Permanent Record

From elementary school to high school, the threat that scared me more than any other was the PERMANENT RECORD. Our teachers warned us that if we did not behave, our misbehavior would be put on our PERMANENT RECORD. Even more terrifying was that
my PERMANENT RECORD followed me everywhere.

Recently I went into the Records Department of my employer and asked to see MY PERMANENT RECORD." They looked at me as if I was crazy. I am not sure at all where my PERMANENT RECORD stopped. Was it in high school? Was it in college?

I thought that my PERMANENT RECORD was a large chart with JANA RUTH'S PERMANENT RECORD written on the top with everything I had ever done wrong written on it. I thought that probably my PERMANENT RECORD was just for school, but I wasn't sure. I hoped so, because during school I never misbehaved, but at home, that at times was a different story.

How did my PERMANENT RECORD get transferred from one teacher to another? I figured out that at the end of the year, under armed guards the records were transferred from your last teacher to the next. It had to be done during the cover of darkness and everyone had to wear gloves. There were only two people at one time that knew what your PERMANENT RECORD contained. Your last teacher and the next teacher.

We all knew kids that must have very bad PERMANENT RECORDS. They were always getting in trouble. And we all knew that any future for them was void. No college would take them, and forget getting a job, and for sure it won't be a good job. Many times I thought that maybe my thoughts might even make my PERMANENT RECORD. So I tried to even watch my thoughts.

Now I am sure teachers don't have the PERMANENT RECORD to threaten kids with. I think I most have lived in the good old days, because not only did we have the threat of the PERMANENT RECORD. We, also, had the atomic bomb that might drop on our heads. It is very lucky that at least we had DUCK AND COVER.

Jana Ruth
Author of "Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

How to Shut-up Your Judge

I find it extremely hard to not judge myself and other people. I once tried to go a week without judgement. I lasted about 10 minutes. What makes us so ready to judge? I know for myself that when I am feeling insecure I am much more apt to judge.

It all starts with me. If I am feeling good about me, I have no need to judge. Most of my judgements are not positive. I find myself thinking, "oh that person is too loud," "that person has too big a ego." And the thing that scares me is that I do believe that we are mirrors of each other.

I can't like or dislike someone unless I like or dislike something about them that is in me. This means that if I dislike something about someone, I have that trait in myself that I dislike.

So, how do we stop our judge? I found that I have to focus on building up my self-esteem. I have to know how wonderful I am. If I feel good about myself it is much easier for me to feel good about others. So these are some things you can do to build your self-esteem.

1. Start a Victory Log for yourself. Each and every day write down in your Victory Log those accomplishments of the day.

2. Like in the mirror each day when you first get and up and again when you go to bed, and say, "I love (your name) actually has you are.

3. Laugh at your mistakes.

4. Bless the person who is bothering you and make a list of all his.her good qualities.

5. Remember you are in control of your emotions, and no one can bother you unless you allow him/her to do so.

6. Remember you can only control yourself.

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogstop.com

Take Yourself Less Seriously

When I found myself getting upset, sad, or depressed, it is because I am taking myself too seriously. I need to remind myself that I always have the choice of being upset or happy. I control my emotions. As Woody Allen, said "You might as well enjoy, as you won't get out of life alive anyway."

This time of year is a challenge for me. As a single parent, when my children were younger it meant having to split time with my ex-husband with spending time with them. And it always brought up guilt for me about them not having a intact family. All my children's cousins had intact families, so they always felt bad about our family. Added to that was the financial challenge of not making enough money to be able to expensive presents for them. Thank goodness for my parents help.

For years I would get sick during the holidays, I am sure because of the stress of it all. About seventeen years ago I learned to laugh whenever I felt a cold or other sickness coming on, and I have avoided severe sickness.

I find that laughter is one of the best ways to remind myself to not take myself too seriously. If I can laugh, I find I can get through many things.

So, you like me, have the choice of how to take ourselves, we can either laugh or cry. We can view life as sad or happy. We can view life as being abundant or scarce. Like everything else the choice is ours. What do you choose?

Jana Ruth

Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Live

www.janaruth.biz

www.laughandlivehappier.com

www.laughingworld.blogstop.com

Making Thanksgiving Last all Year

With Thanksgiving coming later this week, I think we should be thankful all year around. To assign one day to be thankful, and the rest of the year not, seems like, only being spiritual one day a week, when we go to church or temple. One day doesn't make up for what we do for the rest of the year. To me, it is the difference between the mentality of abundance as to the mentality of scarcity.

