Humour is always a good idea.
Humour allows us to detach from the seriousness of high achievement!
It stops us from falling prey to emotional dips, prevents us from having knee-jerk reflexes when we lose our cool, and allows us to respond to life rather than reacting to it.
Detachment allows us to look objectively at things to make the right decisions. i
It enables us to preserve our emotional energy and flow fully when we want to give full reign to our bliss or our grief or frustration.
You might think it is challenging to turn this skill off or on as if it were a button, but with practice, we get better as long as we remember these three things.
1. Life is short and fleeting.
Isn’t it amazing how, during the day, we can so quickly lose the sense of the preciousness of life?
We get pulled down into the swamp of busyness, or here’s a more powerful one, we get caught up in the grand illusion created by the mass consciousness — the agendas of others, the projections and proclamations of the media.
Even if we regularly remind ourselves of the most important things in life, we promptly forget them as we navigate the jungles of tasks, goals, aspirations and other people’s expectations!
Here’s how to counter that: routines are killers for values! So, build your personal values into your routines!
Make sure those core values properties are actually implemented in your day. That will ensure you stay in a good mood for as long as possible!
2. Don’t take yourself and life so seriously.
Self humour is so effective – taking the mickey out of ourselves, without being critical, puts others at ease.
People love gently self-deprecating individuals; it gives them permission to be human too.
Hang out with people who are funny and catch the bug!
They say you don’t remember what people say, but you’ll never forget how they made you feel.
Find ways to play!
Play with life, play with yourself, be a tease, be a flirt, remember you are not coming out of this alive!
Be witty!
Wit is the phrase you turn on the fly, the ready reference that’s ever so slightly askew and the point that wins th game. Be original, sharp, present and see the funny side in everything.
Right now, in this social universe, humour and wit is a secret weapon.
If you love to laugh, so does everybody else. Infuse some humour into your feeds and lighten up!
3. The more you struggle, the more time and energy you waste.
The more you struggle against the unpleasant circumstances of the moment, the more time and energy you waste.
It’s okay to want things to get better down the road, but don’t waste time and energy wishing things were different than they are right now.
Accepting your present situation means detaching yourself from the pain it is causing you.
You can learn to accept pain as a normal part of life. This means, paradoxically, that the best way to eliminate pain is to not try to eliminate it.
The more you fight pain, the more it is likely to persist.
Try Ryan Holiday’s marvellous book, ‘The Obstacle Is The Way’ to understand the power challenge.
It’s a game-changer!
Based on the philosophy of the Greek Stoic Philosophers, challenges that weigh you down becomes gateways for opportunity and transformation in the Stoic way.
Highly recommended book in your entrepreneurial toolbox!
I crafted a name for this quality.
Passionate Detachment.
It is one of the most powerful states you can achieve.
Passionate Detachment sounds contradictory, so let me explain.
When you are totally tuned in your dreams, firing on all cylinders, but at the same time not allowing your happiness to be a consequence of those desires, you are omnipotent!
Put another way, this is finding a way to fall in love with the journey and not the destination.
When you build your life around your why and your mission, each day is a blessed step.
We will always be uplifted when the motivation comes from our values and our soul.
Above all, learn to detach yourself from spending your life fixing super rigid, specific results that set you up for potential disappointments.
Practice the art of being flexible.
Understand that circumstances constantly change and that things rarely work out precisely as planned.
(Welcome to life!)
Whatever you’re trying to achieve, the results you end up with may be very different from the results you were after. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be less satisfying.
If you are too attached to a specific result, it shuts down your creativity.
The old adage that it’s ‘not about the destination, but the journey’ is both spiritually and strategically sound!
Even if you’re a goal-driven person, success lies in being crystal clear about your values and purpose as a way of navigating the path of your unfolding journey.
Humour, lightness, openness and curiosity are precious compasses on that path.
Studies show that the stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol decrease during and following laughter.
Researchers found that medical students who watched comedy videos had a significant increase in T-cells (cells that circulate through the body and gobble up germs) and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Laughter boosts natural killer cells, which are suppressed during stressful experiences.
There is nothing more energizing than a good belly laugh, is there?
Laughter is an excellent workout for the diaphragm.
It breaks up muscle tension in the face, and vibrating muscles of a hearty laugh give you an internal massage.
So make this an absolute must-do daily habit. Let go and lighten up!
Jenni Parker-Brown
Jenni's mission is to help women entrepreneurs leverage their genius, grace, and super-powers to transcend any market challenges and fulfill their greatest potential as healthy, wealthy change-makers.