As a child I was considered to be a dreamer and a thinker.
I was intense and took life very seriously. In my earlier years this
caused me a great deal of pain. My father constantly wanted me to stop
dreaming and start doing.
I pondered over everything and analysed life way too much. My imaginary
world was perfect, but my day-to-day reality was not nearly as perfect
as the world in my head.
I don't think much has changed since then except for one thing - I am
working hard on a daily basis not to take myself and life too
seriously. My friends often remind me to "hang loose" and have more
fun. I truly appreciate this constant reminder to take myself lightly
and to go with the flow.
Often, when I spot people who take themselves so seriously that they
can just explode, I only hope I don't do that "serious" thing that
often.
A while ago I was invited to address members of a big blue-chip
corporate and we had loads of fun. The feedback came in a few days
later and, although I had the highest score of all the speakers, a few
"serious" people didn't appreciate my informal approach to life.
True to my nature, I took the feedback and started worrying about the
fact that I could have offended someone or said something out of line
or missed the point, etc, etc. It was only when I called a friend to
discuss this matter that he reminded me that I was taking life too
seriously, just like the two people who had complained.
When it comes to life, know these few facts:
You cannot please all of the people all of the time. There will be
people who you will disappoint by just being yourself. Do you have to
change for them? Most definitely not. If you are not intentionally
harming them or hurting them, you shouldn't change.
It is your obligation to be yourself. Be authentic to yourself, the
people you love and the world in general, and develop yourself to
become the greatest you can be.
The quality of your own life and that of others is dramatically
enhanced if you put a smile on your face, and even more so if you can
put a smile on someone else's face too.
Laughter releases stress and heals the body, mind and soul.
Learning to laugh will be the most rewarding skill you can attain in
your life.
So, in the final analysis:
Be authentic;
Don't take yourself too seriously;
Don't take life too seriously;
Endeavour to put a smile on your face and the faces of those around you; and
Laugh it off if they can't take a joke. Be happy and show it!!!
文章定位：