What we focus on grows. If I am thankful each and every day for those things in my life, I will get more of those things. As Woody Allen said, "You are not going to get out of life alive anyway, so you might as well enjoy." We are so caught up on what we don't have that we forget what we do have. There will always be some people with less and some people with more. Here in the United States we have more than the majority of people on this planet, but so few of us are truly happy.

We are so caught up in the past and the future that we forget to be thankful for the present. And as it turns out the present is all we have. If we could be thankful and mindful of each moment I think we would be happier, and be able to create more happy moments.

We are so focused on things and people outside ourselves that we don't pay enough attention to our inner life and our inner life creates our outer experience. We become too much the victim of our lives instead of realizing that we have more power than we realize.

To being thankful in the moment helps us live happier and healthier. How do we achieve that? Below are some suggestions:

1. Laugh

2. Smile

3. Make a list each day of 5 things that you are thankful for

4. Maintain a positive attitude

I believe that if we do these things we can help make Thanksgiving last all year, instead of just one day.

Jana Ruth

Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life

www.janaruth.biz

www.laughandlivehappier.com

www.onelaughingworld.blogspot.com

People are Funny

How many times have you thought that? Lately, I am thinking it all the time. Thinking this helps keep my sanity. If I don't laugh at people, and situations, I would go crazy. And, when I say laugh at people, I am including myself. When I laugh at people it isn't so much at them, as it is what they do, their behavior. I know there is a fine line between sanity and insanity, but sometimes, I wonder.

I believe that life could be a lot more fun for all of us if we stopped taking it so seriously. We are so connected with each other, in so many ways, but we act so separate at times.

Since when did the US become the empire of the world, and decide, who can and can't have nuclear weapons. If we truly wanted to not allow other countries to have nuclear weapons, we won't have them ourselves. It is like having a toy as a child, but telling all the other children that they can't have the toy you have. This to me is funny.

We are more similar than we are different as people. When will we realize that. If we would stop taking ourselves so seriously and realize that there is enough for everyone. If we could only learn to share.

We are destroying ourselves, each other, and the planet, because we take things so seriously. In the end, we all end. So why not enjoy the ride, and make the ride fun for everyone. Life is hard enough, without each of us making it harder for each other.

Children have the answers. They know how to play, laugh, and forgive, and to be in the present moment. They enjoy life. They may fight, but they forgive quickly. And I think they learn fighting from us. I think they learn all the negative things from adults. They learn hate, and seriousness from us.

I have to keep finding people funny, or else I would be extremely sad, about how unfunny many of us work at being,

This is so good, I wanted to share.

A Letter from Grandma
Got a letter from Grandma the other day. She writes:

The other day I went up to a local Christian bookstore and saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper. Boy, I'm glad I did! What an uplifting experience that followed! I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is, and I didn't notice that the light had changed. It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed. I found that LOTS of people love Jesus! Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!" What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus! Everyone started honking! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even honked my horn few times to share in the love!There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a "sunny beach." I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant. He said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing; why, even he was enjoying this religious experience! A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!
Love,Grandma

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

You are Way Too Happy!

The other day at work as I walked down the hall and said hi to a co-worker, she said, "You are way too happy! My reply was, "No, I am not. You can't be too happy." What does that mean? No one has ever said to me, "You are way too serious." What made this especially ironic is the person who commented that I was way too happy, is a supervisor in the Employee Relations department. One of the problems in organizations and companies is that people take themselves way too seriously. However, we rarely hear a person telling another person that, "You are way too serious." In fact, I have never heard anyone say that to another person. We might say it about someone, but we don't say it to them.

It is like "misery loves company." It is like if I am miserable you must be miserable too. How dare you be happy when I am not. People can't rain on your parade unless you allow them to.

There seems to be a common thought that as an adult, a person has to have a reason to laugh, to smile, to be happy. People have asked me, "What are you smiling about?' What are you laughing about?" Why are you so happy?"

Happiness, laughter, and smiling seem to be very suspect. We seem to have to have a reason for all of those things. Research shows that we don't have to have a reason for being happy, smiling or laughing. As Abraham Lincoln said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Happiness, laughter, and smiling are all internally motivated. We choose to be happy. We choose to have fun. We choose our lives. We can't control what happens outside of ourselves but we can control our thoughts, feelings, and behavior about what happens.

