Sep
8
Winsome Coutts asked:
We’ve all heard that old adage: Laughter is the best medicine, Volumes have been written and spoken about the value of laughter in life and how laughter can make us happy - even if we don’t feel happy to start with. Laughter connects people and is part of the fine art of life happiness.
How does laughter relate to life happiness?
Think of this, babies and children have more than one way of showing that they are happy, but the most common way is through smiling and laughing. Research has shown that young children and toddlers laugh on average 300 times every day. 300 times! It’s because to children, life is just one big happy event. They have what they need and are not concerned in the least about what they don’t have - children are experts at the art of happiness. They are happy to see mom and dad, so they smile and laugh. They are happy to see their lunch, so they smile and laugh, they are happy to play with a ball, so they smile and laugh - they’re happy! As adults, we laugh about 15 times a day. That doesn’t mean that we’re miserable, but it does indicate that as we grow up, we start to worry and concern ourselves with things, and unfortunately, we end up laughing less, and yes, we’re probably not as innately happy as a two year old. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be happier! One way to bring a sense of joy and happiness into our lives and practice the art of happiness is by adding laughter. Seems sort of backwards, sure, but if it works, does it matter? If you can add laughter to your life and discover that you find happiness in the process, isn’t that great?
Why does laughing make me happy?
Laughing does a lot of good things for us. It gives our body a gentle work out by causing us to use muscles in the face, chest and abdomen. It causes us to breathe deeply, cleansing our system. It raises the heart rate, and causes endorphins (feel good hormones) to be released. Laughing makes us feel the same way eating really good chocolate or having *** makes us feel. After a good belly laugh, we feel relaxed and alive and energized. Wait, those are things a happy person might feel! And whatever it is that made us laugh, later when we think about it, we will probably laugh, or at least smile again, continuing the “feel goods”.
How can I add laughter to my life?
You can add to your overall life happiness by adding a good dose of sincere, happy laughter to each day. Here are some ideas:
1. Make a point to watch very funny movies or TV programs that really make you laugh a couple times a week.
2. Hire a DVD and watch your favorite comedian with your fiends.
3. Playing and being silly with children is a great source of laughter. They know how to make everything fun.
4. Play fun games that induce laughing - games like charades and Pictionary” are good examples.
5. Have your favorite comic strips emailed to you or set to appear on your homepage everyday.
6. Look into laughing therapy - there are schools and therapists out there that will help you “learn” to laugh.
7. Just laugh - even if you sincerely fake a laugh, you will begin to authentically laugh because it’s so darned silly sounding when you fake it!
Laughter is a valuable part of your authentic happiness! Laughing each and every day is as good for you physically, emotionally and spiritually as taking your vitamins and getting exercise. Enjoy a good laugh today!
We’ve all heard that old adage: Laughter is the best medicine, Volumes have been written and spoken about the value of laughter in life and how laughter can make us happy - even if we don’t feel happy to start with. Laughter connects people and is part of the fine art of life happiness.
How does laughter relate to life happiness?
Think of this, babies and children have more than one way of showing that they are happy, but the most common way is through smiling and laughing. Research has shown that young children and toddlers laugh on average 300 times every day. 300 times! It’s because to children, life is just one big happy event. They have what they need and are not concerned in the least about what they don’t have - children are experts at the art of happiness. They are happy to see mom and dad, so they smile and laugh. They are happy to see their lunch, so they smile and laugh, they are happy to play with a ball, so they smile and laugh - they’re happy! As adults, we laugh about 15 times a day. That doesn’t mean that we’re miserable, but it does indicate that as we grow up, we start to worry and concern ourselves with things, and unfortunately, we end up laughing less, and yes, we’re probably not as innately happy as a two year old. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be happier! One way to bring a sense of joy and happiness into our lives and practice the art of happiness is by adding laughter. Seems sort of backwards, sure, but if it works, does it matter? If you can add laughter to your life and discover that you find happiness in the process, isn’t that great?
Why does laughing make me happy?
Laughing does a lot of good things for us. It gives our body a gentle work out by causing us to use muscles in the face, chest and abdomen. It causes us to breathe deeply, cleansing our system. It raises the heart rate, and causes endorphins (feel good hormones) to be released. Laughing makes us feel the same way eating really good chocolate or having *** makes us feel. After a good belly laugh, we feel relaxed and alive and energized. Wait, those are things a happy person might feel! And whatever it is that made us laugh, later when we think about it, we will probably laugh, or at least smile again, continuing the “feel goods”.
How can I add laughter to my life?
