Write and Win Great Prizes In the Wisdom4Winning Writing Contest!

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WIN fabulous prizes in the inaugural edition of the wisdom4winning contest. All you have to do is inspire, encourage and motivate someone with your story. It's simple, just tell us a story of how defining a problem helped you look at it from a different perspective which eventually helped you solve the problem!

Winners will have their stories published on the blog. Other prizes include recharge cards of any network of your choice.

Click to read the devotional Every Solution Begins With a Definition and enter your story for the competition as a comment.

COMPETITION GUIDELINES

1. No story should exceed 300 words.
2. No use of vulgar or publicly unacceptable language will be allowed.
3. You must be a follower of wisdom4winningwithed.blogspot.com and/or the wisdom4winning twitter feed. Facebook followers shall also be entertained.
4. Comments or stories should be published on the blog using ONLY the first comment box. Comment with your Facebook, Yahoo or AOL account.
5. If you do not have a story yet, be part of our judging by simply voting for your most inspiring story by liking the comment.
6. The entry with the highest number of likes wins the competition
7. The current competition closes on the 29th of July, 2013.

So what are you waiting for? Start writing. Let's hear your story.

EVERY SOLUTION BEGINS WITH A DEFINITION

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail”. 
- Abraham Maslow

Truly problems are actually an invitation to solutions, but problem solving is both a skill and a mindset, and the good news is that both can be developed. So in the next couple of weeks we will explore the matter of problem solving. Our start point is the definition of a problem. Albert Einstein said “if I had one hour to save the world I would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and only 5 minutes finding the solution. This is simply because your definition of a problem determines your perspective and approach to solving it, thus a wrong definition produces a wrong perspective and approach.

A young couple decided to start their own business. He was an engineer and she was an advertising copywriter. They bought a small salmon cannery in Alaska. They soon discovered they had a problem. Customers opening a can of their salmon discovered that the fish was gray. Sales dropped. Investigation revealed that the problem was a result of the way they processed the fish. "This is a technical problem," said the wife, "and you're an engineer. You have to find a way to fix this." Thus, the husband being an engineer set out to solve “the technical problem”, a month later, the husband announced that they would have to replace some machinery and make other changes. It was going to take at least 10 months to do the job and it was going to cost a lot of money. "We have to do something sooner than that," said the wife, "or we're going to go under." For the next two days she pondered and came up with another definition of the problem: “this is a labeling problem”, there was nothing wrong with the salmon--it tasted fine. The problem lay in its looks. So she changed the label on the can. In bold letters, right under the brand name, the labels thereafter announced, "The only salmon guaranteed not to turn pink in the can." Sales picked up again.

Definitions have a way of changing your perspective on a matter, while some people define their problems as obstacles, stumbling blocks, insurmountable, impossible etc, other define the same problems as stepping stones, learning experiences, and so on.

Friends before jumping right into solving your next “problem” take a step back and invest time and effort to improve your understanding of the nature of the problem and properly defining it. This may just be the secret to solving that seemingly gigantic problem before you.

PROBLEMS, FACILITATORS OF PROGRESS

WISDOM NUGGET: "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
                                                                                                       - Haruki Murakami

Problems are like pregnant women. They usually come pregnant with "progress babies" inside of them. Please understand that most problems are a good sign. Problems actually indicate that progress is being made, that wheels are turning and that you are moving toward your goals. Beware when you have no problems; because then you really have a problem. Take it or leave it, problems are like landmarks of progress.

Nelson Mandela is perhaps one of the most influential men of all time. But you would recall that he did not necessarily set out to become that. He just wanted to solve the problem of Apartheid. He was so consumed with his drive for finding a solution to that problem that when the problem began to swallow all he had, he most likely didn't realize it. That drive made him daring and astonishingly brave. In Soweto, when the kingdom fell in darkness and shadows ruled the night; with no sign of dawn, he soldiered on and in the long run brought the black race in South Africa back to the dawn of a new life founded in freedom. Had the brutal Apartheid regime known they would never have incarcerated him as they did. If only they knew that 27years in Roben Island will make that man  "The Number One Citizen of The World" today, they would quietly have left him alone. Today, one man's die hard decision to solve a national problem has led to "The Making of a Hero" and has put the nation of South Africa in an enviable place in the map of the world, producing the strongest economy in Africa, hosting the World Cup and becoming Africa's number one tourist destination.

