A clinical psychiatrist at Stanford University has found that a good laugh raises pulse and blood pressure and releases adrenaline into system. The lungs expand and torso muscles expand and contract. After laughter, blood pressure and heart rate return to normal. Laughter is said to be like jogging in place.

Leaders use humor to communicate goals and motivate their followers.

That’s why late Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, giant retailer, was willing to put on a hula skirt and dance down Wall Street when Wal-Mart employees met a challenge he had laid down.

It is not necessary to be another Johnny Carson to provoke a rejuvenating laugh or enjoy a joke. Lighten up. Be willing to laugh at yourself. See and tolerate absurdities on job. They do exist and they are not necessarily end of world.

Tommy May, CEO of Simmons First National Bank, who is an arch conservative in business matters, put humor to work to motivate workers in a United Way campaign by letting his chief competitor throw a chocolate pie in his face when May-led team came in second in raising money.

Use humor carefully. Don’t overdo it. Don’t violate rules of your workplace. Don’t laugh at people; laugh with them.

Heed wisdom of Mark Twain: “…the law of work…the higher pay in enjoyment worker gets out of it, higher shall be his pay in money also.”

It all comes down to advice from one sage observer who said, “Get happiness out of your work or you may never know what happiness is.”

xxx For more information on achieving success in world of work visit www.CommonSenseAtWork.com

a. Don’t limit your time to get there. It took awhile to get where you are. Give yourself time to get to where you want to be. b. Find objective people to help you knock down barriers. Maybe a pastor, a counselor/coach, or an objective friend. Many friends and family can not be objective so you must be discerning in these choices. c. Step out of your comfort zone. To do something you really want to do may require hard work or short-term sacrifice to be able to get it. Even if it is your family who has to participate in sacrifice, in long-run it will be a better life for them also. d. And most importantly, pray to God to give you guidance and direction every step of way. If it feels right you will know it’s from God.

When I decided that I wanted to become a Christian Counselor there were many barriers. I would have to go back to graduate school for a minimum of two years. To do that I would have to quit my job and we would have to sell our house and reduce our expenses significantly. This would affect my husband and kids as much as it would affect me. At time I was commuting to New Orleans to work. We were making a lot of money, however, we were spending it on a house I didn’t see and my kids were spending more time with babysitter than me. So yes, they hated giving up pool and unlimited wish list, but we have transformed our family life and spend incredibly special time together.

The Lord promises us peace and joy if we follow Him. He never said anything about easy. But I have experienced His promise. By stepping out in faith and following His plan for my life, He has rewarded me tenfold. I hope that you are at a place in your life where you can stop to find God’s plan for you. I realize how difficult this process is for anyone, especially if you are busy. At Murphy Toerner and Associates our mission is to equip people for successful living. I have developed a Life by Design coaching program that can provide you with some structure and accountability in this process. It also includes many exercises and assessments to help you discover who you are and what you want out of life. And most importantly we provide a sounding board to help you brainstorm ideas, to pray with you and for you, to be an objective collaborator, and to gently show you discrepancies in your plan or areas that may be outside of God’s plans. If you feel like you may want some help, simply call us at (225)753-7773 or look for more information on our website at www.murphytoerner.com . In meantime, I hope that these ideas will help you to:

•Assess where you are in your life.

•Equip you to uncover your authentic self and dreams for future.

•Inspire you to tap in to God’s love and power in your life.

•And motivate you to act through or around your barriers.

I will end with a favorite bible verse. One that really helped me to have patience through process of finding God's plan for my life.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh

a time to mourn and a time to dance

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

If you enjoyed this article and are interested in more articles by this author and other free resources please visit our website www.murphytoerner.com.

Counseling & Coaching Available: Call our offices @ 225.753.7773