The Parkinson audience roared with laughter. Earthy humour goes down well in UK! Michael probed further "You walk a tight rope with your humour. Where do you draw line?" "I don't. Things are so terrible some times that only way you can relieve tension is to try a joke to get people to laugh .I lost four friends in twin towers. That’s serious big time. I made first jokes about it because it was so horrible that, when people came to see I me, I did jokes to relieve tension. My husband committed suicide and I went on stage a week later and said: 'It was my fault because we were making love and I took bag off my head. It makes people relax" Michael commented. "You make fun of old age but one certain fact of matter is, as far as you are concerned, you keep getting better and better as a stand up.You have a sense of confidence; you have a sense of experience; you have timing which doesn't go...."

Joan interrupted with feeling: "And they've done it all to me. Do you know what I'm saying? I've been fired. I've been thrown out. I've been told I'm over. I've been told five times: "Forget about her "...so you keep coming back. So an audience doesn't like me. It makes you sad but I know there's a tomorrow and that makes a big difference I think that's why you come on stage. You just want to have fun." Joan Rivers is a survivor and a great success in her own way. She has helped people to laugh at old age, suicide, terrorism and death. She has helped middle aged cope with their unflattering looks:

"Look in mirror if you're over 50 and you have two choices - death or humour."

Joan believes in having fun. She is one of those who whistles while she works. People can endure boring work so long as they can chat and have fun occasionally with their work mates. Even soccer stars who love game often miss banter in changing room most when they retire.

My most successful lessons as a martial arts instructor have been when lesson has been fun. Both young and old students enjoy drills which demand quick reactions but which do not end in pain.

Blocking and evasion skills, for example, can be taught by having one student throw boxing gloves at another. Even if block fails empty glove does not hurt. I have just tried throwing a woolly hat at cat to improve her evasion skills but she does not seem to enjoy this at all. She just turned her back on me in disgust. I think a dog might have a greater sense of fun! Before all cat lovers complain, I do realize that many cats do enjoy play.

Every one loves to hit things especially things that don't hit back! Focus mitt and shield drills are fun. You can work very hard hitting them and having fun at same time. You learn all kinds of kicking and striking skills while you enjoy yourself. Working out to lively music is fun. Aerobics instructors have realised this from start. It is no accident that their classes are full.

When I taught Religious Education, pupils learned fastest when they were learning through games and quizzes where they could have fun at same time. They learned a great deal without realising that they were working hard.

The seven dwarves in Disney's Snow White had right idea. Even if you are doing boring work in mines, whistle while you work and have some fun. The time will go a lot more quickly and you will still get work done.

•Speakers who promote business opportunities sometimes give impression that making money is easy. It may be easy for them after years of experience but it is not easy for beginners who soon run into what seem to be major roadblocks and not all experts are keen to help once seminar is over. They have their own lives and projects to get on with.

•Modern culture encourages belief in easy solutions. You want a meal? No problem. Five minutes in microwave is enough. No need for any drudgery like peeling potatoes and putting joints in oven.

•People get used to instant solutions and shortcuts. The idea of steady, patient work becomes less fashionable.

•Abundance teaching is partly to blame for people thinking they can get rich without work. People are taught that if they visualise themselves in a mansion with their favourite cars etc, these things will materialise.

•I believe that abundance thinking does help achieve dreams but it can make people think that only a little work is necessary. The universe will take care of it. But universe usually works when you do. God helps those who help themselves.

Michael Angier teaches that you are a success moment you take action toward a worthy objective.

Action is key word here. Humans can think and/or can take action. Some people only think and some people only act. We need both. Even spiritual life demands real, down to earth action. The Bible stresses importance of what people think and believe but also teaches that 'faith without works' is dead.

Clint Eastwood as gun toting preacher in film 'Pale Rider' offers to help break up a rock for his host. He is invited to do something more 'spiritual'. He comments:

"Spirit ain't worth spit without a little exercise. There's plain few problems cain't be solved with a little sweat and hard work."

Work is one of those values which should become fashionable again. Work is necessary. Without work and action we will achieve nothing. Even when we are doing a job we enjoy, some boring drudgery is necessary.

At moment my 'job' is being a writer and info publisher. I love some of this work but I hate logging on to websites. Logging on is boring work. You have to find your user name and password. I have sometimes forgotten both and then need to wait for an email to tell me what my password is or have to get into my password software to find out. This usually involves remembering or looking up another password!

Sometimes you find that owner of website you are trying to reach has gone out of business or has turned site into a membership site where you have to pay yet another monthly fee to access stuff inside it. The owner may even have no record that you joined his site and you then have to find receipts etc. from years back.

You also have to keep track of how many membership sites you belong to and which credit cards you used to pay your initial and recurring membership fees. If you decide to cancel your membership, you then have to spend time finding out or rediscovering how you do this.

We just have to accept fact that some drudgery and boring work is necessary in everything we do. Let's not waste time moaning about it. It is part of reality of universe just like cleaning our teeth and visiting dentist.

If we have this attitude of just getting on with it, we will achieve more and succeed much more quickly than we thought possible. We can then sit back, for a while at least, and enjoy sunshine or, in my case, rain.

I do not mean by this that all we get in UK is rain. At moment we are, in my opinion, getting too much sunshine and humidity. I prefer rain and wind and cold! It is much more motivating!

Of course, it is important to work on high priority tasks. We need to decide which tasks are most productive and then get on with those. If we do not do this we can spend hours working and achieving nothing much.

After hours of work on trivial tasks we will feel little satisfaction. After hours of work on key tasks we will begin to feel excitement and enthusiasm that goes with achievement.

Marketing is a key task that many business men and women find boring. They would prefer to spend time improving products they are selling. However, excitement of making sales can soon make up for any boredom involved and good marketing is often natural expression of enthusiasm felt for a great product.

Work, then, is still necessary. It can be boring and frustrating but it can also lead on to excitement and adventure of success.