If you read further our key scripture, you will notice that Paul implied that the troubles that some folks cooked up, which should have caused him more trouble in prison, brought about an explosive fast tracking of the accomplishment of the very reason why he was apprehended in the first place. Can I challenge you today to focus 90% of your time on solutions and 10% on problems and see the great world of difference it will make? It was Haruki Murakami who said, "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."

PROBLEMS, CATALYSTS OF INVENTIONS

WISDOM NUGGET: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all".

Imagine a world where there are no problems; in that kind of world, I can assure you that the word INVENTION will never exist there. All through the pages of history, we are inundated with the gallant strides of great inventors, whose inventions have made our world aglow.

 Truth be told however, in the absence of the problems that arose against humanity from time to time, the names of those inventors would never have been known. Amazingly, lots of those problems existed for so long until someone was daring enough to confront them. Those confrontations birthed great solutions, which we today refer to as inventions.

It was 1818 in France, and Louis, a boy of 9, was sitting in his father's workshop. The father was a harness-maker and the boy loved to watch his father work the leather. "Someday Father," said Louis, "I want to be a harness-maker, just like you." "Why not start now?" said the father. He took a piece of leather and drew a design on it. "Now, my son," he said, "take the hole- puncher and a hammer and follow this design, but be careful that you don't hit your hand." Excited, the boy began to work, but when he hit the hole-puncher; it flew out of his hand and pierced his eye! He lost the sight of that eye immediately. Later, sight in the other eye failed. Louis was now totally blind. A few years later, Louis was sitting in the family garden when a friend handed him a pine cone. As he ran his sensitive fingers over the cone, an idea came to him. He became enthusiastic and began to create an alphabet of raised dots on paper so that the blind could feel and interpret what was written. Thus, Louis Braille opened up a whole new world for the blind, all because of an accident!

In our key scripture above, Paul, the man who made the statement above was actually in chains, yet he calls it "light affliction". But more interestingly, he said, it is working an ETERNAL and far GREATER WEIGHT OF GLORY.

That is why the names of these great inventors will eternally be remembered, because of the problems they solved for humanity. It is popularly said that necessity is the mother of all inventions. Anthony Robbins couldn't have put it in a better light when he said, "Every problem is a gift - without problems we would not grow."

10 BENEFITS OF PROBLEMS

Wisdom Nugget: It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn...


A nurse was trying to make a baby sleep at night, but her rich experience proved fruitless. The baby was crying and simply refused any incentives. She was exasperated, went to the mistress, and asked for a book from the shelf.

The mistress said, "What is it for?" The nurse said, "I often see the master sitting with a book in hand. He soon dozes off even before he starts reading. I therefore think the book will do the same trick to the baby.

Though a funny joke from the Anthology Of Chinese Humor, this story effectively communicates how problems & pressure brings out our creativity and inventive genius. When your back is to the wall and you are down on your last dime or the house is on fire and you are stuck on the last floor of the six story building, it will shock you to know how many wonderful ideas are locked up in that little brain of yours. Truth is we learn more when under pressure than when under pleasure, when under adversity than under prosperity. This what was David meant when he said "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes"

There is a legend that an ancient despot, out walking, hurt his foot upon a sharp pebble. Thereupon, he ordered his ministers forthwith to have the whole face of the earth covered with leather, that his feet might be protected.

Knowing the impossibility of carrying out that order, and knowing the dire consequences of failing, the ministers took counsel despairingly among themselves.

