Try Laughing a Little More, It’s Good for You
“I am serious, so I laugh a lot. You need to laugh. You don’t laugh enough. I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.”
- Maya Angelou
I have a friend who can have fun with anyone, anywhere and at any time and I am jealous of his abilities. I copied many of his techniques, but like anything the original is always better. His number one rule is don’t take yourself seriously. If you can’t laugh at yourself then you’ll have trouble enjoying life.
I was riding with some friends on a four hour trip home. The car’s radio and A/C was broken and the vents pushed out hot air. It was over 100 degrees. Four guys all stuck in one big sweaty stink box of torture. Most people would have sat in angry silence, but not my friend, he made the ride an adventure. He sang for four hours straight.
The titles of a few of his songs were:
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“The sweat dripping down my armpit”
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“Gasoline reminds me of my father”
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“Why are we lost?”
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“Who wants to buy my toe cheese”
It didn’t matter that he couldn’t sing that well. The only thing that mattered was that it was one of the most interesting four hours of my life. The other two guys hated every moment of it. They screamed, pleaded, and tried to ignore him to no avail. He was going to sing the whole trip home. While he sang I laughed and chimed in with my own verse every once in awhile, but mostly watched in admiration. I learned that every experience can be fun if viewed from the right perspective.
Check out this laughing baby on Youtube.com. Every time he hears paper ripping he laughs so hard he falls over.
Related Links About Working a Little Happier:
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- Create 12 Parties a Year Instead of 1 Boring Holiday Party
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Image courtesy of kkelly2007
July 20th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thanks Karl for sharing this via Twitter. I so need this.
Daniel Richard | WE’s last blog post..Your Old Men Shall See Visions, Your Young Men Shall Dream Dreams
July 20th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Hey Daniel, glad I could help.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:06 am
Hi Karl,
No truer words were spoken. Laughter is such great medicine. Seems like I read somewhere that those healing from surgery should watch funny movies as it speeds up their healing process. I’ve noticed it’s pretty hard to think about problems when I’m having a good laugh. Afterwards, problems don’t seem quite so big.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Interview With Lorelle VanFossen - Part 1 - Stay Motivated
July 21st, 2008 at 6:14 am
Hey Barbara, a good laugh is great medicine. I’ve also read that laughing helps a body heal, so you remembered correctly.
July 21st, 2008 at 6:53 am
only guy’s would think this titles of songs would be funny. This baby’s laugh is so contagious. Keep on laughing Elsa
July 21st, 2008 at 8:12 am
If you aren’t laughing enough… you aren’t living enough. Great article!
Marc and Angel Hack Life’s last blog post..Warning: Selling “Hours for Dollars” CAN Be “Bad Business”–Are You Good?
July 21st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
[...] that seems true about laughter is that it’s contagious. Watch this video that I spotted on Work Happy Now and soon you’ll be laughing [...]
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Laughing babies is always a soft spot for everyone. I wonder what the evolutionary process was that caused us to instinctively be happy and smile when we hear a laughing child.
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July 25th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Karl I just love the laughing baby video. I have seen them before and you can’t help but watch. The pure innocence is priceless. Thanks!
Isn’t it amazing that we need to be reminded to laugh?
July 29th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Pure, innocent, uncontrollable laughter is one of the most uplifting things I can think of. Thanks for reminding me to laugh and smile this evening.