The Law of Attraction says that if you are happy you will attract more happiness in your life. If you are sad you will attract sadness. What stops us from being happy, laughing, and smiling? One way is the belief that we don't deserve to be happy. Or that people or other outside circumstances keep us from being happy. Or we spend too much time living in the dead past or the imagined future instead of the present.

I believe we know to encourage each other's happiness, instead of being jealous. If you are happy does not mean that I can't be happy. This world is a world of abundance with enough to go around. Any scarcity is only a scarcity of our thoughts. We create that scarcity or abundance. We create our own happiness, and I don't think there is any way any of us can be too happy.

So join me in swallowing a double dose of delight and choose to be WAY TO HAPPY!

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
janabanana15@cox.net
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

Where is My Car?

Today, I leave work and start walking towards the garage where my car is parked, and realize that I have no clue where my car is parked. Usually I make a mental note, when I park my car in the morning, where I park it. This morning, I failed to do that. Knowing that I usually park on level 4 or 5, with level 5 being the highest level, at least I will only have to go up two levels. So, I get off on level 4 and start to walk around trying to figure out the direction I might have parked. I turn to the right of the parking level and begin looking.

This is a little upsetting, because usually I have some idea. Today, my mind is blank. I look all around me, but no car. Than I think "maybe I didn't park on level 4 or 5, maybe I parked on level 3." "No," I think. "It had to be level 4 or 5."

I start walking to the other side of level 4 and I run into a friend and co-worker and I tell her that I have lost my car. She laughs, and says, "That's why I always park in the same place. I always park on level 5." I point out to her that if that is so why is she on level 4. She says,"Well most of the time I park on level 5," I have now walked past her, getting ready to walk up to level 5 when she points to the car next to hers and says, "Hey, Jana, because that's my name, isn't that your car." Sure enough, there was my car. Did I feel like an idiot? Yes, but at least I was an idiot with my car.

And this story reminds me of the time a co-worker believed that she had driven to work, many times she takes the bus, so both of us were working late. We walked to the parking lot and I asked her where her car was. As she walked off the elevator and towards the parking garage, she exclaimed, "Holly Shit, I took the bus today."

I enjoyed a great laugh at her expense until I realized that I had to drive her an hour to an hour and a half out of my way to where she had caught her bus. She lived at one end of the valley and I lived at the other end.

So forgetting where you parked your car, or thinking you have driven it to find out you haven't, can give you a good laugh if you allow it to.

Jana Ruth Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogstop.com

What are You Waiting For?

I have to wait for the perfect job. I have to wait till my children grow up. I have to wait until I have more time. I have to wait until I have more money. I have to wait until I have more education. I have to wait until I have more experience. I have to wait until a have the perfect mate. I have to wait until.... I have to wait until.... I have to wait until.... I have to wait until....

What are you waiting for? Are you living in the past? Are you living in the future? All you have is NOW! The present moment, is the only thing you have. It is the only thing any of us have.

All you have is Now. And all you have is yourself. If you want a life of joy, happiness, laughter, and fun, you have to start living that life RIGHT NOW!

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." (Unknown) The only way to create yourself is to start now. I spent a good part of my life waiting for my children to grow up. And what I now know is that the present moment is all that I have. The present moment is all that you have.

Somehow many of us think the future will be better. In actuality the future will be very similar to the present. You are creating your future today. If you want to have a great future have a great today. Since you only have NOW make NOW the most happy and joyous you can. If you make this minute full of joy, then one hour will be full of joy. If one hour is full of joy, than one day will be full of joy. If one day is full of joy, than one week will be full of joy. If one week is full of joy, than one month will be full of joy. If one month is full of joy, than one year will be full of joy. If one year is full of joy, than ten years will be full of joy. And finally if ten year are full of joy, than your life will be full of joy.


"Dance like no one's watching, love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like no one's listening, and live like heaven on earth. And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. "
Abraham Lincoln

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." I totally agree. Some questions to ask yourself are:

1. What is your mission in life?
2. What is the biggest contribution you want to make in the world?
3. If you have only one year to live how would you live your life now?

So again, I ask, what are you waiting for?


Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

Some of My Favorite Women

Below are some of my favorite quotes by women. I hope that you enjoy.

Carol Burnett born on Apr 26
(1933-____) US actress, comedienne
She is one of the classic funny women who hosted her own show, "The Carol Burnett Show," 1966-77; won five Emmy's.
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Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.

When someone who is known for being comedic does something straight, it' s always "a big breakthrough" or a "radical departure."
Why is it no one ever says that if a straight actor does comedy? Are they presuming comedy is easier?

