Late the other night, my husband and I were clicking through a trail of funny and cute YouTube videos and we came across a video called the Skype Laughter Chain. Within minutes, both of us were cracking up and I even had (happy) tears streaming down my face! It is one of the happiest videos I have ever seen and I quickly added the video to the Laugh highlight on the front page of The World Needs More Happy website. Shortly after watching the video, we went to sleep and an amazing thing happened. I had one of the best night’s sleep I have had in weeks. I know this because not only did I feel more rested the next morning, but I also wear a device called a BodyBugg, which monitors my activity and sleep patterns. Today, while looking over a week of BodyBugg reports, I found that the night I laughed until I cried, I had a more sound and restful sleep than the other six nights in the week. Coincidence? Maybe.

I will be testing my “laughter induces sounder sleep” theory again as I have made a commitment to myself to laugh more every day. As I made this commitment, I realized there aren’t that many Laugh Out Loud (LOL) moments in each day and had to ask myself how I can live up to my LOL commitment.

First – I decided to lighten up and be a little more fun. I tend to be a serious person – happy, but serious. Some people think that to be a happy person you need to be in hyper-happy mode all the time, kind of like being overexcited. That is not me. I am calm, sometimes intense, and NEVER hyper. So, I need to lighten up and be a little less intense.

Second – I decided to start helping other people lighten up themselves. I have been attending quite a number of business networking gatherings lately and I noticed (and felt) a lack of levity in these meetings and in conversations with others. I know we are all there to present ourselves professionally and promote our product or services, but let us be a little less dry and staunch about it. I am much more apt to remember the presentation that is a little more on the lively side, with smiles and genuine authenticity. I often wonder if the people at these meetings acted the way they do with their friends and family, if their business would improve. By being less intense and being more like my real self while maintaining my professionalism, I think I can help lighten the mood and get others to relax a little as well.

Thirdly – I decided to find things to make me laugh. If I cannot find things to laugh at during my daily life, then I need to seek it out. I am relying on trusty YouTube for this. If you search ‘laugh’ in YouTube, you will find hundreds of funny clips. Beware – sometimes funny to one person may not be funny to you. I have been posting Laugh and Dance videos on The World Needs More Happy for months now and I watch every video all the way through to make sure some random act of ‘unkindness’ or a person or pet isn’t hurt in the video. I am fortunate that I can count my YouTube surfing as work!

I invite you to join me in my LOL commitment. I always enjoy receiving funny video clips, stories, jokes, etc. I often times post things on The World Needs More Happy that come from our members. This is our community and your input is as valuable as anyone else’s is. I look forward to hearing from you!

Many smiles and LOL moments to you!