Dancing Through Life by Candace Cameron Bure, Erin Davis Page A

elimination. I knew I had to find a way to shake it off.
    Mark approached me like a parent would approach a child who was letting their circumstances get the best of them. He told me to take a fifteen-minute break, breathe deep, and come back with a different attitude. None of that made it past the editing floor as the producers told our story for the show. This is the behind-the-scenes scoop you didn’t see if you were watching us live. But it was such an important part of the process for me. I learned lessons in that rehearsal studio that changed how I want to respond in my life moving forward.
    Because attitude really is everything.
    Philippians 2:5 says it this way, “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.”
    If we keep reading that passage, we see that’s a tall order!
    Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. (Phil. 2:6–8)
    Jesus’ attitude was humble and sacrificial. He chose to respond to His circumstances with love, patience, and gentleness. I won’t do it perfectly, but I want to live like the Bible calls me to and choose an attitude that mirrors Christ’s.
    But how?
    When we are frustrated or discouraged or sad or anxious, how do we respond like Jesus did? Sometimes we just have to choose it.
    My son Lev is a fact machine. He’s always sharing nuggets of information. Maybe he will win big on a trivia show someday! One of his favorite details he’s shared with me is that it’s a scientific fact that if you can force a smile, you can’t help but have an attitude change. He’s right! Did you know that researchers have found that smiling, especially when it’s a big smile that travels all the way up to our eyes, produces a change in brain activity that corresponds with a happier mood? Even if you’re faking it in the moment, if you can get the corners of your mouth to turn up and your eyes to light up, your brain will go into happy mode. Researchers have also found that people who smile have lower heart rates after completing a stressful task compared to those with a neutral or negative expression. No doubt, competing on the show was stressful at times, but I could help manage my body’s response simply by choosing to smile through the journey. On the flipside, frowns have been shown to increase the body’s stress response. 3 Attitude really is everything!
    Researchers haven’t just discovered that smiles impact the face they are planted on. Their effect is contagious! If one person sees another person smiling, mirror neurons will light up in the watcher’s brain as if he is smiling himself. We can positively impact the attitudes of others just by flashing our pearly whites. 4
    Not being able to get the hang of the jive was one of those moments when I simply didn’t feel like smiling. I was frustrated with myself but I knew, thanks to Mark’s coaching and Lev’s factoids, that if I could force a smile, it would change my attitude. So, I stepped off the dance floor for a break. I took a few deep breaths and asked the Lord to change my attitude. I envisioned my parents when they are dancing, and I determined to have as much fun as I’ve seen them have.
    You know what? It worked!
    There was a noticeable change right away. I stepped back on the dance floor and we went through the routine again. I sure felt different as I danced! Even the producers noticed. They didn’t typically offer commentary, but the next time we worked through the routine they said they saw a night-and-day difference. My smile had flipped the switch! Mark said, “That’s what I’m talking about. You changed your attitude and it changed everything.”
    That’s a lesson that goes way beyond the dance floor. When I am