LAUGH

One of the most distinctive features of the human race is our ability to LAUGH. Invariably a good laugh as often as possible is recommended as the best therapy for a long, stress free and wholesome life. The essence of laughter lies in its uninhibited spontaneity and its accessibility to all, no matter what the circumstance or time. Laughter is usually reserved for comic happenings, a sharing of a joke or a wit and is the best stress buster if judiciously indulged in. It lightens the mind, frees the heart of anxieties perhaps momentarily and creates a bond between those around even if they are strangers. More than anything else, the strength of a good laugh lies in its positivity, its dynamism and its ability to help people share in the happiness of the moment by   the Loud Appreciation Usually Given Heartily.

Can one leverage the power of laughter? The answer to this question holds the key to the success of many people.  All of us spontaneously laugh when we see a comedy movie, read a good joke or enjoy the funny antics of a clown or some clownish behavior. However successful people leverage the power of laughter to enhance our self esteem, leadership skills and popularity. You too can enhance your popularity rating, improve your interpersonal skills and accelerate the pace of your growth and success by paying attention to the following 3 mantras related to your ability to LAUGH.

Learn to laugh at yourself. There will invariably be times when you become the butt of jokes unwittingly perhaps. One’s ability to laugh at one’s self determines how others view your maturity, your ability to take criticism and your temperament. Those who have perfected the art of laughing at themselves, occasionally use this art to poke fun at themselves and thereby endear themselves to the public at large. Gandhiji for example has drawn attention to his rather shabby handwriting and his ungainly features especially his ears and thereby making himself endearing to his audience. It was Pope John XIII who refereeing to his impoverished family background stated that there are 3 ways to poverty; farming, gambling and womanizing and then he went on to add with a chuckle, my father chose the most boring method of the three.

Ensure sarcasm as a means to evoke laugher is avoided. Sarcasm is actually making fun of others and thereby evoking laughter. The trouble with sarcasm is that its intent is suspect, the target is usually someone who cannot hit back and while there could a roar of laughter, there would be at least one individual who would be seething with rage for being picked upon. Sarcasm as a means to evoke a good laugh is fraught with the danger of others becoming wary of the sharp wit, the hurt to the individual outweighing the peals of laughter and an unspoken heaviness in the atmosphere despite them laughter.

Share, spread and sprinkle laughter wherever you go. There is a popular misconception that most of us are not naturally gifted to contributing to a good laugh. The simplest thing that one can do is heartily laugh at what one finds funny. If possible even compliment the person evoking the laughter. With a little daring you can even share a good joke or make a pertinent wisecrack and lighten up things. However avoid all tendencies to share smutty jokes, forward indiscriminately sms jokes and email jokes and watch out for jokes with racial, religious, cultural overtones. It is also rude to interrupt and tell the punch line of a joke told by another just because you have heard it. Nothing spreads as much cheer and evokes an uproarious laughter as telling a joke on yourself. You can be sure that if you are the butt of the joke you share, there will definitely be Loud Appreciation Usually Given Heartily.

Action Points

1. Think of your three favorite jokes. Can you narrate this in an interesting way without forgetting the punch line?
2. Think of three people who you have a healthy respect for. Is their ability to laugh or evoke a laugh one of their strengths that endear him/ her to you? Can you think of 2 people who are really fun to be with? Can you think of why they are so popular?

 Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on - 

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now. 

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

MEEK

One of the traits that distinguish truly great people is their ability to be meek despite the accolades, the adulation and the applause that they are generously accorded for their achievements and stature. The background, their expertise, their sophistication, their wealth, their style, their achievements all become relatively marginal when they are MEEK because it is then that they come across as individuals who Make Every Effort Kind. In the process they actually strip away the veil of power, position and pomp that others usually see in them and then they are able to be one with the masses, displaying their truly human side and emotions of caring, loving, understanding and pragmatism.

It is often mistakenly believed that by being meek one is displaying vulnerability to the softer side of the person and that this signals a weak individual who can be pushed around. On the contrary, one can afford to be meek and should be meek purely because others cannot come up to the lofty standards and position that the individual in question has attained. More importantly, by being meek a person strengthen his self esteem, does a self evaluation and reality check by remaining grounded and can imbibe learning that is direct, practical and firsthand. A fine example of this trait can be seen in the politicians who have held office for long years; for it is when they are meek and interact with their constituents that they can build bridges of trust and confidence with their voter base.

