Smile to success: healthy habits essential to entrepreneurs.

• Position: How-To GUIDE

Just brushing and caring for your teeth may seem to be a simple, routine process we all just "do. But do you realize the importance of a simple smile on your entrepreneurial success?

A smile is inviting, calming, reassuring and positive. As an entrepreneur, you are working diligently toward your goals, looking for opportunities and taking risks to succeed. If you are confident and positive, your smiles will come easy and may even encourage your contacts to take a chance on you. By caring for your teeth regularly and brushing daily, you are more likely to smile and feel good about yourself. Of course your success can't be directly correlated to a smile, but the positive attitude that comes along with a healthy, genuine smile just might play a bigger role than you ever imagined.

People aren't happy because they are successful; they are successful because they are happy, according to research conducted by Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California, Riverside; Laura King of the University of Missouri, Columbia; Ed Diener of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; and the Gallup Organization. Published by the American Psychological Association, this research demonstrates that success does not make a person happy, but instead proves true that happy people are easier to work with, more highly motivated and more willing to tackle a difficult project; therefore, they are more likely to be successful. So, take on every opportunity to smile and be proud of the path you have chosen to do what you love and believe in, no matter how difficult. Let your smile be the first daily step to your success.

RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR PROPER BRUSHING:

Brush at least twice daily for 2 minutes. Brushing often, particularly after each meal is best to reduce plaque and bacterial build-up. After meals, food particles remain on or between your teeth. These particles begin to decay just as they would if you had left your meal sitting out on the counter. However, this decaying process is expedited while the bits of food sit in the warm and moist environment of your mouth.

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Brushing technique is just as important as the time you spend using your toothbrush. Choose a soft bristled...