Throughout life you are going to be placed in many different situations. On occasion, these are not going to be pleasant. You may be confused, feel lost, or just be questioning who you are and what your role in life is. I believe that adding laughter to any one of these situations will help you through. It is so easy to get caught up in the here and now, focusing on what you have to get done to achieve your next goal. With this sort of mindset, it is easy for those tasks to loose meaning. When one takes time to add humor to a situation, to sit back and laugh with friends, family, colleagues, or just alone, those simple every day tasks take on more meaning, they become positive memories. Do you think we are more likely to remember everyday memories if we can associate happy feelings with them?
Laughter is a powerful healer. Have you ever been walking, lost in your own thoughts, and then heard someone else’s unique laugh? What is the result? In my own personal experience, I can’t help but to smile. Once I’m smiling, I can’t help but to be happy. Just like that my day has been brightened.
When I think of developing myself as a servant-leader, discovering who I am, and helping others, I know that laughter is something that is going to help me. I value laughter and know that it will help me get through the toughest of situations. Do you consider your happiness as a major decisive factor when thinking about your vocation? Do you catch yourself taking life too seriously? And does laughing help you keep things in perspective?
So my challenge is that when you are stuck in a rut, or when you are happy as can be, never forget to laugh. It might make your problems seem a bit less severe, and your happiness a bit more sincere. Laughter can bring us together, heal, and help add meaning to life.
-Maggie Lane
Maggie,
I have always been appreciative of your ability to add laughter or happiness to any situation as you always seem to “lighten the mood” and cheer people up. I am really glad you wrote this blog, because it reminds us to live a life filled with happiness and laughter. Although there are times when we all feel like nothing is going well, there is always something that can make us laugh. And you are definitely right by saying that laughing and happiness come hand and hand. I also think that smiling plays a large role in finding happiness. For me, just walking by a stranger who smiles at me can turn my day around and cheer me up. I think it is important for all of us to try and find our own happiness, because happiness spreads quickly!
Great blog Mags, hope to hear your laugh soon!
Coby
This is great Maggie! You definitely add your laughter and all of your positive energy to the Partners meetings. And you’re right, keeping laughter in your life through the good and the bad is important. Thanks for this great blog!
I love the concept of laughter as healing! And I think as busy college students its so easy to forget to do just stop and see the joy in things sometimes. Maggie’s blog just reminded me of that wonderful feeling of pure genuine laughter, you know when something is so funny that you can’t seem to catch your breathe and you start tearing up and no matter what you do, you seem to just have the giggles? It tends to happen in the wrong situations like in class or during a serious meeting, but that seems to make it even funnier. I think that elevated feeling of laughter is one of the best feelings, as Maggie says, it is even capable of healing. After a good hard laugh I always feel refreshed, rejuvenated and in general healed.
Maggie,
That was quite a lovely blog to read! I, as well, think that laughter is something that everyone should take time for in life. I believe that a person’s attitude can really make a difference on how a situation is perceived. I think that yes, situations are more memorable when they are associated with happy feelings because they create a greater impact and people usually prefer to look back on positive memories than negative ones. I agree that a person’s attitude can influence and impact others! It’s a lot easier to stay positive if you’re surrounded by positive people. So when it comes to thinking about my future vocation, I consider the environment. It is important to me that this environment is positive and laughter friendly 🙂 I take my life seriously, but I try not to take it too seriously. I think it is important to have fun as well!!
Thank you for posting this blog! It made me smile just reading it. 🙂
-Chloe
Maggie,
I was reading in a magazine that laughing can extend your life. This was one that was hard to understand but easy to realize. Also on this list was working out, which it is easy to see how fitness can help your life expectancy. Laughter is something that is very close to my heart and I try to do it every day and make others laugh by being funny. You hit it right on when you said that it heals because it does. it is one of those things that make you feel better almost instantly if it is genuine. Thank you so much for writing about this because it is truly a great value of a servant leader and it is one that not everybody thinks about but if you have it, the benefits can be very healthy and very rewarding to you and the people you serve.
Donte Curtis
Maggie,
I like your topic choice! So often, I think laughter is overlooked, but it can be so powerful and healthy for us. It helps to humble ourselves and also comfort us that we will be alright when like you said we may be caught up in a situation or take life too seriously. I also like how you talked about laughter with SLP. Going into the program, I was excited about being able to discover who I am, but I went in with a serious mindset and am realizing now that happiness and laughter are just as important as relflection and serious insight for finding who we are. Like Kelli said, laughter from yourself has the ability to help others feel better and then in turn make you feel better as well. So many times I will laugh and smile at someone and then they say how that makes them feel better and that makes me feel so much better!
Maggie,
Thank you! 🙂 I definitely agree that laughter, or a simple smile, can make the hugest difference in not only your inner soul but those around you, because happiness is so contagious! In fact, a situation of a contagious simple smile happened just other day to me. I was in the caf and ran into a friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while. We both were smiling so largely and I could feel our smiles and happiness feeding off of each others and growing larger just in the few seconds where we were still saying hello. I commented that she seemed so happy, and she said, “YOU seem so happy!” We both smiled even bigger. I left feeling so uplifted and fulfilled with complete joy–all from a simple smile!
Sending you such a big virtual smile right now— 😀
Kelli