PRODUCTIVITY: JUST FOR A LAUGH
We deny ourselves and fellow workers one of life’s most pleasurable experiences when we side step opportunities to laugh heartily. I’ve noticed myself responding with a polite chuckle or silent grin, to situations that left unchecked would double me over. Political correctness has sent a misguided “ life is not to be laughed at” message that seems to have permeated our collective psyche.
Leadership demands action and visibility. Laugher is definitely and activity but many folks who desire upward mobility would rather spectate than participate in this career and life enhancing strategy. Perhaps they aren’t laughing as much because they’ve been conditioned by canned tracks (TV sitcoms) to let others doing the laughing for them. Couch potato spectating makes Jack a dull boy and the Jerry Springer show does little to brighten Jill’s demeanor.
As herding creatures, humans are genetically conditioned to pick up on what’s happening around us. Being around people who laugh easily, heartily and often, promotes good health, emotional wellness, and productivity. Gaiety is more contagious than stoic behavior, so it makes sense to hang with people who are infected with the laughter bug. Become a carrier yourself and start spreading the laughter contagion. It’s refreshing and comforting to be with uninhibited people who have the good sense to openly share the gift of unbridled merriment. Do yourself, your family members and fellow workers a favor. Seek for opportunities to laugh out loud—particularly when you’re in a crowd.
Perhaps you’ll recognize your “uninhibited self” in one of the following laugh styles:
The belly bouncer…is often silent but never discreet. Belly bouncing is the most energetic and contagious of all laugh styles. Typically, it ends with practitioners grabbing their mid section and doubling over in the proverbial, “I think I’m going to be sick,” posture. During extended spasms belly laughers must protect themselves from a propensity to piddle.
The wheezer…it is difficult to resist the urge to perform a Heimlich maneuver during this peculiar laugh style. Wheezers get red faced and near the end of each spasm often appear incapable of drawing another breath. Don’t panic when this happens, eventually a giant sucking sound will signal that they’re winding up for another convulsion.
The nostril blocker …the aristocracy of laugh styles, can have a messy conclusion. It begins with a rigorous clenching of the jaw. All body orifices (except for the nose) slam shut as a violent air burst tries to penetrate the blocked proboscis. A muffled sound, resembling chairs being dragged across a hardwood floor, resonates from deep within the sinus cavity. Stand well back from blocked nostril laughers during the cold and allergy season.