Tag Archive for: gratitude

An exercise to do NOW

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I’ve got a great exercise for you today.

Like many things in life, I discovered it by chance. But Linda, there’s no such thing as chance, you may ask! No doubt not. HAHAHA!

I invite you to do this wonderful exercise NOW.

Here. Right now. Without a second thought. You’ll see why. It’s simple, but it speaks volumes.

Take a sheet of paper and make a small black dot in the middle.

Have you done it? Stop reading and DO IT.

Here we are.

Now describe what you see.

Take 3 minutes to describe what you see. Don’t cheat! Stop reading and DO IT!!! FOR REAL! On any piece of paper, but DO IT! Otherwise, look at the photo and describe what you see! HAHAHA!

Then…

Look at what you’ve written.

Are you talking about the blackhead? Its size, its position on the sheet? Its dark color?

or…

Are you talking about the whole white part of the sheet?

What’s happening

The little blackhead is like the worries, the health problems, the financial worries, the whole shebang that preoccupies us in life.

Think about it for a moment.

The blackheads are very small when compared with all the OTHER things in our lives. Yet they are what pollute our lives.

Then what?

Take your eyes off the black spots in your life and realize how much you have. Enjoy every satisfaction, every positive moment that life gives you.

See the abundance around you… and ENJOY MORE! You’ll live happier.

 

My own experience

I suggested this exercise to my newsletter subscribers in an e-mail sent out a few days ago. This morning, as I was talking to a friend who was sharing her thoughts on a subject that was on our minds, I had a revelation!

I was focusing on the black spot! On what wasn’t working, what was bothering me, what was missing! And I didn’t see everything else that was blossoming in my life!

Crazy!!!

Realizing this immediately led me to LOOK and THANK for everything else.

In doing so, guess what happened?

YES! The “black spot” lost importance in my eyes because the rest was dazzling!

Really. Great exercise!

Have you done it?

Tell me… if you too will have revelations like mine! HAHAHA!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

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An evening ritual

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Do you have any rituals?

I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of ritualizing certain moments and events in life.

We all have rituals we don’t think about: brushing our teeth after meals, washing up in the morning (or at the end of the day), setting the table in the evening for breakfast the next day (my mother does it!), drinking a cup of hot water in the morning (I do it!).

I have one that’s particularly good for me.

Every evening for almost a year now, I’ve been answering four questions in a little notebook in which I record my thoughts.

It was while reading an article by a man who wrote about why he likes to keep a diary that the idea of giving it a try came to me. Not just any kind of diary, but one in which he answers specific questions in the morning and evening.

I wanted to try out her evening ritual and, to my great surprise, I was completely hooked!

Even when I go to bed tired after a long day, I make a point of recording my answers in my notebook.

In doing so, I find that I fall asleep reviewing my day and having focused on something positive most of the time.

My comments

The first question leads me to look back on my day as a whole: What did I learn today?

It’s quite fascinating to realize that every day we have the opportunity to learn something new! Sometimes it’s as simple as “I learned that I can sing in Italian – phonetically!” and other times it’s more technical like “I learned how to use a new software program!”

The second is awareness of the greater and the invisible: Where have I seen or felt the divine touch?

It’s everywhere! What have I seen, heard, smelled, observed that is BEAUTIFUL, generous, lovable? It’s there, that divine touch.

The third is to observe my evolution: How am I different?

This one sometimes gives me a hard time! But I always come up with something. “I’m more patient with…” or “I think I’m less…”.

And the last one is about my emotions during the day: How did I feel?

Ah here, it’s like a festival of colors! I see my whole day again. “Amused, sad, satisfied, lucid, worried, serene, loved, loving, suffering, impatient, frustrated, joyful, grateful, light…” Quite often, I find that I’ve gone through a whole range of emotions – like a rapidly flashing strobe light. And I give thanks for all these signals.

My conclusion

I’ve realized that if I don’t do this exercise before going to sleep, it’s like forgetting what I’ve done and who I’ve been during the day! And taking a look at myself by answering these questions makes me more… human and aware of what I’m going through.

I see that I’ve lacked patience at some point, that an event has caused me pain, that I’ve been thrilled by beauty, that I’ve fully appreciated something or someone.

It’s a bit like giving myself a pat on the back, congratulating myself on what’s “to my liking”, forgiving myself for “what tripped me up” and telling myself that tomorrow I’ll have another chance to keep learning!

I really like this ritual.

My recent addition to this ritual

A few weeks ago, I started writing down a section to prepare for the next day: What would I like to ask for tomorrow?

And I fall asleep with a lighter heart every night.

Will you try?

If you do, let me know. I’m interested to know if you’re also experiencing beautiful things with this evening writing ritual.

HAHAmaste

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

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I met the lawyer!

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I have an amazing story to tell you. I met the lawyer!

Not just any lawyer, but the one mentioned in the article I read while waiting my turn for physiotherapy in 2003. YES! The very one to whom I owe my current success with laughter yoga! (If that doesn’t ring a bell, listen to this and you’ll understand better)

Imagine my joy

Last weekend, I was Master of Ceremonies at the Canadian Laughter Yoga Conference in Canmore, Alberta. It was a big job, requiring concentration, energy, dynamism and… preparation. Three days of sharing, inspiring, laughing-laughing-connecting. In short, it was great! (and very tiring!).

I was a little out of the way, at a table just finishing preparing the presentation for the next speaker, when I had an epiphany.

