LIGHTEN UP! HOW TO LIVE A JOYOUS LIFE
“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
Bill Cosby
Living on the light side comes easily to some; other have to work hard to be funny. (Sounds funny, doesn’t it. . .working hard to be funny?) I’m one of those who came into the world with an overactive funny bone. Oh, it occasionally gives me trouble. Life’s woes kick in and my funny bone gets arthritic. It locks up. Whenever that happens, I trip myself on purpose, just to loosen it back up again. (Hey, a girl can only go so long without laughter!)
Yep, from the time I was a little girl, I was the happy-go-lucky sort. Giggly. Goofy. My mom always called me a ham because of my overly-dramatic style. Not that I minded. Oh no. Drama was my thing. And performing comedy on the stage was the thing that made me happiest.
Then I grew up. . .and life happened. Unfortunately, some of the events of my grown-up life weren’t funny. In fact, they were pretty tragic. Still, through my faith and my innate desire to keep on keepin’ on, I managed to keep my smile intact much of the time.
They key? Let humor lead the way! Be known as an easy-going person. As an author, I find that being funny on the page is easier when I’m truly walking through life with a joyous attitude. It’s not always easy (and life often intervenes, threatening to remove any hint of humor), but for those who live a life of faith, it is possible.
1. TIP ONE: THINK OF LIFE LIKE A TELEVISION SITCOM OR COMEDY/THINK “SITUATIONS”: Think of Larry, Mo and Curly. Sure, their antics got a little old after awhile, but you get the idea. For me, Everybody Love Raymond is near the top of the list. Why did I love that show so much? The characters were (individually) hysterical. Each one had his/her own quirks. And those quirks got them into (and out of) jams. Funny characters also mess up. . .a lot. They get in trouble and need help getting out. We relate because we’re the same way.
2. TIP TWO: CELEBRATE YOUR IMPERFECTIONS. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO MESS UP. In my “Weddings by Bella” series, I created several funny characters (and boy, have I heard from readers about them). These characters include Aunt Rosa, Uncle Laz, Bella and the trio of “sisters” from Splendora Texas. These wacky people will stay with me for the rest of my life! I think some of my readers have adopted them, as well.
3. TIP THREE: REALIZE THAT WE’RE ALL CREATED DIFFERENTLY. This is what makes TV shows work! A diversified cast! Were there ever four more different people than Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel? Because of their differences, we knew there would be conflict. And because of the conflict, we knew it would be chaotic and funny.
4. TIP FOUR: MAKE A SMALL DEAL OF THINGS. You have a choice: Big deal, or small deal?
5. TIP FIVE: HUMOR IS CONTAGIOUS: USE IT TO DIFFUSE ROUGH SITUATIONS. Think of Everybody loves Raymond. Raymond’s brother Robert was an exaggerated character. His moodiness was definitely over-the-top. But it worked, especially in contrast to the silliness of some of the other characters.
6. TIP SIX: TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEMPLE. Nothing will kill your sense of humor quicker than not feeling well.
7. TIP SEVEN: MEMORIZE SOME GREAT QUOTES OR SCRIPTURES. Put them around your house. The Bible is loaded with all sorts of great scriptures about joy. Check out this verse: “‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Proverbs 17:22)
[clickToTweet tweet=”‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Proverbs 17:22)” quote=”‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones.’ (Proverbs 17:22)”]
8. TIP EIGHT: WHAT WOULD JAY LENO DO? WHAT WOULD LUCY DO? WHAT WOULD CAROL BURNETT DO? When you’re in a rough situation and are tempted to react, think of your favorite light-hearted character or comedian and say, “What would so-and-so do?
9. TIP NINE: DO THE OPPOSITE THING. When you’re tempted to react (or over-react) say these words: Do the opposite thing. It will throw people off every time.
10. TIP TEN: LIVE IN THE MOMENT (FORGIVE THE SINS OF YESTERDAY, DON’T FRET ABOUT TOMORROW) No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. Philippians 3:13
ONE FOR THE ROAD: LET YOUR FAITH LEAD THE WAY: You can’t drum up what isn’t real.
About the Author:
Award-winning author Janice Thompson got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over 100 books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more. She particularly enjoys writing light-hearted, comedic tales because she enjoys making readers laugh. Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. Her tagline, “Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters!” sums up her take on life.
Janice can be reached at:
Facebook: JaniceHannaThompson
Website: www.janiceathompson.com
Twitter: booksbyjanice
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