Lighten Up!

By Ann Yaggie, Certified Coach & Executive Consultant

Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peter” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so g—damn seriously.’” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?”

                “There aren’t any.”

Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander, The Art of Possibility

When I first read the short story above, my initial reaction was delight in the possibility that life could be as easy as simply deciding not to take myself so seriously. Can I actually overcome my troubles and challenges by getting over myself?  How wonderful to realize that by remaining calm and cool about the problems that I would have previously lost composure over, I’m actually taking control of my life. If I take myself less seriously, I get to choose the things that get to me, so to speak.

Easy Ways to Lighten Up Your Day – Starting Now

• Accept that you don’t know everything, and begin living your life in a way that reflects this. Too often I watch myself and others run around with minor “master of the world” complexes that get in the way of actually learning and listening.
• Let go of the unnecessary things that weigh you down or cause you too much stress. So you made a mistake on your most recent newsletter or forgot your sister’s birthday. Make amends and let it go.
• Choose how you feel, instead of allowing your emotions to take over. Things (as I mentioned on my most recent Newsletter on Finding Your Center) go crazy. Life is unpredictable. Don’t let life control your mental wellbeing.
• Keep your ego in check. When faced with a stressful interaction, project, or decision, ask yourself “Why do I care about this so much? Is my concern founded on something worthwhile, or something selfish in nature?”
• Make time to reflect on all of the events going on in your life, and stay focused on the major objectives of your work and activities. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day demands of life when you lose sight of the reason you signed up in the first place. Is something you signed up for no longer providing your with the experience or result that originally motivated you? Perhaps the payoff isn’t balanced by the emotional or energy cost?

If you start to practice just one of the processes for refining your way of looking at life, I believe you’ll find it just a little easier to deal with the next unexpected challenge with a little more levity and composure.

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