A beautiful woman was sitting at a table near me. I looked at the name on her roundel: Catherine Lawrence, Toronto, “chicken lady”…

I looked up at her and simply said in a low voice, “Are you a lawyer?”

When she said yes, I got up and hugged her! (I think it was the first time she’d ever been hugged after saying she was a lawyer! HAHAHA)

The beautiful blonde from the article. The one who had stopped practicing law to offer corporate laughter programs! That was HER.

I was in the presence of THE woman through whom my love affair with laughter yoga began!

Do you think I was incredulous to find myself standing in front of the woman holding a wooden spoon in one hand and a rubber chicken in the other in the magazine photo, 21 years later? OH YES!

Most of all, I was grateful to be able to tell him directly how this article had changed the course of my life.

The impact of our actions

Have you ever thought that each of our actions can have an impact on one or more people without us even knowing it?

  • You look at a garment in the store and hesitate to buy it. In the end, you don’t take it. Someone passes by and sees what could be the perfect gift for their child, buys it and makes someone happy.
  • At the grocery store, you pass a person who has only two items to pay for. This person walks out of the store and smiles at the people she meets. One of them is going through a difficult time, but this stranger’s smile warms her heart.
  • The short videos I post on social networks cross oceans and do good for countless people!
  • INSERT YOUR OWN EXAMPLE…

It was good for both of us to know that the other person existed.

In my case, to know that the person I was grateful to was actually there with me.

And in hers, that this article not only allowed the woman I was to put laughter back into her life, but also helped a multitude of people around the world to feel happier through my actions.

The domino effect!

Just like the “circles in the water” that go from strength to strength. A joyful echo that spreads around the world. Even if we don’t SEE it, it’s there!

So don’t stop laughing, smiling and breathing. You don’t know how many lives will be impacted by these simple, beneficial actions.

THANK YOU to Catherine Lawrence!

And thank you for reading.

HAHAmaste

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

 

Ending the day on a positive note

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I don’t know about you, but I really like to end my work day on a positive note. I thought I’d share with you what I do to give you some ideas!

Here’s what I’m putting on the menu.

  1. Ending the day with a quick phone call to check in on someone – a customer, a colleague, a friend – just to say I’m thinking of them. It always makes them smile, and it’s good for both of us.
  2. Send an e-mail that says “Thank you” to someone. It’s a ritual that feels good.
  3. Taking the last 10 minutes to tackle a task we’ve been putting off is like taking that first bite of elephant before the next day. And elephants are eaten one bite at a time, as you well know!
  4. Tidy up your work surface to find a welcoming space the next morning.
  5. Completing one last task on your to-do list will give you a sense of accomplishment.
  6. Write down things to do the next day. It’s a great way to clear your mind and help you concentrate better the next day.
  7. Meditate for a few minutes. There are many applications that can help. Yes, it takes a bit of practice, but the benefits are enormous in terms of stress reduction. Don’t feel like meditating? Then take a series of breaths (cardiac coherence), smiling broadly.
  8. Research shows that simply performing the same ritual at the end of the working day became a way of closing up store and moving on. Turning off the lights, tidying up the desk…
  9. Take a moment to think about what went well, noting 3 things we’re grateful for, the small successes. The worse the day has gone, the more important this ritual is!
  10. Do something fun, dance, raise your arms to the sky and say “WOOHOO! The day is over”.

And what about you? What do you do to take a break between work and home? Especially now, when many people are telecommuting. It’s harder to “let go of work” while you’re on the way home – commuting time often sucks! It only takes a moment to switch from office space to family space. This makes it all the more important to plan the smiling transition between the two.

Have a nice evening!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

A real HAPPY DAY!

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A little over a year ago, I received a phone call and an e-mail from a certain Rossana Bruzzone. She left me a message in lilting French – Italian accent, I wondered? Spanish? hum… – inviting me to be part of a project she was working on. Montreal, the happiest city.
Having lived in Montreal for almost 14 years, I’ve grown to love this city of many faces and colorful neighborhoods. I still work here several times a month, and even though I no longer live here, it still feels like home.
After a laughing conversation with Rossana, I immediately agreed to provide her with gifts for her events and also to host a special “Laughter and Good Humor” evening at a Mile End café. That day, a love story was born between the two of us.

Rossana is a luminary. In every sense of the word! She spreads joy and hope. The name she has chosen for her business is “Neige en Couleurs”. Originally from Italy (I had it all right!), Rossana has been living in Montreal since 2013 and offers optimistic writing workshops and all sorts of “courses” that feel good and make you smile. Optimist writing is a branch of autobiographical writing that aims to highlight the beauty of everyday life: encounters, surprises, happy events.Rossana is leader of the project Montréal, la ville la plus heureuse au monde, produced as part of the Je fais Mtl movement. She co-created a documentary, #Mtllaplusheureuse, which involved the community involvement of 400 citizens.

After his event on Mont-Royal, “Le grand cri: Montréal est la ville la plus heureuse”, we agreed to meet again to explore what we could do together. And we came up with THE HAPPY DAY!
A great day to cultivate joy, happiness and laughter in your life!
Frankly, if I hadn’t organized it, I would have signed up for this day! hahaha! You’ll leave with a smile… that’s more than a promise!
We’ll be at 400 Atlantic Street, Suite 602 in Montreal.
Registration required: https://www.yogadurire.com/boutique/happy-rendez-vous/
Or call 514 806.4057

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

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!

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