Let’s be honest – who has ever truly felt comfortable with having to pose and paste on a smile for a picture? I know I never really used to be. Somehow I couldn’t let go and just smile. The iPhone app Everyday was a great tool to help me really improve this. Just as the name might suggest, Everyday offers to document a portrait of you every day, and then automatically combines each picture to create a short movie which shows you how your looks change over time. Is there any better way to celebrate your own personal development than by watching how you improve yourself from day to day?

The app was actually inspired by Noah Kalina, who took a picture of himself every single day for 6 years. He has a video posted on youtube which combines all the pictures into a 6 minute movie. It is actually quite moving to watch, you can see how time flies by and how each day, he changes just a little bit from the day before.

Create a video documentation for yourself with Everyday

What I really enjoy about the Everyday app is that it allows you to set a fixed time at which it will remind you to take your picture each day. On top of this, it will automatically calibrate and combine all the pictures you have taken to a video documentation of yourself. The app does not necessarily require you to look happy for your daily portraits, but it sure is a great way to learn how to overcome camera shyness and become more aware of your facial expressions.

Get control of your facial expressions by watching yourself Every Day

Just like hearing your voice recorded sounds kind of silly at first and takes a little getting used to, really watching your facial expressions each day can get you accustomed to understanding how others might see you. When interacting, our body language – which to a large extent consists of our facial expressions – confers more of our message than the words we choose to say it. Monitoring your facial expressions thus becomes a huge way to impact the way you communicate and interact with others; learning to control it means that you can really get your message across when you need to. By seeing yourself through a camera lens you can learn to better appreciate your expressions and the impact you can make on others.

In case you do decide to smile on your Everyday documentation, remember that a real smile isn’t just about showing your teeth. A happy smile comes from the heart, and people can tell you’re being genuine when your eyes crinkle up.