Laugh For No Reason

Become a performer. Be an actor and a singer. Act like you already feel like you want to feel. Don't wait until the feeling motivates you. It could be a long wait. Most of us believe that an emotion, such as happiness, comes first. Then we do whatever we do, in reaction to that particular emotion. Not so. The emotion arises simultaneously with the doing of the act. So if you want to be enthusiastic, you can get there by acting as if you were already enthusiastic. Sometimes it takes a minute. Sometimes it skips a beat. But it always works if you stay with it, no matter how ridiculous you feel doing it.

Feel ridiculous. If you want to be happy, find the happiest song you know and sing it. It works. Not always in the first few moments, but if you keep at it, it works. Just fake it until you make it. Soon your happy singing will show you how much control you do have over your own emotions.

When people do a laughing meditation in which they all gather in a circle and get ready to laugh. At the stroke of a certain hour the teacher hits a gong, and all the monks begin to laugh. They have to laugh, whether or not they feel like it. But after a few moments the laughter becomes contagious. Soon all the monks are laughing genuinely and heartily. Children do this, too. They start giggling for no reason. The truth is this: laughter itself can make you laugh. The secret of happiness is hidden inside that last sentence. But adults aren't always comfortable with this. Adults want kids to have reasons for laughing.

But adults might want to get back that appreciation for joyful spontaneity. We might want to confront the question, "What is the one thing that most makes me feel like singing?" And then know the answer: "Singing." What most gets you in the mood to dance? Dancing. The next time you ask someone to dance, and they say. "I don't feel like dancing," you might reply, "That's because you're not dancing."

What is your opinion on this? Let me know in the comment section below.