When you have a dream you've got to grab it and never let go.

I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don't work out, that's when I've really learned.

Celebrity was a long time in coming; it will go away. Everything goes away.

MAE WEST
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Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

I like my clothes to be tight enough to show I'm a woman... but loose enough to show I'm a lady.

I like two kinds of men: domestic and imported

I used to be Snow White... but I drifted

I've been rich and I've been poor... Believe me, rich is better

Marilyn Monroe born on Jun 1
(1926-1962) US actress
She was the ultimate pin-up girl who starred in "Some Like It Hot," 1959 and "Bus Stop," 1956.
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A career is born in public -- talent in privacy.

I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night, "There must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I'm not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest."

I have too many fantasies to be a housewife . . . . I guess I am a fantasy.

Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a 1000 dollars for a kiss and 50 cents for your soul.

I don't want to make money. I just want to be wonderful.

Judy Garland born on Jun 10
(1922-1969) US actress, singer
She is best and most fondly remembered as "Dorothy" in "Wizard of Oz," 1939.

I've never looked through a keyhole without finding someone was looking back.

We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality.

I was born at the age of twelve on a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot.

How strange when an illusion dies, it's as though you've lost a child.

In the silence of night I have often wished for just a few words of love from one man, rather than the applause of thousands of people.

Gail Godwin born on Jun 18
(1937-____) US novelist, short-story writer, journalist
She is best known for "Glass People," 1972.
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Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.

Art doesn't come in measured quantities: it's got to be too much or it's not enough.

Some things arrive in their own mysterious hour, on their own terms and not yours, to be seized or relinquished forever.

Actors between plays are like ghosts looking for bodies to inhabit.

The best antidote I have found is to yearn for something. As long as you yearn, you can't congeal: there is a forward motion to yearning.

Katharine Graham born on Jun 16
(1917-____) US newspaper executive
She is owner and publisher of "The Washington Post" and "Newsweek," and one of the most influential women in the U.S.

If one is rich and one's a woman, one can be quite misunderstood.

Bromidic though it may sound, some questions don't have answers, which is a terribly difficult lesson to learn.

If we had failed to pursue the facts as far as they led, we would have denied the public any knowledge of an unprecedented scheme of political surveillance and sabotage.

A mistake is simply another way of doing things.

To love what you do and feel that it matters -- how could anything be more fun?

Wilma Rudolph born on Jun 23
(1940-1994) US track athlete
As a sprinter, she was the first woman to win three gold medals, 1960 Olympics
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I had a series of childhood illnesses . . . scarlet fever . . .. pneumonia . . .. Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.

Sometimes it takes years to really grasp what has happened to your life.

When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God why was I here? What was my purpose? Surely, it wasn't just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that.

When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.

What do you do after you are world-famous and nineteen or twenty and you have sat with prime ministers, kings and queens, the Pope? Do you go back home and take a job? What do you do to keep your sanity? You come back to the real world.

Rita Rutner
When I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was Always.

Men can read maps better than women can. Cause only the male mind could conceive of one inch equaling a hundred miles.

To attract men, I wear a perfume called 'New Car Interior'.

The worst thing about some men is that when they are not drunk they are sober.

I never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back.

Gracie Allen born on Jul 26
(1906-1964) US comedienne
She starred, with husband George, in the "Burns and Allen Show," 1922-1958.
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I read a book twice as fast as anybody else. First, I read the beginning, and then I read the ending, and then I start in the middle and read toward whatever end I like best.

Brains, integrity, and force may be all very well, but what you need today is Charm. Go ahead and work on your economic programs if you want to, I'll develop my radio personality.

They laughed at Joan of Arc, but she went right ahead and built it.

When my mother had to get dinner for 8 she'd just make enough for 16 and only serve half.

The President of today is just the postage stamp of tomorrow.

Bella Abzug born on Jul 24
(1920-____) US lawyer, politician
Battling Bella was the first Jewish congresswoman; wide-brimmed hats are her trademark.
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The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes.

All of the men on my staff can type.

They are a very extensive minority who have suffered discrimination and who have the same right to participation in the promise and fruits of society as every other individual.

If we get a government that reflects more of what this country is really about, we can turn the century -- and the economy -- around.

The establishment is made up of little men, very frightened.