But one hit upon an inspired solution. After a day's secret work, he presented to the delighted monarch, not a covered world, but a pair of leather sandals.
 Truth is 'Desperate situations always birth desperate solutions"

Things We Talk About When We Talk About Refinement

Wisdom Nugget: I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

It is a matter of great interest to visit plate-glass works, and inspect the casting-tables on which the heavy plate-glass used in the large store-windows is cast. Each table is about twenty feet long, fifteen feet wide, and from seven to eight inches thick. The rough plate is commonly nine-sixteenths of an inch thick, but after polishing it is reduced to six or seven sixteenths. All casting tables are mounted on wheels, which run on a track made to reach every furnace and strengthening-oven in the factory. The table having been delivered as near as possible to the melting furnace, a pot of molten glass is lifted by means of a crane, and its contents poured quickly out on the table. A heavy iron roller then passes from end to end, spreading the glass to  a uniform thickness. This rolling operation has to be done by expert hands quickly, as the boiling glass, when it comes in contact with the cold metal of the table, cools very rapidly. The glass is then passed into the oven. When it is ready to be taken out of the oven, its surface is very rough. In this condition it is used for skylights and other purposes where strength is desired rather than transparency. But when intended for windows it has to go through an experience of grinding, after which it is smoothed and polished. Transparent souls are made in much the same fashion. Men must be melted down in the heat of the furnace of trial; must have many a heavy roller run over them, leveling their pride and ambition; must be strengthened in the oven of patient submission.

We call it pain or problems but it is refinement. However, we aren't refined like silver in one day, instead, we are refined through many years of life, in the fiery furnace of affliction.

As Jim Rohn said "We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment". Anthony Robbins concludes "The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you."

CONDEMNED TO SUCCESS

WISDOM NUGGET: "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
                                                                                                           - Albert Einstein,

Isn't it amazing? The fact that problems are gifts, whichever way you look at it. It is exactly the way it is.

Truth be told, the presence of problems in our lives have in countless ways contributed a lot more in moving us to where we are today, than their absence have. I'm sure a brief stock taking will prove this to you.

Yinka Obalade, in an interview talked about the origins of his success. He humorously attributed his success to the problem of poverty. He explained that his fortunes in life came about as result of his condemnation to poverty.

He came from such a poor family that when people often cursed a person; they would say "may you be as poor as the Obalade family". There was no way he could have gone to school without getting a scholarship. He had only one option, which was to emerge best student in his primary to qualify for a government scholarship, which he did. At secondary school level, the same decision would make him proceed to the university on scholarship, were he still had to maintain the top position in his entire faculty, all through four years to continue to qualify to enjoy sponsorship. He either had to be the best student or not be a student at all. So he graduated with a first class by default. Simply put, he said "poverty condemned me to success."

Is poverty not one of the greatest eaters of men in life? Yet, as our key scripture says, "out of the eater has come something to eat". Out of the aching problem of acute poverty was born a die-hard determination to succeed. If Yinka Obalade said poverty condemned him to success, then even you will agree with me that that is indeed a good condemnation. I guess the longer he stayed with the problem of poverty, the more successful he had to become. Hear Albert Einstein, "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

This is how Brian Adams puts it, "Difficulties are opportunities to better things; they are stepping-stones to greater experience. When one door closes, another opens; as a natural law it has to balance."

Problems Are Opportunities, Trust Me

WISDOM NUGGET: "Out of the eater, something to eat. Out of the strong, something sweet."

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In an economy, it would be correct to say that "problems make the world go round!" Why? You ask? Here's the answer.

When I have a problem with my car, the mechanic is paid. When I have a problem with my computer, its the tech guy that makes money. When my clients want to grow their businesses, or have difficulties achieving their most important goals, I get a call - I make money.
Thank goodness for problems!

Michael had a harrowing experience trying to secure a visa to travel abroad. He made frequent visits to the embassy several times. This was annoying as each visit was a nightmare, because he had to wait for long periods; standing in long queues that seemed endless. He was so troubled about this that during one such visit, he noticed an events rental services company close to the embassy premises. Suddenly, an idea was birthed. He simply rented some chairs, moved them to the embassy premises and began to rent them for a fee (almost three times the amount he got them) to people waiting for their turns for interview at the embassy.

Payment for a spot to sit at the embassy became a regular source of income that Michael altogether shelved the idea of leaving the country. He had birthed a business out of the frustration of standing for long hours at the embassy for a visa interview.

Going through this experience was problematic for this young man, no doubt but out of that mess had emerged "something sweet"; a legitimate money spinning venture.

The truth is that if you want to make more money, you MUST learn to love solving more and bigger problems for more people. All over the world today, people do not pay to have problems analysed; they pay to have problems solved.

