“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.”
Dr. Seuss
Have you ever started your day with the goal of laughing as much as possible? Have you ever dared yourself to smile and bring joy to every situation you encounter throughout an entire day? If not, then I dare you to.
Make it your goal today, tomorrow, or next Tuesday, to find the funny and spread it. Why not? Is there a challenge more worth your while? Is there a task that could be more fun? I’m certain it will be challenging at first, since most things aren’t funny on the surface. But once you start to see the funny in everything, you’ll thank yourself for engaging in this challenge.
Laughing Is Good for Your Health
According to Mayo Clinic, laughter is good for your health. It can relieve stress, improve your immune system, and improve your mood. Sign me up! Plus, laughter is a learned behavior, so if you think your sense of humor needs some work there are plenty of things you can do to improve it.
Funny Stuff is Everywhere
Finding humor in things is a real skill, but again, one that can be acquired. After a few days of practice you’ll be a pro and it will be hard not to see everything as funny.
Start by being mindful of what you’re doing. Let’s use a morning commute as an example. If I’m driving to work in the morning, I might listen to the radio, zone out, or think about what’s ahead on my schedule. If I’m trying to laugh more, maybe I choose to listen to some funny talk radio, or a comedy podcast, or even some standup comedy. If you’re in a situation where you can expose yourself to some comedic entertainment, that’s obviously the easiest way to get laughing.
For a challenge, let’s assume that none of those options are available. It’s just me and my car. At this point, I need to play a game which requires being mindful of my actions and my surroundings. I start to dissect what I’m doing, where I’m going, who’s around me, what those people are doing, etc.
The first thing I see is a person in a truck next to me. They’re talking but no one seems to be in the car. That’s funny! We can rationalize that they’re most likely on the phone, or singing a song, but think funny. Think about what that means for all of us to be so close to one another, but closed off in our automobiles, talking to other people far away, also trapped in their automobiles. Think about how technology has prevented us from talking to one another directly. If I were to get that person’s attention and gesture for them to roll down their window, what would that interaction be like? Would they be weirded out that the person closest in proximity wants to talk? Again, that’s funny! That’s the only way we humans used to talk!
You might be thinking, this whole car scenario sounds entertaining, but not really funny. Well, that’s fair. Things are only as funny as you allow them to be. Maybe you have to get a bit more extreme with your mindfulness game. Maybe you have to make up a story about that person in the truck. The point is, engage differently with whatever it is you’re doing. Make yourself laugh. Do whatever it takes to find the humor around you.
Stretch One Day into Two
If you challenge yourself to laugh for one day, why not keep it up and go for two? Then three? If you can manage to build some momentum with seeing the funny side to everything around you, life can dramatically change. Remember, laughing is good for your health, so if nothing else, just force a laugh once in a while. That in itself will be quite funny!