Notice:

Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.
By the Order of the Author
Per G.G., Chief of Ordinance
(Borrowed from Mark Twain)

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
http://www.janaruth.biz/
http://www.laughandlivehappier.com/
http://www.laughingworld.blogspot.com/

Being in the Present

It is very hard for many of us to be in the present. One of the reasons I think children laugh more than adults (300 to 15) is because they live in the present and find wonder in it. As adults we are thinking of the past, the future, and very little of the present. If you think of it the present is all we have. The present moment is never intolerable. It is always what happened five minutes ago, or five days ago, or what is coming five minutes from now, or five days from now that makes people despair.

The Law of Life is to live in the present, and this applies to both time and place. Keep your attention to the present moment, and in the place where your body is now.

A woman was visiting a great cathedral in Italy. Just inside the door was a magnificent mosaic extending the width of the building, but not yet completed. It represented the Last Judgment and the number of tiny pieces of different colored marble involved in it staggers the imagination. A man was on his knees working away and the women, who speak Italian, whispered to him, "What a stupendous task you have! I could not even dream of undertaking so much work."

The man replied quietly, "Oh, I know about how much I can do comfortably in one day. So each morning I mark out a certain area, and I don't bother my head thinking outside of that space. Before I know where I am the job will be complete."

If we stay in the present the journey and destination will be that much better.

BE IN THE PRESENT. As the saying goes, "The Past is History, and the Future is a Mystery, and the Present is a Gift."

Jana Ruth
Author of "Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life"
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

What Makes Me Laugh?

Disclaimer: This point of view does not necessarily represent the view of Jana Ruth, all the time, just today, Thursday, August 16, 2007.

Serious people make me laugh. And they are everywhere. Like being serious is going to help anyone. Where is it written that says being a adult has to be serious. Why? Since when is too much fun and playing, and laughing, bad for you? Never, is my answer.

As Victor Borge said, "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." Laughter and humor are needed everywhere, especially at work. We, as adults, spend most of our lives at work, and we don't want to be looking at our watches and crying, "Oh no, I have only been here a minute."

We know from surveys that employees don't leave jobs they leave bosses, and workers are not fired because of lack of competence, they are fired because of lack of inability to get along with their co-workers. My guess is that these people, that employees leave, and are fired, are not the friendly, happy, having a good sense of humor people. My guess is that they are the REALLY serious people.

Humor and laughter in the workplace are important. They increase communications, build relationships, and reduce stress. Again, research shows that when people are having fun at work they are much more productive. Somehow serious and fun do not go along.

So what to do with all the serious people? I say laugh with them, and if that doesn't work, laugh at them. As, Bill Crosby, or someone like that, once said, "If you can laugh at them you can live with them." I don't want to live with them, just work with them. I say, "I have to laugh at you, or else I have to kill you." Maybe that's where the term, "Died laughing comes from?"

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

Women and Men Laugh at Different Things

In 1996, I am watching "The Nutty Professor," the Eddie Murphy version, with my 14 year old son. Morrie, my son, was laughing, and than laughing some more during the dinner table fart scene. He loved it. I, on the other hand, maybe laughed once or twice, and as the scene went on, I started to find the scene very crude. I thought it was just a matter of my son being 14, but when I explained the experience to my brother, age 42, he told me he loved that scene and the entire movie. That was when I really realized that women and men laugh at different things.

The September, issue of "Reader's Digest," Doug Colligan's article, "Why Men and Women Laugh Out Loud: The Secret to Tickling His or Her Funny Bone," confirms this.

"Stanford University psychiatrist Allen L. Reiss, MD, recruited 20
male and female college students. Inside an MRI, the men and
woman looked at 70 cartoons flashed on a small overhead screen
and rated them on a funniness scale. When the results came back,
Reiss made an unexpected discovery: Men and women process funny
differently. The analytical region of women's brains was more
active than the men's, suggesting women studied the cartoons
more. When they found the cartoon amusing, the reward region of
their brains lit up noticeably more than the guys.

All of which is a fancy way of saying women appear to think a little
more about whether they find something humorous. They don't
necessarily expect to laugh and so they enjoy it a lot more when
the joke works for them. With men, apparently it was more like.
Hey.... cartoon. Must be funny. Funny is good."

