Motivational Article

It was one of those days where I knew I would have been better off staying in bed...
One small problem however, was that my daughter was screaming at the top of her lungs at 6:00 a.m. that she wanted to go to school (which is a miracle in itself...)
Her father, my partner, was away at the time, so the only solution was to get out of bed...

That's how this day started.
It appeared on the surface innocent enough, but the passing hours seemed only to confirm my original idea of staying in bed.
It was much too hot for Amsterdam, with no escape provided by the cooling breeze of an air conditioner, (as it seems that in Holland they haven't heard about this invention yet).

I had 1,000 items on my To Do list but it looked like Murphy created his famous law, whilst observing the universe effectively annulling any possibility of my doing anything on this given day.

Around 15:00 I knew it for certain - the world was indeed against me, and somebody up there was doing his best to make my life miserable.

Don't you have those days when you KNOW that there is a planetary conspiracy against you!

Well, when you have such a day, it's high time to become an angel.
"An Angel?" you ask. "Yes, an angel!"

You know why angels can fly?

... Because they take themselves lightly ...

I guess from their perspective, nothing is too serious.

Seriousness is disease-oriented. The word disease itself says it all... dis-ease. Seriousness creates a feeling of heaviness. When I feel inwardly weighed down, it is not possible to see things as they are. I fall into the trap of thinking that my problems are so important and that life/the universe/the weather/the government is out there to get me.

I realized a long time ago (although I tend to forget it on days like these) that I am not so important that life will be solely dedicating its resources to ruining my day (for that matter also dedicated its resources to improving my day).

We humans are under the impression that we are SO IMPORTANT.
Well, the truth is that our species is just another animal running on the topsoil of this little planet, in a roadside galaxy in this huge, vast universe...

In order to survive one of these days, you will need to approach it with a bit of humor.
As the Monty Pythons song suggests: "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!"

Here are a few of my favorite approaches:

	When your partner is complaining you are becoming too heavy for him, just remind him what a wonderful partner you are. When he agrees (he has to) just tell him how lucky he is, as he is getting 10% more of you each year.
	When you worked for hours creating a special gourmet meal, and your kids are complaining that there is 'NOTHING' to eat - just remind them that you have worked very hard on this 'NOTHING', so they'll just have to eat this 'NOTHING' or create by themselves something else...
	When your computer keeps crashing in a middle of an important document, just interpret it as a sign that you need to "sleep on this problem" - and take yourself to bed for a few hours.

Laughter is a great healer.
Laughter produces endorphins, our body's natural painkiller.
Laughter improves the functioning of the immunity system.
Hearty laughter is literally good for the heart, because when we laugh it causes our blood vessels to dilate. And that is certainly better than having them die early!

There's a known story of a cancer patient that was given 3 more days to live.
He decided to enjoy his last hours to the fullest.
He checked in to the most expensive suite of a luxury hotel, rented all his favorite Charlie Chaplin movies and settled in, in front of the big screen TV in his suite.
After 2 weeks he had to leave the hotel as his credit card was not accepted anymore.
When he came back to the hospital for further checks - the cancer had disappeared.
He literally laughed his cancer away...

So use this medicine as often as possible, particularly in relation to yourself.
Laughing at yourself will give you a perspective about who you are and will bring you back to the present time.

So if you wish to become an angel remember the three most important rules:
1. Laugh as much as possible;
2. Don't make anything a problem; and
3. Take YOURSELF lightly

Life is a cosmic joke - just keep laughing as you go...

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Article by: Vered (Tanmayo) Neta, trainer, coach and lecturer, specializes in relationships and women issues.
To learn more about her workshop, Art of Relating, click here.

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