FUN COMMANDMENT TEN:
| Celebrate Everything |
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Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the optimistic little boy who, when confronted with a room full of horse manure, dove right in, exclaiming, “With all this manure, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!” Although I don’t think I want to hug him right now, I think the little fellow’s got it right.
No matter how big a pile of “manure” life dumps in your path, looking for the pony is the best response. Even if there is no pony, digging in with enthusiasm is better for us than being burdened with reluctance and resentment. Between you and me, there usually is a pony, but we m iss it because we’re not looking for it.
When you opened your eyes this morning, you were already breathing. If not, I don’t think you should be reading this.
If you went on to check the obituaries and didn’t find your name, you’re apparently alive. That’s a miracle. Celebrate it.
Celebration is made up of two elements — gratitude and joy. Remember, joy is the most natural state for us humor beings. If you want more joy in your life, begin each moment with gratitude.
Gratitude is the essence of celebration. It doesn’t have to be noisy or raucous. A quiet “thank you” to a special person in your life can be an effective form of celebration.
If you have not been celebrating everything, try this exercise:
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| Exercise #10: |
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Get in the habit of listening for the sounds of laughter constantly going on all around you. I call these sounds the Sym phony of Laughter.
Whenever you are out in a public place, such as the mall, an airport, or a theater lobby, you can hear laughter, because that’s the way we communicate when we have no imposed agenda. Whether it’s a giggle right beside you or a guffaw from across the room, the sound will lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face. |
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Soon one more laugh will be heard—yours.
There you have my Ten Commandments of Fun, each a practical strategy for bringing forth your humor nature in all its strength and glory. Notice that all of them are focused on you, rather than the things going on around you. That’s because, if you’re aiming to focus on fun, you must look to yourself first. As selfish as that may sound, it’s simply the way it is.
The roots of fun do not lie in the circumstances or things that surround you. They are deeply embedded within your being.
If you catch yourself thinking thoughts like, “I could have more fun, if I had more money” or “My job would be more fun if the boss would get off my back,” you’re focusing in the wrong direction.
Fun starts inside you and works its way out. It doesn’t happen the other way.
The best way to remem ber how fun works is to “take” my Ha Ha Ha Prescription. Whereas m ost doctors say, “Open wide and say AH,” I say, “Open wide and say HA HA HA.”
The first HA is Humor Attitude. This is where fun begins.
Attitude is a 100 percent inside job. Our attitude may be the only thing in life over which we have total control. If we cultivate an attitude of willingness to be light and playful, to appreciate all the absurdities swirling around us all the time and to laugh whenever we can, we have done our part.
The next step happens automatically, without any effort
from us. Our Humor Attitude creates a Humor Atmosphere around us. That is the second HA. It just “oozes” from us. Others may not know what to call it, but they know it’s there. They can feel it. They are drawn into it. It’s irresistible. They want to be near us and hear what we have to say. They are eager to share their positive thoughts with us. They want to “play” with us.
Once this is accomplished, what follows is a no-brainer.
The very next thing we do will be fun. That’s the last HA—a Humor Action. Humor Action does not require anyone to be witty or funny.
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There is no pressure to perform or to make anything happen. It is
merely a trustworthy natural outcome.
Because we have the tendency to m istakenly think that
success produces fun instead of the other way around, we often find
ourselves trying to apply the HA HA HA Prescription backwards.
We attempt to say or do something funny (Hum or Action) hoping
that our “performance” will stimulate laughter (Humor Atmosphere)
and thus lighten the mood of everyone present (Humor Attitude).
It doesn’t work that way. Even when it seems to, it’s only a
transient phenomenon, hardly a dependable basis for lasting success.
Sustained excellence com es only from having fun first, and that
begins, not ends, with attitude.
With the HA HA HA Prescription and the Ten
Commandments of Fun under our belts, we are now ready to
consider how to build the Fun Factor back into our lives. Let’s begin
by looking at the most basic social structure we encounter in life—
our family.