Regina Barreca, a professor of English literature at University of Connecticut, has been studying women and men and humor for years, and written the following books, among others: "Too Much of a Good Thing is Wonderful," "Women's Humor," Perfect Husbands (and other fairy tales) Demystifying Marriage, Men, and Romance, " New Perspective on Women and Comedy, " "Last Laughs," and "They Used to Call Me Snow White but I Drifted: Women's Strategic Use of Humor." Dr. Barreca suggests that "women bash men for having the sense of humor of a nine-year-old boy, but men strike back, accusing women of having no sense of humor at all. It's a misperception, Barreca says, based on three things. One is that women don't like crude. We don't do eye-poking, head-slamming humor. No woman has gone up to another women and said, 'Pull my finger.' Second, women don't tell jokes. They tell stories. When a woman says, 'I have something funny to tell you,' if you are smart, you'll sit down, because you're going to be there for a long, long time. Third, women don't enjoy humor that makes fun of others' physical shortcomings. If women laugh at anyone, it's at themselves and their quirks."

So, I guess that when it comes to humor, women just are more intelligent. I think that women might be more intelligent in every area.

Once when my son, Morrie, was about three he came into the room I was in, holding himself, and I asked if he needed to go the bathroom, and he said, "No, Mom, I am just thinking." And I got thinking, men must do lots of thinking, because they are constantly touching themselves or adjusting it. Just a thought.

Jana Ruth
Author of "Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
http://www.janaruth.biz/
http://www.laughandlivehappier.com/
http://www.laughingworld.blogspot.com/

The Importance of Interpersonal Relationships

Daniel Goleman in his book, Social Intelligence, provides studies that support my beliefs that fun and laughter are important in the workplace. Working in an environment that allows for and encourages fun and laughter helps people feel secure. As Daniel Goleman notes in his book, "Secure bases are sources of protection, energy and comfort, allowing use to free our own energy. This is the conclusion of George Kohlrieser, a psychologist and professor of leadership at the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, who observes that having a secure base at work is crucial for high performance."

"Feeling secure, Kohlrieser argues, lets a person focus better on the work at hand, achieve goals, and see obstacles as challenges, not threats. Those who are anxious, in contrast, readily become preoccupied with the specter of failure, fearing that doing poorly will mean they will be rejected or abandoned (in this context, fired and so they play it safe."

"People who feel that their boss provides a secure base, Kohlrieser finds are more free to explore, be playful, take risks, innovate, and take on new challenges. Another business benefit: if leaders establish such trust and safety, then when they give tough feedback, the person receiving it not only stay more open but sees benefit in getting even hard-to-take information."

We effect each other more than we realize. My mood effects your mood and your mood effects my mood. As Daniel Goleman points out: "Even having just one person who can be counted on at work can make a telling difference in how we feel. In surveys of more than five million people working in close to five hundred organizations, one of the best predictors of how happy someone felt on their job was agreement with the statement. 'I have a best friend at work.'"

"As the head of a high-performing scientific team told me. 'I never hire anyone for my lab without them working with us provisionally for a while. Then I ask the other people in the lab their opinions, and I defer to them. If the interpersonal chemistry is not good, I don't want to risk hiring someone- no matter how good they may be otherwise."

Creating an environment in your home and at work of security, fun, and laughter is beneficial for everyone. We as human beings are much more connected than we ever thought before. When you say, "So and so much me sick." They probably do.

I highly recommend Daniel Coleman's book, Social Intelligence. It is a great read with very important information.

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S for Life
http://www.janaruth.biz/
http://www.laughandlivehappier.com/
http://www.laughingworld.blogstop.com/

Jana's Corner

Get Rid of the Buts and Butts in Your Life

I have decided that butts, or negative people, do not belong in my life. I don't want them. I don't need them. I refuse to let negative people in, or influence me. At times this is not a easy task. And sometimes, unfortunately, I am the butt.

This new found knowledge of my disliking butts, got me thinking about the other but. You know this one. This is the one we use in our language and in our writing. "She is a wonderful person, but...." "You did a great job, but..... " "I am so proud of you, but..." "I love you, but..."

This last example is the one that hurts the most, and unfortunately, I have heard it a few times. Anytime I hear a but, I know that everything the person said, or wrote , before the but, is nil and void.

The great replacement for but is and. "She is a wonderful person, and...." "You did a great job, and...." " I am so proud of you, and..." "I love you, and..." This and replacement comes from the world of Improvisational Theater where you are taught to add to whatever idea, your improvisational partner gives you. You are taught to contribute positively with an and instead of responding with a negative but.

Think about how much better our world would be if we all used and instead of but? Think about how much better the workplace would be if we all contributed to each others ideas, instead of saying "Tom, great idea, but let me tell you all the reasons why it won't work." Tom, after hearing this is not likely to contribute again. What if Tom heard, "Tom, great idea, and to add to that, what if we do this?"

