Cultivating an energy of playfulness, spontaneity and laughter is healthy, engaging and attractive. Lighthearted folk are prized as friends and sought after as companions. They make better mates and more productive employees. Treat yourself to a bit of fun each day and that, along with the odd apple, should keep the doctor from darkening your doorstep for some time to come. Here are some tips to give you some ideas:
1. Clock out! Find a large-faced institutional-style clock and paint over or remove the numbers. Replace them with images, words and other items that you need to find time for. Hang the altered clock up on the wall where you can clearly see it and you'll know at a glance when it's time to smile, cavort with your pets, talk to the fern, play with your toys, have a nibble of your favorite treat - whatever you wish that enlightens your day. (Wonderful mayhem ensues if you can find a way to combine the activities pointed at by both hands!)
2. Create a play area in your space and fill it with toys that encourage laughter, make you think or otherwise bring you joy. Whether you prefer "office toys" that are sold as gifts, puzzles, building kits, board games or whatever, make it a point to get out your toys and let yourself be absorbed in play on a regular basis. You'll often find that taking time away from other concerns makes them magically disappear like the trick coin in your 8th grade magic kit.
3. Replace "blah" computer settings with fun and/or humorous ones. Find and download crazy or hilarious sounds to take the place of the various chimes and dings that your machine puts out (be careful - do a thorough check for viruses before installing anything!). Get a mouse pad that has a funny picture on it - heck, get a mouse with ears and a tail. Line up a few laugh-inducing figurines across the top of your monitor, like a droopy cat or a glaring gnome, to keep you company while you work away the hours.
4. Keep some great joke books, comedy CD's and tapes and other ticklesome entertainment close at hand for emergency fill-ups. You never know when your funny-bone oil is going to run a little low.
5. Leave humorous or lighthearted "gags" and trinkets lying around the place and use them frequently to ward off the grumping uglies. It's hard to remain moody when you're wearing a red foam nose or blowing soap bubbles at the cat. And I dare you to stay in an anxious or unhappy frame of mind when blowing up a whoopee cushion in anticipation of a dignified visitor. Go on, I dare you.
Fun is not optional. Without it, life is like a banquet of sawdust feast-goods - plenty to eat, but no savor. Laughter, sprightliness and a touch of the fey are vital and often-overlooked parts of a well-balanced life. Let go a little today, and see if it doesn't just brighten up your tomorrows.
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.