There's something freeing about staring death in face. Our natural tendency is to tiptoe around those who are suffering, but when you can't even imagine ever smiling again, there's nothing more welcome than a nearly-pee-your-pants belly laugh.

If you're sitting at bottom of a well, another weight around your neck isn't going to help. You need to look up, to feel light, to rise up and climb out of your dark hole. When you've lost all hope, laughter lifts you up and mindfulness helps you see your way to top.

Seems like a perfect combination to me.

I love fact that mindfulness-based techniques have been developed to help those suffering from anxiety and depression. I only wish they incorporated a healthy dollop of humor at a time when it is sorely needed and remarkably healing.

Finding hilarity in your failed suicide attempt? Now that's a sure sign of climbing out of that well. I've held hands and laughed with others during their "I'm such a loser I can't even kill myself right!" talks. With humor, warmth, and gentle guidance, we can use mindfulness to plant seed of gratitude that grows into joy.

In face of despair, mindfulness and laughter are a breath of fresh air.

Breathe deeply.

Occasionally, however, people do break free and go on to live truly splendid lives. These are people who provide testimonials that make next group of aspirants sign up. They prove that personal development is possible.

What creates magic of positive change?

Given large variety of self-empowerment workshops, each espousing a completely different philosophy and world-view, it can't really be information that they provide.

What makes change is that they give you what you could have got all by yourself--the understanding that in order to lead good life you have to tap into goodness within.

This goodness comes, first, from complete and utter self-acceptance and love.

From there you start to appreciate how far you've already come. And once you get into gratitude, energy begins to escalate.

After self-love and gratitude, your next step is possibility thinking. When you realize that something is possible, you start to head in that direction. All inhibitions spontaneously fall away.

Small successes then lead to bigger successes.

One day, you'll realize that you've become master of your game and your life has taken many magical turns that now allow you to live a life “beyond your wildest dreams.”

And it all started because you chose to tap goodness within.

Saleem Rana, M.Sc., is a psychotherapist in Denver, Colorado. Additional Resources For Spiritual & Psychological Growth

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