I think that if we outlawed all the buts and butts from her homes, schools, and workplaces, we would all communicate more, and be much more productive. Let's add to each other lives, and quit being so negative. And what do you think?

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughandlivehappier.com
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life







The above image is so exciting to me. It is my first book. If you are interested in getting more information go to www.laughandlivehappier.com

I just got through reading a wonderful book called, You Can Learn to Be Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D.. According to the teacher of Harvard University's most popular and life-changing course you can learn to be happier. Dr. Ben-Shahar suggests that the way to do that is to balance your pleasure with your passion, in the present and the future.

Instead of asking, "Should I be happy now or in the future," ask, "How can I be happy now and in the future?' So often we think that we can't have both happiness now and happiness in the future. Dr. Ben-Shahar says it best.

Attaining lasting happiness requires that we enjoy the journey
on our way toward a destination we deem valuable. Happiness is
not about making it to the peak of the mountain nor is it about
climbing aimlessly around the mountain; happiness is the
experience of climbing toward the peak.

My strong belief is that we can discover our pleasure through play and laughter, and being in the present instead of living in the past, or worrying about the future. Coupled with pleasure is the need to discover our passion or purpose for life.

One of the best ways to discover our purpose is to do what Harold Whitman suggests, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

One method to use to discover your passion is to write your obituary. Write out what you want to accomplish in your life and what you want people to say about you when you die. It helps you discover your mission, purpose, and and passion in life.

Laugh and Live Happier.

Jana

It's All In the Meaning

My ex-husband Richard, who I affectionately called Dick, used to get very upset when I said the "F" word. Dick, didn't mind when I "f***ed" him, he just didn't want me to say it. He said it wasn't ladylike. As if I was ever a lady.

Anyway it got me thinking. Which is scary, although I am a legend in my own mind. It got me thinking. The "F" word is not bad or dirty by itself, it is the meaning we give it.

For instance let's suppose that the "F" word meant what the word church means and vica versa.

So you might ask your friend if "he was going to "F***" on Sunday." Or you might tell your sister that she "should go to hear the great preacher at "F***." Or a survey would find that 40% of the American population goes to "F***" every Sunday.

The opposite would also be interesting. If you were really angry at someone you would say, "Well church you." Or, "I churched her brains out last night." Kids would get into big problem if they used the "C" word but saying f*** would be considered okay and very good if you went to f*** on Sunday.

It really isn't the word, it is the meaning that gets us into trouble.

So if you don't like it, well CHURCH YOU!

And so as the little boy answered when asked what part of him was hurt when he fell on the slippery floor, "The End."

Play with These Ideas

1. Change your attitude towards work, and life and if you can't change your attitude, change your job and or life.

2. Put more "Plerk" (perks of fun and laughter at work) into your work.

3. Spend at least one day a year without any plan, watch, or cell phone, and just play all day.

4. Be in the present moment as much as possible. We only have this moment and no other.

5. Play with your children, or grandchildren, they can teach you how to play.

6. Look for play and it will find you.

7. Practice playing. The more you play the better you get at it and the more you do it.

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S for Life
www.janaruth.biz
www.laughingworld.blogspot.com

Just Smile



But Jana, because that's my name. I have no reason to smile. The wonderful thing about your body is that it is stupid and it doesn't know the difference between a real and fake smile. When you smile Kimberly Read in an article called, "What's in a Smile," points out the following:

"In psychology, there is a theory entitled the "facial feedback hypothesis." This hypothesis states, "Involuntary facial movements provide sufficient peripheral information to drive emotional experience. " In other words, you may actually be able to improve your mood by simply smiling.

I challenge you to walk around all day smiling and I promise that you will actually start feeling better. Your body will notice the smile on your face, and automatically you will feel better. If anyone asks you why are you smiling just reply, "I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on around here."

Join me in a smile revolution and image what a better and happier world there would be.

