Which films make you laugh?

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I’m often on the road with passengers (I’m a member of a car-sharing organization) and I always ask them what films – or TV series (or NETFLIX) – made them laugh. Sometimes, I only have one title to jot down in my little “good humor” notebook, and other times, I have several ideas thanks to them!

I’ll never forget the passengers who made the Ottawa-Toronto trip with me! The one at the front mentioned several titles: White Chicks (to which the others reacted by laughing and saying that it was a silly film, but funny too), Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au bon Dieu?, Détestable moi… and Les Visiteurs!

*The Visitors*! One of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen! For the rest of the ride, every time one of us would say a line out loud, the other would burst out laughing! You can’t imagine how hard we laughed just saying, “Come on, Béa!!! The bottle of Chanel!!!!!!!!!!” “Monsieur Ouille…”We both knew scenes from this movie by heart! The passengers in the back started laughing when they heard us laughing so hard while talking about this movie! The car of good cheer! That’s exactly what we were! Honestly, even though it was a five-hour drive, it felt so short that day!!

So I’m sharing some of my titles with you…

  1. CHIPS: I’ll admit it (guilty pleasure), I laughed a LOT at this movie! It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I laughed out loud a lot of the time!
  2. What have we done to God?: Oh, I really liked that! With Christian Clavier, by the way. A couple marries off their daughters to men of different nationalities and religions. Hello, clichés!
  3. Detestable me: I think you all know what this is! A great animated film that feels good.
  4. Les Visiteurs: starring Jean Reno, Christian Clavier and Valérie Lemercier, among others. One of the funniest films I’ve ever seen! A dream cast and a formidably effective script.
  5. Asterix and Obelix, Mission Cleopatra: MY movie for laughs! My favorite! Every time I watch it (yes! I have the DVD), I start laughing again at something I didn’t remember! With Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, Alain Chabat, Jamel Debbouze, Édouard Baer, Monica Belluci, Gérard Darmon… A great cast! And I know some of his lines by heart!
  6. Brice de Nice: Completely couik this film but the first time I saw it, I laughed out loud! “J’t’ai cassé!!!”
  7. Frankie & Grace: Great Netflix series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Two middle-aged women become friends… two very different friends!
  8. Absolutely Fabulous: The series, not the movie… Patsy and Edina made me laugh out loud several times!
  9. Dame Edna: Ah, that’s what I occasionally give myself for a laugh on YouTube! Such an ordinary housewife! (NOT!)
  10. The Graham Norton Show: A unique Englishman! A talk show with a difference! Also on YouTube.

I’m always on the lookout for things that might help me cultivate my sense of humor – I prefer comedies to dramas at certain times of my life (and day!). And when I need it, I have MY LIST! It’s right there in my laughter toolbox.

What would your list of funny movies look like? Or funny shows?

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

P.S. To this list, I would add Lâcher prise, La petite vie, Les Magnifiques, Bridemaids, Les Boys (especially the first film)… and Top Secret!

A mini-challenge to laugh for 5 minutes over 5 days in February

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Oh la la…

I’ve had a lot of requests to do another 5-minute-a-day laughter challenge live on Facebook! But I’m running out of time this month. It’s quite a challenge to commit to being live, every day at the same time for 21, 30 or 40 days! But I thought I’d offer a mini-challenge to help you get off to a good start each day by laughing with you from February 16 to 20 at 8 a.m. Quebec time / 6 p.m. Paris time!

Unlike the other challenges, this time I’m also suggesting doing something extra. Laughing is already a lot, but this time I’m suggesting little things you can do every day to increase the joy in your life.

The one for Day 3 is very simple, but very powerful indeed. When you wake up – or as soon as you can – write down three things you’re grateful for on a piece of paper. Put your hand on your heart and think about each thing for 30 seconds. That’s all there is to it. You’ll allow this small gesture to amplify a feeling inside you: gratitude. And in the process, you’ll feel happier and calmer!

If you want to easily print the sheet to help you think about it for 7 days, the sheet to download is here

When will you start?

Have a nice day!

Laughter, joy and health

Your HAHA Sister, Linda

p.s. Would you like to treat yourself to a SUPER tool to enhance the joy and cheerfulness in your life? CHAQUE JOUR LA JOIE is for you!

p.p.s. Would you like to train for joy through multiple exercises? S’ENTRAÎNER À LA JOIE is for you too!

p.p.p.s. Use the code lindaleclerc and benefit from a 10% discount on the price of the programs!

From the aftermath of my 5/30 laughter challenge in September…

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I had received so many messages from people who followed me in my challenge to laugh for 5 minutes a day at noon during the 31 days of last March that I decided to take up another challenge in September! Just in time for the start of the new school year, the resumption of many activities, the end of summer and vacations… Bouhouhou!

Why laugh for 5 minutes? Because that’s the bare minimum to feel the positive effects of laughter.

Why laugh for 30 days? Because it seems to take 21 days to create a new habit in your life… and the following days allow you to install it properly! By doing so, not only have we put a new way of doing things into our day, but we also feel that it has become an essential need!