You can add to your overall life happiness by adding a good dose of sincere, happy laughter to each day. Here are some ideas:
1. Make a point to watch very funny movies or TV programs that really make you laugh a couple times a week.
2. Hire a DVD and watch your favorite comedian with your fiends.
3. Playing and being silly with children is a great source of laughter. They know how to make everything fun.
4. Play fun games that induce laughing - games like charades and Pictionary” are good examples.
5. Have your favorite comic strips emailed to you or set to appear on your homepage everyday.
6. Look into laughing therapy - there are schools and therapists out there that will help you “learn” to laugh.
7. Just laugh - even if you sincerely fake a laugh, you will begin to authentically laugh because it’s so darned silly sounding when you fake it!
Laughter is a valuable part of your authentic happiness! Laughing each and every day is as good for you physically, emotionally and spiritually as taking your vitamins and getting exercise. Enjoy a good laugh today!
Aug
5
Open Your Heart to Others
Filed Under Self Improvement | Leave a Comment
Keith Shaw asked:
Copyright (c) 2008 Mind Body Spirit Central, LLC
Your parents brought you into the world with an innocent mind, heart and a pure, unblemished, open spirit. You had no prejudice towards others, no preconceived notions, no anger, fear, anxiety or sorrow. However, over the course of living your life, the pressures of society and opinions of others clouded your vision, mind and of course - your spirit.
In today’s world, happiness, serenity and peace are elusive gifts. Stress, anxiety, and increased rudeness in society are piled on all of us and weigh us down, suffocating us. We are bombarded with bad news by the media twenty-four hours a day about violence, crashing economies, stories of genocide and prejudice. Not to mention the ongoing threat of terrorism - car bombings, torture and more.
And to make things even more complex, on the battlefield of the human spirit, two “masters” constantly contend for the supremacy, authority and domination of your heart.
The first of which is the “Master of Self”.
The other is “The Master of Truth”.
The “Master of Self” is the rebellious one whose devices are rage, ego, greed, vanity, selfishness and the trappings of darkness.
The “Master of Truth” is the humble, patient and peaceful one whose devices are gentleness, purity, sacrifice, humility, love and instruments of light.
When you cling to and are ruled by the “Master of Self” you open yourself to unnecessary torment.
Here are some examples (that you may have experienced) when you are ruled by the “Master of Self”:
1) You suffer disappointment because YOUR plans have been frustrated,
2) Someone has not lived up to YOUR expectations,
3) You regret YOUR behavior in public and private,
4) You are overwhelmed with regret because of the attitude or comments of someone toward YOU,
5) You are wounded on account of what has been done to YOU or said of YOU.
As you may have gathered, I intentionally put the pronouns and adjectives in BLOCK letters to reinforce how you blindly cling to YOUR “self”.
However, did you know that a world-wide study is now underway sponsored by National Geographic, IBM and others? This study has captured DNA data from volunteers, analyzed it and determined that all humans, no matter where they live in the world today, what their circumstance in life is, or their skin color, race and creed, are descended from two people from the East Central area of Africa that lived only 60,000 years ago? (Just as a frame of reference, the Earth is 4.54 BILLION years old). They have been able, through scientific DNA analysis, to identify key genetic markers that show how the offspring of these two individuals, our ancestors, migrated across the planet.
The results show that we are all from the same “parents”. Yet we continue to gravitate toward beliefs that are selfish and self centered instead of showing empathy and compassion to others.
What I am saying is for you to sacrifice your hatred, greed, prejudice, and opinions that bias the way you look at every day things and people around you. Begin looking at others with compassion, with love, and with respect. When you look at people in this manner you enter the pathway of truth, and find the peace from which the rest of the world is shut out. The absolute denial and extinction of self is the perfect state of truth.
However, how does one begin to find this state of truth? In a recent book, The Power of Serenity and Peace, the author shows you how to find happiness in today’s stressed-out world. In today’s world, happiness, serenity and peace are elusive gifts.
One of the effective exercises in the book shows you how to find the “Master of Truth”. Of course, just doing the exercises does not make you a “master”. The exercises will only begin to make you more aware and start you on the path to finding the Master of Truth within you. It will and can only grow within you through continuous practice, ongoing study and actually living it.
Here are the simple yet effective compassion and empathy exercises for you to try. The author also suggests that you to keep a brief journal, and write down what you experience and feel emotionally. Select one of the following exercises - “a” or “b”.
a. Spend one day (yes, 24 hours) mute with no talking allowed. Only gesturing, writing on slips of paper, sign language (if you know it) is allowed. Journal your experience. How did people react to you? What did you learn from this?
b. Spend a full day experiencing a physical impairment. Tape a small, hard object (a ball bearing, small pebble no bigger than the size of a pea) to the bottom of your foot on your heel area. Put on your sock and shoe. Wear this for the rest of the day. Journal your experience. (And no, this does not qualify you to park in the handicapped spot at the mall, the restaurant, or other).