It was Henri Kaiser who said, "Problems are only opportunities in work clothes." And Theodore Rubin hit the "bulls eye" when he said, "the problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."

A Song In The Night

Wisdom Nugget: "We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren't crushed. We are confused, but we aren't depressed. We are harassed, but we aren't abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren't knocked out. "

Courage
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Sometimes in life we all go through the proverbial experience summed up in the axiom that says "when it rains, it pours !" That time when it looks like all hell has broken loose over you and your entire world is crashing down on you. Everywhere you turn there seems to be a problem waiting for you and your entire life is a litany of woes. You have no clue what's going on or whether Our Maker is still out there and if He cares. At such times just remember that when the night is darkest morning is near and that weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning.

During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home. One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of promises about how things always work out for good. Then, going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to his darkest hour. Soon afterward, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew goodness. Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many.

"Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed; God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head. Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day."

It is often in our darkest times that we learn of the existence of a higher power. Our sufferings and troubles help us see how weak and defenceless we truly are. We can't do everything by ourselves. And when we see this truth, like Paster Gerhardt, we receive new hope. Are you facing a great trial? Take heart. Trust and Obey. Wait a while. Things will get better and who knows, you might receive a "song in the night."

Perhaps, There's A Message In Your Mess

Wisdom Nugget:"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

                                                                                                                                - Albert Einstein.

                                                                                                                         

Joseph Addison had this to say, that “our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses and disappointments (problems); but let us have patience and we soon shall see them in their proper figures”

Someone said, "Chance favours the prepared mind." That's the genius behind all great inventions. The following “accidental” inventions by some scientists weren’t prepared for. These scientists did their science on the brink and were able to see the magic in a mistake, set-back, or coincidence.

Alexander Fleming, the accidental inventor of Penicillin - which today is one of the most famous and fortunate accidents of the 20th century arrived at this invention albeit mistakenly. Here’s how it happened, he went on vacation one day in 1928, but didn't clean up his workstation before he did. When he returned, Fleming noticed a strange fungus on some of his cultures; even stranger was that bacteria didn't seem to thrive near those cultures - he’d created “Penicillin”

Penicillin became the first, and still is one of the most widely used antibiotics today.

William Perkin wanted to cure malaria; but instead his scientific endeavors changed the face of fashion forever and, helped fight cancer. Here's how, in 1856 Perkin was trying to come up with artificial quinine. Instead of a malaria treatment, his experiments produced a thick murky mess. But the more he looked at it, the more Perkin saw a beautiful color in his mess. He unwittingly made the first-ever synthetic dye. Which was far better than any dye that came from nature; the color was brighter, more vibrant, and didn't fade or wash out. His discovery also turned chemistry into a money-generating science - making it attractive for a whole generation of curious-minded people. One of the people inspired by Perkin's work was German bacteriologist Paul Ehrlich, who used Perkin's dyes to pioneer immunology and chemotherapy.

Here’s one more message in a mess discovery. In 1907 shellac was used as insulation in electronics. It was costing the industry a pretty penny to import shellac, which was made from Southeast Asian beetles, and at home chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland thought he might turn a profit if he could produce a shellac alternative. Instead his experiments yielded a mouldable material that could take high temperatures without distorting. Baekeland thought his "Bakelite" might be used for phonograph records, but it was soon clear that the product had thousands of uses. Today plastic, which was derived from Bakelite, is used for everything from telephones to iconic movie punch lines.

Problems are often minefields for greatness, if we are patient enough to pause for a second and wade through the thick, murky, annoying and unpalatable situations called problems life throws at us – it turns out that most disappointments are blessings in disguise after all.

BEHIND EVERY PROBLEM IS AN OILFIELD

Wisdom Nugget: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

One of the most scary things in life is "closed doors" because you don't know what lies behind them. We are all scared to leave the known for the unknown and the familiar for the unfamiliar. When life suddenly hits you with a closed door (a loss of job, a failed marriage, a visa denial, a business collapse etc) the fear of "so what happens to me now ?" often leave us with that gnawing sense of hopelessness and a paralyzing helplessness.

Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government subsidy.

Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty.