One of the hall marks of someone who is meek is politeness. This is closely followed by two more traits, respect and consideration. In being polite, we display our cultured upbringing, our ability to bite the bullet in tough situations without rancor or aggression and express ourselves without treading on the self respect of others. When we have differences, disagreements or we are disappointed with another individual, our ability to appreciate the others view point without being inconsiderate takes a lot of effort. This effort culminates in us being respectful to others. Similarly the meek make it a point to see that others are not hit below the belt, the rules of engagement are not flouted and that a sense of proportion is maintained in criticism, in dialogue and in all interactions.

Ego is the one trait that one needs to have a good grip over if one wants to come across as a meek but effective person. If we cannot get our ego harnessed, our best of intention to be kind, polite, respectful and considerate will be futile because we would unconsciously lapse into a self righteous mode and become harsh, dominant and express ourselves aggressively. Money, power and intellect are at the root of all ego related problems. Once we are aware of this, we can make efforts to consciously note the ill effects any or all of these have on our personal behavior, style and communication. Arrogance, high handedness and sarcasm could be a set of traits that would reflect the ill effect of ego and the negative effect it has on trying to be MEEK for suddenly all attempts to Make Every Effort Kind seems very tough.

Action Points:

1. Reflect on the thought that MEEKness could be the one quality that is unique to the Human Race and possibly not found in the animal kingdom. Does this make a good case for us to be meek in our interactions without being submissive and docile.
2. How would you reflect your meek but assertive side in the following situations

• Giving alms to a beggar
• While tackling a very agitated friend/ sibling who has had a grave misunderstanding with you
• Someone subordinate to you has made a grave error and the repercussions for you are rather serious.
• You have a rather quarrelsome neighbor who disturbs the peace of the night with loud music and / or keeps the TV set switched on at a high decibel late at night.

 Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on - 

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now. 

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/

 

SHAPE

To give SHAPE to anything be it a concrete structure like a sculptor or a building or a painting or an abstract concept like planning for the future, visualizing the coming trends or ideating the focus is on discovering the hidden, creating something new and allowing something to sprout and grow. What is unique about giving SHAPE to anything is the evolution that we actively or passively participate in which allows us to See How Artistic Plans Emerge.  It is possible that we may not entirely approve of or appreciate the end product but we cannot deny that it is the outcome of a plan that has borne fruit even if the fruits are sour or unpalatable for us.

Fashion trends epitomize this contrast between artistic talents that have maniacal following and equally vocal detractors who denounce the trends. The important lesson here is that shape is what emerges and the outcome does not have to appeal to all. The contrast between the old world poetry with its emphasis’ on rhyme, meter and beat is a far cry from the modern poetry that has shock value abstractness and disharmony as the backbone on which verses emerge.  Modern abstract paintings too follow a similar trend with interpretations holding the key to unraveling the shape that one can extrapolate from the realms of creativity. 

However, the shape of things to come have a major bearing on the habits, the following, the trends and lifestyle that people will succumb too. The wide range of mobile phones epitomizes this need for style to percolate into every niche that emerges in the market space. The bizarre fashion scene, the opulent life style of the rich and the famous, the emergence of new cults and the changing communication styles be it proliferation of the SMS language or the bastardisation of the original language with a mix of other regional languages are pointers to the SHAPE of things to come. 

This does not mean that we cannot have our own control over the shape of things that matter in our life. To begin with, we can work on giving shape to our hopes, aspirations and dreams. Goal setting is the key to this. In the beginning our ideas would be hazy, utopian, seem to be pipe dreams and occasional seem to be of demonic proportions. Other times we fail to let our imagination soar, get stuck in our little cocoons of limited aspirations and fear of failure often puts the brakes on allowing ourselves to think big and pursue our passions. Only if you can visualize it can you hope to attain it. Goal setting will provide the initial momentum to get going. However to give concrete shape to ones aspirations and dreams requires Hard work, Persistence and Self belief. Hard work will fuel the momentum, persistence will provide the encouragement no matter what the odds and self belief measures the progress that brings one closer to ones goals. Reaching the goal also helps SHAPE your character, your destiny and your dreams and then you can See How Artistic Plans Emerge to color up your life.

Action Points:

1. Revisit your childhood and attempt to do the following

• Make a paper boat
• Make an aero plane with paper
• Spin a top by looping the string around it and chucking the top
• Draw a scenery
• Get some clay and attempt your own clay models

1. Work on giving shape to the following

• Your financial goals
• Your career goals
• Your family goals
• Your health related goals
• Your leisure goals
• Your passion related goals

Power Act - from http://www.actspot.com/ is focused on -

Powering your Spirit to ACT Now.

You are also invited to visit our DAILY inspirational and motivational blog http://www.actspot.wordpress.com/