Laughter

Imagine someone told you that there was one thing you could do every day that would decrease stress, make you look younger, lower your risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure, increase lung capacity, reduce pain levels, and help you connect with people around you - all without taking a single pill. Would you do it?

The amazing thing is, it's something we all used to do a lot when we were children. In fact, studies show that children do this 10 times more frequently than adults.

It's laughter.

When did we start taking ourselves so seriously that we forgot to laugh?! It's a great feeling, finding yourself laughing so hard that you're wiping tears away, gasping for breath as you nearly fall out of your chair. Think of all the oxygen you take into your cells when you laugh like that, breathing from your stomach. It all goes to help your energy and vitality.

So if you don't sit next to a stand-up comedian at work, how do you start getting into the habit of laughter? Start smiling, spend time with children/funny people, and develop your own sense of humor. Consider sharing your embarrassing moments with others; you'll take yourself less seriously.

Quote of the Week: " I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." - Woody Allen

Why Parents Get Grey

The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whispered, "Hello?"

Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster the boss asked, "Is your Daddy home?"

"Yes", whispered the small voice.

"May I talk with him?" the man asked.

To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, "No."

Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?"

"Yes," came the answer.

"May I talk with her?"

Again the small voice whispered, "No."

Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child. "Is there any one there besides you?" the boss asked the child.

"Yes," whispered the child, "A policeman."

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked "May i speak with the policeman?"

"No, he's busy," whispered the child.

"Busy doing what?" asked the boss.

"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer.

Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the ear piece on the phone the boss asked, "What is that noise?"

"A hello-copper," answered the whispering voice.

"What is going on there?" asked the boss, now alarmed. In an awed whispering voice the child answered, "The search team just landed the hello-copper."

Alarmed, concerned, and more than just a little frustrated, the boss asked, "Why are they there?"

Still whispering, the young voice replied along with a muffled giggle...

"They're looking for me."

Courtesy of Good Clean Funnies List.

Intentions

As we head into the holidays, setting your intentions might help you get over the frustration of the lines and traffic and congestion. A fairly grounded friend told me about a conference which opened by having the audience members turn to a stranger, hold their eyes for three minutes, and say - out loud - "we have both experienced love, we have both experienced pain, we have both experienced joy, we have both experienced frustration..." As goofy as it sounds, hearing the similarities of the human experience gave my friend a tremendous sense of compassion for her partner - so much so that after the three minutes, they hugged, no longer complete strangers.

Compassion is just one type of intention, one of the many "tinted glasses" through which to view the world. Love, peace, appreciation, gratefulness... How do you want to approach this season, and how will you show it?

Here's an example. When the haggard mom drags her screaming toddler onto the airplane - and we've all been there, rolling our eyes, hoping they don't sit near us - you might use your compassion to realize that the mother is feeling mortified and helpless, knowing how disruptive her family is to the other passengers. Maybe you give the mother a kind smile, or offer some candy to calm the toddler down, or lend her your magazine when the kid falls asleep. If you were that mother, surely kind actions from a stranger like this would be a story you'd remember for years to come.

Quote of the Week: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Corporate Counter-Culture

I just read a fascinating article on energy management in the Harvard Business Review, discussing a program researchers conducted at Wachovia Bank in 2006.

Our bodies run on “ultradian rhythm,” basically a 90 to 120 minute cycle where we move from high energy to low energy. Signals of the low state include yawning, hunger, and difficulty concentrating.

If you ignore these low points and keep pushing through instead of stopping to recharge, you draw down your energy reserves and often feel exhausted by the end of the day. How many of us have been there?

However, the program showed that if you set up a ritual that fully disengages you – even for a few minutes – from the task you were working on, you end up with higher, more sustainable performance & productivity. You might even find a creative solution to the problem you were grappling with. Breaks include taking a walk around the building, laughing with a colleague, or holing up in a conference room to listen to your theme song on your iPod.

Perhaps taking breaks is against your corporate culture, but given the success of this program, maybe, just maybe, it’s worth experimenting with yourself. You may end up being positively surprised!

Quote of the Week: “If you never budge, don’t expect a push.” –Malcolm S Forbes

The Ripple Effect

Have you ever noticed how aggressive you feel after someone cuts you off, tailgates you, or nearly crashes into you when they forget to obey the yield sign? Your defenses go up, your heart is racing, and you’re probably going to lean on the horn when the next driver even comes close. The ripple effect has been set in motion.

However, how quickly does your mood settle back into compassion if that other driver gives you a wave of apology, recognizing their mistake? If you’re like most, it probably settles you right down and nips the ripple in the bud.

If little acts like a wave can offset the aggression of self-defense, how much more uplifting would a kind word or deed be on its own?

Imagine how comfortable you would be walking into the elevator if the person inside acknowledged you and said “good morning.” Or consider the pleasant surprise for the person driving through a toll booth behind one of my college roommates, who throws in enough change to cover both cars. You might even see the odd New Yorker sprinting toward the subway doors, only to step aside and wait for the older lady behind her with an "after you."

I would imagine that if I were on the receiving end of these acts, I’d be more likely to be in a positive mindset and, in turn, do a kind deed for someone else. What will you do to set the ripples in motion today?

Quote of the Week: “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” – Mother Theresa

Engaging

Pop Quiz: Of all the news items you’ve read in the last 24 hours, how many specific details can you remember?

I just read an interesting article that said that an increasingly large number of people do not read -- or more importantly, engage themselves with -- the news.

Among teens, 60 percent paid minimal or no attention to news; for adults 30 or younger, the figure was 48 percent, and for older adults 23 percent. (Harvard Magazine)

While I'm not suggesting that we have to be up-to-date on current events to lead a happy, fulfilled life, there's something to be said about being engaged in the world around us. Thinking requires time and effort, but if we don’t learn from what’s happening now, how can we plan for a better future?

We've all been there, quoting that one headline so that it sounds like we have our finger on the pulse. On the other hand, we’ve also had conversations with someone who articulates the details and perspectives in a given article. What better way to learn than to engage in dialogue about a subject, the same way I've shared the above article with you?

If learning is important to you, please consider the following: In the next article you read, what detail stands out? What questions does that detail trigger? When will you engage someone in a deep, if brief, conversation to get another perspective?

This investment of a few minutes a day can help us to stay informed and better armed to shape our own futures!

Quote of the Week: "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few people engage in it." - Henry Ford