This is the sad paradox of most people. Treasures are hidden in trash, destinies in destitutes, messages in a mess, gain in pain and miracles in mistakes.

THE GIFT OF PROBLEMS: IT’S COMMON

Wisdom Nuggets: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man...’’

Luck Is For Heaven

The first law of PROBLEMS is this: “They are common’’ or not ‘’ beyond the course of what others have had to face’’. Once you settle that within you then there is nothing to be ashamed of. Never be ashamed to admit it and to say ‘’I was wrong’’ when you make  a mistake or encounter a problem.
In Charles Colson's book Born Again, which details his experiences related to Watergate, Colson shares one of President Nixon's problems - he could never admit he was wrong in anything. In fact, Colson says, even when Nixon obviously had a cold - nose running, face red, sneezing, all the symptoms - he would never admit it.

When New York's Citicorp tower was completed in 1977, it was the seventh tallest building in the world. Many structural engineers hailed the tower for its technical elegance and singular grace. The tower was notable for its sleek aluminum sides and provocative slash-topped design. The structural engineer who designed the steel superstructure was William J. LeMessurier, who not long after the building was completed, was elected into the National Academy of Engineering, which is the highest honor his profession bestows.
But one year after the building opened, LeMessurier came to a frightening realization. The Citicorp tower was flawed. Without LeMessurier's approval, during construction the joints in the steel superstructure had been bolted, which is a common and acceptable practice, but does not make for as strong a joint as welding does. Also, he had not taken into account the extra force of a non-perpendicular wind.

He talked with meteorologists and found that a wind strong enough to buckle that crucial joint came every sixteen years in New York. So he did what he had to do. He informed all concerned. City and corporate leaders faced the problem in a professional manner, and plans were drawn to strengthen the joints by welding steel plates to them. Contingency plans were made to ensure people's safety during the work, and the welding began in August of 1978.
After the work was completed three months later, the building was strong enough to withstand a storm of the severity that hits New York only once every seven hundred years. In fact it was now one of the safest structures ever built.
LeMessurier's career and reputation were not destroyed but enhanced. One engineer commended LeMessurier for being a man who had the courage to say, "I got a problem; I made the problem; let's fix the problem." - Craig Brian Larson. Remember, whatever is the problem, you are not alone. It is COMMON.

REJECTION, A REDIRECTION?

Wisdom Nugget: "You have people come into your life shockingly and surprisingly. You have losses that you never thought you'd experience. You have rejection and you have learn how to deal with that and how to get up the next day and go on with it."
                                                                                                            - Taylor Swift

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There was a man who was cleaning up his desk one Friday afternoon when he noticed an envelope that had been opened. Someone must have placed it there while he was on the phone. He opened it and read it, and to his shock and dismay it was a notice of being terminated, being laid-off from his job. His entire department was being eliminated along with his position. After all the years he had given to his corporation, he found himself filled with resentment and the sense of being victimized. The man sat slumped in his chair in utter despair.

He began to think of all the terrible things that were going to happen to him. His entire lifestyle would have to be altered. He thought, "I'll have to sell my house; I'm too old to get another job; I'm useless; I'm all washed up."

At that moment, the man noticed a spider on his desk, and without thinking he brushed it off. He was amazed though as he watched the tiny creature automatically spin a strand to bear its weight and swing gracefully to the floor.
He pondered: If this tiny creature could draw forth from within itself some reserve of resources to meet its emergency, why could he not do as much? For many hours, he sat deep in troubling thoughts that turned gradually to creative mediation.

The man moved from the anxiety of what he lacked to the abundance of the God-given inner resources he had been blessed with. He thought: "My security is not in my job or in my money or in my house but in my connection with the God of grace who has seen me through all circumstances in my life. They might take me off the payroll, but no one can take away the flow of God's abundance in my life."

This man had secretly been longing for an opportunity to tap into his creative ability and interest in writing. Now here was the opportunity before him. A whole new way of thinking possessed him. He felt thankful for the new door that had opened before him and even blessed his termination from his job. He left the office with an enthusiasm and zest for life that surprised even himself. To make a long story short, he had some writings published and earned some money. Now he didn't become a financial giant but more importantly he had a new found faith in himself, and became less anxious about what he lacked in his life.

