaction and greater waste, as is the case with many of the drugs. In fact, the effect of cheerfulness is an actual life-giving influence through a normal channel. The result of cheerfulness can be felt by each and every part of system. Cheerfulness makes the eyes appear bright. It ushers a glow on the face. It brings elasticity to one’s step, and promotes all the inner forces by which life is sustained. It makes the blood circulate more freely. This helps the oxygen to reach all the tissues and cells of the body. As a result, health is promoted, and the person does not suffer from any disease easily.
A great many people have been able to bring back their sick and discordant bodies back into harmony by using ‘the laugh cure’, by substituting cheerfulness for fretting, and by not worrying or complaining. Every time one complains or finds fault, he is only acknowledging the power of his enemies to hold him down, to make life uncomfortable and disagreeable. The way to get rid of these enemies of happiness is… to deny their existence, to drive them out of the mind, for they are only delusion. Harmony, health, beauty, success… these are the realities.-Orison Swett Marden