Sustained effort is best balanced by laughter and play. A joyful heart is healing while a dreary spirit leads to sickness. Joyless opportunities deplete vigor and dull the senses. An exhausting vacation provides an inappropriate use of leisure time. Participating in sports and games that bring more frowns than laughter creates an absurd use of time. Three types of humor exist:
o Sarcasm and self-deprecating humor—Shun this type of humor. The unconscious mind cannot tell the difference between positive and negative comments. Self-deprecating humor, no matter how much others laugh, impacts your unconscious mind to accomplish those things you joke about. Likewise, sarcasm reflects passive hostility toward the other person. Sarcasm and self-deprecating humor produce negative results.
o Laughter power—Hearty, energetic laughter invigorates those around you.
o Cosmic humor—Avoid taking life too seriously. Finding the absurdity in human foibles allows you to brush off the “dust and soot” of life.
· Integrity—Keeping commitments demonstrates integrity. People want to know three things about you:
- Can I trust you? —Honest, thoughtful, and ethical behavior builds trust.
- Do you care about me? — Treating others as you would like to be treated (the Golden Rule) demonstrates concern, commitment, and caring.
- Are you committed to excellence? — Do the best you can. Excellence can be achieved by developing habits that strengthen the character:
o Choose to enjoy each day by eliminating hurry from your life.
o Practice random acts of kindness daily.
o Learn something new each day by reading and listening.
o Give thanks for fortunate events.
o Praise positive and helpful behavior in others.
o Establish a specific time for prayer and scripture studies daily.
o Set aside a quite half hour for personal rejuvenation each day.
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