How does it work? I set up in front of my Facebook Live camera every morning at 9am (Eastern Time – Canada) and I share a few minutes before starting to laugh intentionally for 5 minutes. Believe it or not, my first observation is that it’s sometimes hard to start laughing “at nothing”, but just as hard to stop once the time’s up! For real! And because it’s live, many people come along and laugh “with me” from wherever they are – sometimes at home, sometimes at the office – and let me know they’re laughing by clicking on the laugh icons.

Would you like to read some comments? “I can’t believe how much hearing you laugh helps me trigger mine and once I’m gone, I’m laughing to tears until my stomach hurts!” “That’s my morning ‘good news’! Every day I sit down with you and have a good laugh! Nothing makes me feel happier!” “I was wondering how you managed to laugh like that… I see you’re practicing! It’s inspiring! I’ll do it with you! Thanks!” “I didn’t think we could laugh so much… you’re welcome! I see it now that I’m doing it with you!” “I thought 5 minutes was going to be long! It turned out to be short! And I can’t believe how MUCH BETTER I feel afterwards!”

Would you like to join us? I’ve created a“Défi RIRE 5/30 Laughter Challenge” group, and it’s bilingual!

Not on Facebook, but would you like to take up a challenge with me? I’ve posted all the videos from March on the School’s YouTube channel!

Do it and let me know what happens for you… it takes a few days!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

Halfway through… halfway through my LAUGHTER challenge

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Well…

I have to admit that this challenge is REALLY good for me! I’m like everyone else, and I don’t always feel like laughing. In fact, I’d say that disciplining myself to practice intentional laughter alone “in front of a witness” helps me to avoid getting stuck in the seriousness of certain moments of my day! I even burst out laughing when I read a word that, otherwise and “normally”, wouldn’t have amused me at all! It was as if I felt free of the situation.

And this is exactly what the practice of intentional laughter allows us to do: not to be a prisoner of the situation, but simply to look at it from a different perspective.

If I can do it, you can too!

Okay, I know. You’ll tell me I laugh easily… and it’s increasingly true. But I’m in the same mood as you. I feel down, angry, frustrated, sad, impatient… That’s right! Just like the rest of us! H U M A I N E! That’s what I am!

No one expects a person to be happy and in a good mood all the time. Emotions tell us that something is going on. There’s nothing wrong with that, because they’re there to tell us something. To change a behavior. To take care of a wound. To take care of ourselves.

So I’m as emotional as anyone living this shared human experience.

However, I CHOOSE more often to breathe and take a step back. For my greater happiness!

Give it a try! Let me know how it goes!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

P.S. if you couldn’t get started with me on FB, head over to the School’s YouTube channel and do the March 2017 challenge. I’ve even created a playlist for you!

My HAPPY Playlist

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By popular demand, I’m sharing with you some of my personal selection of “GOOD HUMOR / POSITIVE ENERGY” songs, which I hope will make you want to smile, sing along (even if you sing off-key!) and dance.

I’ve noticed that certain melodies have a huge impact on my state of mind. When I’m not feeling well, listening to something uplifting makes me feel better. You may not know it, but I spend many long hours in the car every year. When I start to feel tired or the traffic becomes stressful, I immediately choose to put on some music to wake me up… or to calm me down!

Here are a few of my best-selling songs!

At the top of my list are Miriam Makeba with Pata Pata
Zucchero Guantanamera
Bedouin Soundclash Walls fall down
Swing Republic Peas and rice (feat Csaki Universal Studios)
Talking Heads This must be the place
Zucchero Baila Sexy
Earth, Wind and Fire September
Pharrell Williams Happy
Asa Broda Ole
Jane Birkin La Gadoue
Real in Rio Theme
Fleetwood Mac Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow La SUPER LIVE!
Grand Corps Malade & John Mamann 5 heures du mat
Bourvil Fruit Salad
Happy 70 birthday Bob!
Bobby McFerrin Don’t worry, be happy
The Bee Gees Stayin’ Alive
Gaetano Veloso Mi Cocodrilo Verde
Joe Dassin Le petit pain au chocolat
Mark Ronson Uptown Funk
Paul Simon You Can Call me Al
Greg Street Good Day
Bossacucanova Bom Dia Rio
Fleetwood Mac Dreams
Chaka Demus & Pliers Twist and Shout
Angelique Kidjo Bomba
Champion Life is Good
Justin Timberlake Can’t Stop That Feeling
Moussu T Il fait Beau
Traveling Wilburies End of the Line
Mary Poppins I Love To Laugh!
Electric Light Orchestra Don’t bring me down
Damien Robitaille Plein d’amour
Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World
Kiri le Clown Générique (this one’s just to make you smile!)
Caravan Palace Je m’amuse
Richard Desjardins When I love once I love forever
and classics by many
La Compagnie Créole Ça fait rire les oiseaux C’est bon pour le moral
Nana Mouskouri Soleil Soleil
Nat King Cole A bicycle built for 2
Doris Day Que sera sera
The Jungle Book It doesn’t take much to be happy

This is not my complete list… and what’s more, it continues to improve over time.

I’m giving you a great mission, and if you accept it, you might feel happier…

Make your list too! And share your titles with us!
But above all, DANCE! SING! It feels good… and that’s a fact!

Laughter, joy and health
Linda