Lightheartedness is the ability
to keep your sense of humor
as you face life’s most
difficult challenges. It is
a spiritual quality associated
with inner strength, faith,
and the ability to face life’s
adversities with a positive
mental attitude. Finally,
it’s a sign of courage
and the ability to inspire
others when, together, you
are facing a difficulty that
is overwhelming.
In order to be lighthearted,
you must allow yourself to
be spontaneous and willing
to laugh at yourself. But
laughter is like love: it
can’t happen by force
or prescription. But it can
always flourish in a lighthearted
environment.
Here is a list of seven activities
that help you develop lightheartedness
by teaching you how to be
spontaneous and willing to
laugh at yourself. Most of
the activities that follow
are designed as group activities.
That’s how you learn
to suspend judgment of yourself
and others and become playful,
spontaneous, and fun-loving.
1. Host a Poetry Jam. It
may be theme-free, or it may
have a theme. Everyone is
invited to write a poem, free
from rules, but with a lighthearted
tone. Unleash your imagination
and create a poem that you
like. Then, present it to
the group. You might add more
drama and fun if you dress
the part.
2. Have a Game Night. Choose
a game that gives opportunities
for laughs and have a game
night, e.g. Charades, Twister,
or board games. Prepare a
relaxed, fun environment in
which you can feel free to
laugh. Dress comfortably and
adopt a playful attitude.
Remember, this is not a contest.
The one who laughs the most
is the real winner.
3. Have a Comedy Fest. Remember
and describe the funniest
thing that has ever happened
to you or tell a story that
makes you laugh. Then, ask
the members in your group
to describe what makes them
laugh. Or, you can do impersonations
of people who inspire you
to impersonate them. You can
make this even more entertaining
if you dress-up like the people
you impersonate and stage
a skit or mini-play. It becomes
even funnier if the people
you impersonate are completely
irrelevant in real life.
4. Share Your Funniest Videos
or Movies. Create a comedy
video library with your group
and start a regular comedy
night, alternating homes.
Dress comfortably, bring food,
relax and laugh. Remember,
at no point must an activity
about humor become work.
5. Write a Funny Story as
a Collective Effort. Have
one member write a sentence
on a piece of paper. Then
the paper is folded so that
the sentence can not be seen,
and the author tells only
the last word of the sentence.
The next person writes a new
sentence, folds the paper
so the sentence cannot be
seen, tells the last word
to the next one, and so on.
The group can decide how long
the “story” will
be. At the end, the papers
are unfolded and the story
is read.
6. Create the Funniest Headline
You Can from Word Soup. Cut
words from tabloid headlines
and fill a basket. Choose
up to ten words from the basket
and create your own headline.
You may write a short article
elaborating on the headline.
Unleash your imagination.
Read your headlines and articles
to the group. Keep in mind
the points about humor explained
in this chapter and enjoy
yourself.
7. Perform a Skit in a Foreign
Language. Create ten cards
describing simple life situations
(e.g.: wanting to go to the
bathroom, asking directions
to the pharmacy, ordering
a tuna sandwich in a restaurant,
trying to buy a gift for a
relative in a department store).
Pick one card and choose one
or two other people with whom
you will perform the skit
but do not let them read your
card. Let the rest of the
group read the card. Then,
begin acting out the scenario
with your partners. In the
skit, pretend that you are
a tourist visiting a foreign
country, and the other actors
are natives of that country.
All actors must pretend to
speak a “foreign”
language. (You do not have
to know a foreign language,
only pretend that you speak
one.) Using, pantomime, body
language and sign language,
try to explain to your partners
what your situation is. The
more spontaneous and inventive
you are, the funnier your
interactions may be. Enjoy
yourselves.
Remember that lightheartedness
is a sign of strength and
that it is as important for
your happiness and giving
and receiving love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maria Grace, Ph.D., is an
expert at teaching people
how to learn lessons from
popular movies to find the
job, home, relationship, and
healthy body and mind they
want. She is a Fulbright scholar,
licensed psychotherapist,
sought-after public speaker
and coach, and the author
of “Reel Fulfillment:
A 12-Step Plan for Transforming
Your Life through Movies”
(McGraw-Hill, 2005). “Reel
Fulfillment” was praised
by Publisher’s Weekly
as one of the top “self
help books out of the self-help
box” for 2005-2006.
