Laughing All the Way.

No, not in a sleigh or while celebrating anything, but simply laughing, and being merry all year round. It’s as a cliché as it gets, but you can really identify and live in the merriment throughout life, not just at the holidays. This does not make you better, but it allows things to be better, because there is a reason to do good work, outside of self when the environment is positive and supportive. By choosing to see the, "bad" or "negative," suppressing merriment, then it can be difficult to perform outside of self. Hostility promotes competition and survival is all that can be achieved. Survival at work, survival in relationships, social survival, survival of environment, being a part of, or choosing to see hostility therefore has no room for merriment, not to mention any organic laughter. 

What can be the most difficult part of hostility is not merely the negativity, but as previously mentioned, the threat of it all. The idea that a person is unsafe, thus dismissing any extension of ourselves to help or support others. We must protect our livelihood and and our families at all costs, going against the idea of time in sacrifice to a business. There are even shows like The Profit or Shark Tank, that promote this competition and sacrifice for "the business," where entrepreneurship is depicted as this harsh, competitive environment where the winners haughty victories dazzle the screens as the "American Dream" lives on, and the losers are eaten, along with their kin. This level of competition is difficult to thrive in emotionally, therefore it is easy to dismiss merriment as an unrealistic pipe dream. The only joy that occurs is from a win, and that can be more superficial than the intent to make money itself. Beating others for the sake of your own good only reinforces the competition and dog-eat-dog world. 

Now, not all life is Shark Tank and not all entrepreneurs are savages. In fact, I have recently read the book, Called to Create, found HERE, where the author, Jordan Raynor discusses how entrepreneurs all over the world, even large and prominent businesses, put spirituality first and therefore reduced the level of angst related to starting and running a business. On a smaller scale, we are all our own businesses and have control as to the type of employees we hire. Would we hire ourselves? If we were negative, cold, unwilling to help others, would we even interview us to be a part of our team, to spend 40 plus ours a week with? Would we accept the work of just, “getting by” to survive? 

If you are spiritual, then you already know, your boss is higher than the person on the top floor. If you aren’t, then use the previous analogy of being your own boss, setting your own standards to contribute in ways you would like to see. Either way, you have to choose to be the positive spot, see things alternatively, try to extend to others, and exert energy not in merely “surviving” but into contributing, performing at your own personal standards. This all sounds nice, but in reality, when that feeling comes up, that pessimistic coworker, serving as a reminder of a negative self, your merriment will be challenged and your work truly becomes necessary in what you’re doing. 

Merriment is not just a term related to the holidays, but can be displayed year around. No, not like the neighbor’s Christmas lights that for some reason are still on, but displayed through acts of kindness and displays of concern. To discount ourselves and see what we have to offer will undoubtedly make the environment more positive, thus reducing your problems in the process. To me, that is a pretty merry place to live. 

For more on my story and a way I can try to assist those struggling with, “survival,” Click HERE. 

God Bless.