Remember, like Joseph, every time things get tough, things can always be to your advantage. When one door closes, another will open. Just look inward. BE LIKE THE SPIDER. Rejection is always redirection.

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile

Wisdom Nugget: "A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired"

Smile
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“If you can find humour in anything, you can survive it.” - Bill Cosby

Laughter is physically good for you like a vitamin - it relieves muscle tension, improves your memory, boosts your immune system and helps prevent heart disease; among other things. It’s worth it to even fake laughter at your boring friend's "unfunny" jokes. It calms you down, why deny yourself the pleasure? A little drop of healthy humour will settle things down between friends after a bitter argument, faster than anything I know. Irrespective of the weight of that burden, it’s shattered under the strength of a generous dose of healthy humour - humour makes burdens light keeping them from crushing us.

Just in case you're one of those who find almost every joke not funny enough, here are a few pointers to (help) make you laugh.

1. Think of something you find funny. Not surprisingly, the easiest way to laugh is to think of something that you personally find very amusing. This can be useful for those occasions where everybody but you is laughing at a joke. Hear Agnes Repplier, "We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh"

2. Smile: If you do want to fake or create a laugh, start with a smile. Scientists have found that genuine laughter is almost accompanied by the contraction of about 15 facial muscles, most of which are the same you use when you smile, it can actually put you in a better mood and make you more apt to laugh. Smiling has been shown to make you feel good; therefore a smile precedes laughter, as you have to feel good before you laugh.

3. Laugh at the appropriate time. Genuine laughs almost always begin at the end of a phrase or sentence.

4. Watch one of your favourite comedies, or ask your friends for a funny movie they have recently watched. You could go watch it with them for more laughs.

5. Talk about something cheerful or funny.

6. Have your own sense of humour too. Make your own joke - something that is truly funny to you.

Laughter is contagious. It’s also beneficial to life and relationships. Laughter reduces stress and tension. Laughter stimulates the immune system. Laughter increases natural painkillers in the blood leading to a decrease in systemic inflammation. Laughter reduces blood pressure and lifts your spirits. Laughter brings couples closer - it keeps a relationship fresh. Jay Leno puts it thus, “You can’t stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh.”

Our emotional, spiritual and physical health improves with daily doses of joy in the Lord. So today make sure you take some time to laugh and rejoice. Joy, smiles, gratitude and laughter are perfect medicines for our soul, available to everyone without negative side effects. Why not give yourself a generous dose of laughter today? 

Laugh Anyway

Wisdom Nuggets: "No matter what your heartache may be, laughing helps you forget it for a few seconds."
                                                                                                   - Red Skelton

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Research has shown that the health benefits of laughter are far-reaching. Bill Cosby said "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

1. When you make fun of yourself, you disarm those who would make fun of you and defuse possible confrontations.
2. Laughter relieves tension, stress, anger, irritation, grief, and depression. Similar to crying, laughter lowers emotional barriers, allowing the release of pent-up emotions. After a hearty session of laughter, you experience a sense of true well-being.
3. Medical researchers have found that laughter boosts the immune system.
4. Laughter reduces pain by releasing endorphins that are more powerful than equivalent amounts of morphine.
5. Humor helps merge the 2 hemispheres of the brain. The left hemisphere is used to interpret the verbal content of a joke. The right hemisphere interprets whether it is funny or not.
6. Laughter adds spice to life. Laughter is to life what rain is to the earth.
7. When you develop your sense of humor, you become more productive, communicate better, and tend to be a better team player.
8. Laughter provides the balance we need to get through the many hurdles of life.
9. Laughter is another form of exercise - According to Dr. James Walsh, "it massages all the organs of the body"
10. Laughter/humor helps you to rise to any challenge and handle the unexpected with ease.

Many adults avoid doing fun things because of what I'll like to call "FOWOT", fear of what others think! The bad news is we let this fear control a chunk of our lives and yet the truth is that no one else is ever thinking about us. They are too busy worrying about what WE are thinking about them - how ironic?

Alan Alda says "When people are laughing, they're generally not killing one another" and Red Skelton concludes, "No matter what your heartache may be, laughing helps you forget it for a few seconds" and its usually a great feeling.