I’m a pretty serious person by nature. I can be funny, I like to laugh, and I know laughter is good for me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Nonetheless, I can get so caught up in my work that the opportunity for laughter seems to get squeezed right out. So, one of my goals for 2012 is to laugh more.

The result of establishing this goal has been pretty amazing!

• I am more aware of my laughing and pause to enjoy the circumstances more completely.
• I have been paying attention to my most reliable sources of laughter and seek to incorporate them into my life more regularly.
• I noticed that I laugh more on weekends and so I have intentionally added a few minutes of laughter to my mornings with inputs such as the book “The New Yorker’s Rejection Collection.”
• I find myself smiling while driving to and from client meetings.
• Friends and acquaintances are sending me jokes and links to funny videos.
• I am happier.
• And, most amazing of all, I am remembering jokes for the retelling for the first time in my life!

This is one of the simplest and most rewarding goals I’ve ever established for myself. If you could use more laughter in your life, set a goal, tell people around you, and start looking for those opportunities to smile and chuckle.