01 · The accidental discovery
I found a button.
It was attached to my foot.
I was listening to Adam Cox’s sleep hypnosis, “A Wonderful Infection – Hypnosis to Smile More.” Around the 13:40 mark, he asks you to wiggle your toes every time you recall a moment that made you smile.
Simple. Slightly silly. And it clicked immediately.
I’d been reading “I smile at the world, and the world smiles back” every morning for a while. Nice words. But now I had a button for them. Wiggle the toes, the smile shows up, and suddenly the affirmation isn’t something I say. It’s something I do.
I’m going back to that hypnosis once a week for a month to keep anchoring it. Compound interest, but for grins.
02 · The bonus round
Free refills.
For the face.
Here’s the sneaky part. Almost every one of Adam’s sessions—and my friend Dr. Eleanor’s attunements too—ends the same way: “wiggle your fingers and toes” to bring you back.
So every time I come out of one, I get a free smile. The anchor keeps getting topped up without me even trying.
03 · Fieldwork
Peer review.
Between serves.
- Location →
- The Fort, Fort Lauderdale. My pickleball home.
- Method →
- Between points, on walks, out in public. Sunglasses on. Sunglasses off. Wiggle, smile, see what comes back.
- Results so far →
- Decent. Scientific rigour: pickleball-grade. Emotional accuracy: weirdly high.
Field note · A real smile lives in the eyes. Sunglasses off seems to help.
04 · Stacking
Toes → smile → words.
Repeat as delighted.
This is the bit I didn’t expect. Each piece makes the others stronger:
- The toe wiggleThe trigger
- The smileThe feeling
- The wordsThe meaning
Stack them and they start firing together. Barefoot shoes help too. More room for the toes means more wiggling, which means more smiling. It’s a loop. A good one.
05 · The recipe
A little experiment.
Bring your own toes.
Try it for a week if you’re curious. A month if you’re committed.
Try Adam Cox’s hypnosis.
Listen lying down, ideally before sleep. The toe-wiggle anchor is around 13:40, but play it from the start. Once a week is plenty.
ADAM COX · SLEEP HYPNOSISA Wonderful Infection – Hypnosis to Smile MoreTry my mini meditation too.
A short spoken one I made for myself. Lie back, wiggle, smile.
Play the jam daily.
“Why Not? (Wiggle Your Toes)” is my walking-and-wake-up song. Funky, with a drum and bass section in the middle that gets things moving. Put it on, wiggle your toes and see if it gets you on your toes.
Field-test it.
Out in the world, wiggle your toes, let the smile come, and let people see your eyes. Count how many smiles come back.
Want a jam made for your own energy? That’s what I do over at Freakquencies. Let’s find your groove →
06 · The soundtrack
One to settle in.
One to get moving.
Press play. Get a feel. There’s no toe-wiggling exam at the end.
Playback uses Suno’s player. Your browser may need an extra tap. The Suno links work without the player.
07 · Verdict
“Why bother?”
“Why not?”
My inner monologue used to say the first one. Lately it says the second.
With fear being manufactured at a relentless pace, this is my small, silly, very effective counter-move. Stay present. Stay playful. Wiggle your toes.
Laughing Warrior Buddha in the house. 😁
Hypnosis and meditation tracks are for relaxation and self-development, not medical treatment. Don’t listen while driving or doing anything that needs your full attention.
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