The great Japanese samurai, Miyamoto Musashi said, “Practice a thousand hours and you learn self discipline. Practice ten thousand hours and you learn about yourself.”
As you succeed in overcoming self you will begin to see things in their proper relationships. When you free your spirit from all anger, prejudice, preference, and partiality, and have nothing to attack, defend, conceal, and no interests to guard, you will be at peace - and one with your fellow man and woman.
Copyright (c) 2008 Mind Body Spirit Central, LLC
Your parents brought you into the world with an innocent mind, heart and a pure, unblemished, open spirit. You had no prejudice towards others, no preconceived notions, no anger, fear, anxiety or sorrow. However, over the course of living your life, the pressures of society and opinions of others clouded your vision, mind and of course - your spirit.
In today’s world, happiness, serenity and peace are elusive gifts. Stress, anxiety, and increased rudeness in society are piled on all of us and weigh us down, suffocating us. We are bombarded with bad news by the media twenty-four hours a day about violence, crashing economies, stories of genocide and prejudice. Not to mention the ongoing threat of terrorism - car bombings, torture and more.
And to make things even more complex, on the battlefield of the human spirit, two “masters” constantly contend for the supremacy, authority and domination of your heart.
The first of which is the “Master of Self”.
The other is “The Master of Truth”.
The “Master of Self” is the rebellious one whose devices are rage, ego, greed, vanity, selfishness and the trappings of darkness.
The “Master of Truth” is the humble, patient and peaceful one whose devices are gentleness, purity, sacrifice, humility, love and instruments of light.
When you cling to and are ruled by the “Master of Self” you open yourself to unnecessary torment.
Here are some examples (that you may have experienced) when you are ruled by the “Master of Self”:
1) You suffer disappointment because YOUR plans have been frustrated,
2) Someone has not lived up to YOUR expectations,
3) You regret YOUR behavior in public and private,
4) You are overwhelmed with regret because of the attitude or comments of someone toward YOU,
5) You are wounded on account of what has been done to YOU or said of YOU.
As you may have gathered, I intentionally put the pronouns and adjectives in BLOCK letters to reinforce how you blindly cling to YOUR “self”.
However, did you know that a world-wide study is now underway sponsored by National Geographic, IBM and others? This study has captured DNA data from volunteers, analyzed it and determined that all humans, no matter where they live in the world today, what their circumstance in life is, or their skin color, race and creed, are descended from two people from the East Central area of Africa that lived only 60,000 years ago? (Just as a frame of reference, the Earth is 4.54 BILLION years old). They have been able, through scientific DNA analysis, to identify key genetic markers that show how the offspring of these two individuals, our ancestors, migrated across the planet.
The results show that we are all from the same “parents”. Yet we continue to gravitate toward beliefs that are selfish and self centered instead of showing empathy and compassion to others.
What I am saying is for you to sacrifice your hatred, greed, prejudice, and opinions that bias the way you look at every day things and people around you. Begin looking at others with compassion, with love, and with respect. When you look at people in this manner you enter the pathway of truth, and find the peace from which the rest of the world is shut out. The absolute denial and extinction of self is the perfect state of truth.
However, how does one begin to find this state of truth? In a recent book, The Power of Serenity and Peace, the author shows you how to find happiness in today’s stressed-out world. In today’s world, happiness, serenity and peace are elusive gifts.
One of the effective exercises in the book shows you how to find the “Master of Truth”. Of course, just doing the exercises does not make you a “master”. The exercises will only begin to make you more aware and start you on the path to finding the Master of Truth within you. It will and can only grow within you through continuous practice, ongoing study and actually living it.
Here are the simple yet effective compassion and empathy exercises for you to try. The author also suggests that you to keep a brief journal, and write down what you experience and feel emotionally. Select one of the following exercises - “a” or “b”.
a. Spend one day (yes, 24 hours) mute with no talking allowed. Only gesturing, writing on slips of paper, sign language (if you know it) is allowed. Journal your experience. How did people react to you? What did you learn from this?
b. Spend a full day experiencing a physical impairment. Tape a small, hard object (a ball bearing, small pebble no bigger than the size of a pea) to the bottom of your foot on your heel area. Put on your sock and shoe. Wear this for the rest of the day. Journal your experience. (And no, this does not qualify you to park in the handicapped spot at the mall, the restaurant, or other).
The great Japanese samurai, Miyamoto Musashi said, “Practice a thousand hours and you learn self discipline. Practice ten thousand hours and you learn about yourself.”
As you succeed in overcoming self you will begin to see things in their proper relationships. When you free your spirit from all anger, prejudice, preference, and partiality, and have nothing to attack, defend, conceal, and no interests to guard, you will be at peace - and one with your fellow man and woman.