The M.A.P. Maker

Laughter yoga: Laugh your life better

Have you ever had one of those rolling-on-the-floor, I-think-I'm-going-to-pee-my-pants fits of laughter and come out the other side feeling much better than before you started? Maybe you felt some stress peel away, or you just felt lighter. If so, you know the power of laughter to change both your perspective and the way your body physically feels. 

As part of my workhelping people create careers and lives for themselves that energize and inspire them, I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve our experience of the here and now. One of my favorites (though I haven't participated in it myself) is laughter yoga. 

Laughter yoga sounds faintly ridiculous, but research has shown that tapping into laughter has very real benefits. I came across a short video clip this morning featuring John Cleese that takes a look at laughter yoga in India. It's worth watching. 

Even if there are no laughter yoga groups in your area, it's worth keeping the benefits of laughter in mind. If you don't have enough laughter in your life, what can you do to bring more of it into the picture? Who makes you laugh? What makes you laugh? Go to a funny movie. 

Read a funny book. Go to comedycentral.com and find something that makes you guffaw. Make a commitment to yourself to bring more laughter into your life. Conduct a 30-day laughter experiment. Commit to consciously seeking out something every day that makes you laugh and see what effect it has. At worst, you'll get a few chuckles. At best, it could shift your entire outlook. 

[Hat tip to Tim at 360 Degree Self for the video link]

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

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by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Just say no to Adultitis

One of my closest friends is a second grade teacher. She'll often describe her day with a sparkle in her eye, telling stories of learning and singing and dancing with her students. Then she looks at me incredulously and says, "And I get paid to do this." 

There's little risk that she'll slide into self-seriousness when every day she is called gleefully back into the game. It's a shame more of us don't have that kind of reminder.

One of the troubles with the grown-up world is that it's jam packed with, well, grown-ups. People who have long since fallen into an ever-deepening self-seriousity. They forget what a rollicking good time looks like. It's been years since they have let themselves play. Even longer since they have let themselves giggle. 

Kim & Jason Kotecki call that sad state Adultitis, and they're on a mission to help all of us rediscover the childlike joy that life has to offer. Their latest Adultitis antidote is their new book, There's An Adult In My Soup.

The book, a collection of short essays on bringing a childlike sense of play and wonder into our often too-serious grown-up lives, is perfect as a quick mind-snack. Pick it up, flip it open, and read whatever catches your interest. Each essay is short enough to read as you take a 5-minute break from your workaday world.

I've been a fan of Kim & Jason's work ever since we first bumped into one another in the blogosphere years ago. I love what they're doing, and I love the outcome of bringing more of that childlike joy into our lives. 

If you feel like you have might have a case of Adultitis (or want to make sure you don't), buy the book. And while you're waiting for it to come, you can start in on The Escape Plan, their free 40-day plan to help you break free of its grip.

Far from being frivolous and silly, overcoming Adultitis can open the door to a potential that we squash when we suppress the flow of childlike fun. It loosens us up, helps us be more creative, and makes it easier to roll with whatever life brings.

Well that, and life is just a whole lot more fun when you can shamelessly stomp in puddles without worrying who might be watching. 

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Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams

--

by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst

Create a Fun Jar

In the M.A.P. concept (Meaning, Abundance, & Passion), abundance refers to multiple types of abundance, not just the financial variety. One of those is "fun abundance."

Want an easy way to work on improving your fun abundance quotient? Make a Fun Jar. You can read the original post for the full description of the idea, but here it is in a nutshell...

1. Brainstorm a long list of things you would qualify as “fun”. It’s best to do this in a fresh notebook, because you’re going to want to come back to this list often, and add to it as inspiration strikes.
2. Go through your list, and mark your items in terms of ease.
3. Take all the easy items, write them out on small slips of paper, and put them into a jar. That’s right. You’re going to create a Fun Jar. Seriously.
4. Every day, pick an item from your Fun Jar - and Do It. Remember, the Fun Jar contains only those fun things that are really easy to do.
5. Exercise your fun muscles gradually. Your daily shots of small bits of fun, courtesy of your Fun Jar, are a good start, but you want to target the bigger items next.

Fun is out there, just waiting to be had. Yes, even for you! It's easy to lose sight of it. It's easy to get so busy that you fall prey to thinking you don't have time for fun. But that's a trap, and it's a slippery slope.

Part of the key to thriving, both in your career and in life in general, is developing habits that feed your well-being. The Fun Jar idea is a great way to begin developing a "fun habit" using an easy, doable approach.

Check out The Occupational Adventure Guide

Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM

 

Can humor change the world?

I have a client who loves making people laugh. It's when he's at his most energized, and it's one of his greatest gifts. On several occasions though, I've heard him play down its importance in the greater scope of things, saying, "It's not like it's going to change the world."

I disagree.

Maybe it's not going to "change the world" by itself, but I think the lightness that humor brings can play in important role in a sustainable approach to positive change.

If you've been reading this blog for long, you know I often think in terms of ecosystems. That is, what is the environment that is most conducive to a given result (in this case, positive change)?

The trouble with an uber-intense approach to making a difference in the world is the potential for burnout. Have you ever run across someone who seems absolutely militant about their cause. It starts to color their view of the world. It's like they're in a constant state of emergency. You can almost see the cortisol pumping copiously into their veins in response to the stress.

At the end of the day, creating a personal ecosystem for positive change is about figuring out how you can be most effective, internally and externally. What is going to let you put your best efforts into your work?

Humor can be like a mini-vacation. It can defuse the stress, and give both your body and your mind a little R&R. It has proven benefits for both mental and physical health. It also has a positive social impact, making it easier for people to connect and breaking down barriers.

So can humor change the world? Well, at the very least it can change your world, and that's where it all starts.

 

Check out The Occupational Adventure Guide

Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM 

Life's too important to take seriously

Do you have enough fun in your life? If you don't, you're not alone. Somehow the pressures and responsibilities of being a "grown-up" often leave us wallowing in an over-serious state.

Bummer.

One of the abundance concepts I like to explore with people is "fun abundance." Fun isn't some frivolous, non-productive activity better left to kids and slackers. It can play an important role in helping you stay energized and focused.

Creating the life you want takes work. It's not always easy, and it requires a commitment to it for the long term. Part of the key to success is taking advantage of all the ways you possibly can to keep you motivated, engaged, and moving forward. Like having fun. 

Fun can help you take a break and refocus so you can come back to your "serious stuff" with a fresh perspective. It can loosen you up so you can stay more open to the possibilities life has to offer. On the physical side, laughter has been shown to reduce stress and provides numerous health and healing benefits.

Is there enough fun in your life? What small steps could you take to bring more of it into the picture, starting today?

Check out The Occupational Adventure Guide
Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM