How to Be As Happy As a Monkey

You flooded our inbox after last week's Fun
Times, sending me lots of evidence that
bananas are the perfect food. I now know
that bananas contain tryptophan, a type of
protein that your body converts into
serotonin. (Serotonin is known to help you
relax, improve your mood, and generally make
you feel happy) And I learned that the FDA
just allowed the banana industry to
officially claim a reduction in your risk of
high blood pressure and stroke. But I'll
share the coolest banana tidbit I learned in
a moment...

Let's get back to one thing I know is
perfect...you. Last week I told you that by
laughing with yourself (one of my favorite
Fun Commandments), you reinforce the notion
that you are perfect just as you are. Warts
and all! In fact, laughing with yourself
confirms that your perfection includes your
contradictions and foibles.

But how do you laugh with yourself?

Step One - Accept Your Powerlessness

The key to this step is the concept of
acceptance, perhaps the most misunderstood
word in the English language. Acceptance
doesn't mean approval or endorsement, it merely
means acknowledging things as they are. Perfectionism,
the deadly opposite of perfection, is rigid
and unyielding, so acknowledging the things
that are beyond your power to control sets
you free!

Step Two - Start Identifying Those Things
over Which You Have No Control

This is a great way to practice laughing
with yourself; once you've got a handle on
the things over which you have no control,
you can focus on the things over which you
do. Remember that, although you may be a
victim of circumstance, you are always a
master of response! Step Two frees you from
your unrealistic expectations and focuses
your attention on choices that will increase
your personal effectiveness.

Step Three - Put It All in Perspective

Develop the habit of frequently asking
yourself, "How important will this be 100
years from now?" Obviously, some things
will pass that litmus test, but you'll be
amazed that almost everything that's keeping
you serious will be immaterial 100 years
from now! This perspective helps you
lighten up and you can't help but laugh with
yourself when you catch yourself getting
stressed over something inconsequential.

Step Four - Put Yourself in the Joke

Tell gentle jokes on yourself; adapt a joke
or personal experience and make yourself the
punch line. Remember that Ryan Seacrest
(the host of American Idol) recently said he
knew he had made it big in Hollywood
when, "I became a regular punch line in Jay
Leno's monologue." The more you tell these
stories, the easier it becomes to laugh with
yourself.

Put these four steps into action today. It
takes practice to focus on laughing with,
not at, yourself. But the results are well
worth it!

You'll soon find it difficult to take
yourself too seriously. My research has
shown that people who love and accept
themselves on a deep level are also
especially adept at laughing with, but not
at, themselves. Coincidence? No way!

The good news is that, just as
accepting/loving yourself helps you laugh
with yourself, laughing with yourself
perpetuates and accelerates accepting/loving
yourself. It's a wonderful snowball
effect. And we can all use more self-
acceptance!

By the way, I also learned that a banana can
shine your shoes; rub your leather shoes
with the inside of the peel, let dry, and
buff to a gleaming luster. But the coolest
thing is that bananas sooth mosquito bites! If
you rub the affected skin with the inside of
the peel, you'll be amazed at the reduction
of swelling and irritation.

No wonder monkeys are so happy!

And you'll be happy too, as you learn to
laugh (and love) with yourself more than
you've ever experienced. Please write and
share your laughter with me.

Your Attention Please!
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Some Humor for the Week

"To me, the outdoors is what you must pass
through in order to get from your apartment
into a taxicab."
Fran Lebowitz