Jana Ruth http://www.janaruth.biz/

http://www.laughingworld.blogspot/

Ways of Bringing Laughter into the Workplace

1. Have a "Thanks in Advance" party for an employee on the day he/she joins the organization.
2. Celebrate employees birthdays.
3. Put together a "stress support kit" that can be handed out (or requested) by an employee under pressure or stress. Contents could include comedy CD's or DVD's, books, candy, chewing gum, a small dartboard, worry beads, etc.
4. Put up a "humor board" in the office where people can pin up cartoons, jokes, etc.
5. Have a weekly or monthly humor contest where people for $1 or $2, can submit a joke or cartoon, and everyone in contest votes on them and the winner gets the money.
6. From the humor contest keep a "Humor Book" where all the jokes and cartoons can be kept.
7. Have an actual "Stress Relief Station," which can be a room or corner at work where the employee can to listen to comedy CD's, or read funny books, paint, draw, play with clay, or just come to laugh.
8. Encourage each other to establish or take a "Call in Well day," where people can take time to seriously enjoy themselves.

Jana Ruth author of http://www.janaruth.biz/

http://laughingworld.blogspot.com

Author of "Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life

What Makes Me Laugh?

People make me laugh.
I make myself laugh.
Children make me laugh.
Dogs make me laugh.
Laughter makes me laugh.
Stupid thinking makes me laugh.
No thinking makes me laugh
People who think they are always right make me laugh.
President Bush makes me laugh and than cry.
Crying makes me laugh.
Taking myself too seriously makes me laugh.
Playing makes me laugh.
Being silly makes me laugh.
I love to laugh.
What about you? What makes you laugh?

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz

This story is so wonderful that I want to share.

A Love Story
"When the power of loveovercomes the love of power,the world will know peace."—Jimi Hendrix
There's an old story about a group of monks living with their master in a Tibetan monastery. Their lives were disciplined and dedicated, and the atmosphere in which they lived harmonious and peaceful. People from villages far and wide flocked to the monastery to bask in the warmth of such a loving spiritual environment.
Then one day the master departed his earthly form. At first the monks continued on as they had in the past, but after a time, the discipline and devotion that had been hallmarks of their daily routine slackened. The number of villagers coming through the doors each day began to drop, and little by little, the monastery fell into a state of disrepair.
Soon the monks were bickering among themselves, some pointing fingers of blame, others filled with guilt. The energy within the monastery walls crackled with animosity.
Finally, the senior monk could take it no longer. Hearing that a spiritual master lived as a hermit two days walk away, the monk wasted no time in seeking him out. Finding the master in his forest hermitage, the monk told him of the sad state the monastery had fallen into and asked his advice.
The master smiled. "There is one living among you who is the incarnation of God. Because he is being disrespected by those around him, he will not show himself, and the monastery will remain in disrepair." With those words spoken, the master fell silent and would say no more.
All the way back to the monastery, the monk wondered which of his brothers might be the Incarnated One. "Perhaps it is Brother Jaspar who does our cooking," the monk said aloud. But then a second later thought, "No, it can't be him. He is sloppy and ill tempered and the food he prepares is tasteless."
"Perhaps our gardener, Brother Timor, is the one," he then thought. This consideration, too, was quickly followed by denial. "Of course not" he said aloud. "God is not lazy and would never let weeds take over a lettuce patch the way Brother Timor has."
Finally, after dismissing each and every one of his brothers for this fault or that, the senior monk realized there were none left. Knowing it had to be one of the monks because the master had said it was, he worried over it a bit before a new thought dawned. "Could it be that the Holy One has chosen to display a fault in order to disguise himself?" he wondered. "Of course it could! That must be it!"
Reaching the monastery, he immediately told his brothers what the master had said and all were just as astonished as he had been to learn the Divine was living among them.
Since each knew it was not himself who was God Incarnate, each began to study his brothers carefully, all trying to determine who among them was the Holy One. But all any of them could see were the faults and failings of the others. If God was in their midst, he was doing a fine job of hiding himself. Finding the Incarnated One among such rubble would be difficult, indeed.
After much discussion, it was finally decided that they would all make an effort to be kind and loving toward each another, treating all with the respect and honor one would naturally give to the Incarnated One. If God insisted on remaining hidden, then they had no recourse but to treat each monk as if he were the Holy One.
Each so concentrated on seeing God in the other that soon their hearts filled with such love for one another the chains of negativity that held them bound fell away. As time passed, they began seeing God not just in each other, but in every one and everything. Days were spent in joyful reverence, rejoicing in His Holy Presence. The monastery radiated this joy like a beacon and soon the villagers returned, streaming through the doors as they had before, seeking to be touched by the love and devotion present there.
It was some time later that the senior monk decided to pay the master another visit to thank him for the secret he had revealed.
"Did you discover the identity of the Incarnated One?" the master asked. "We did," the senior monk replied. "We found him residing in all of us." The master smiled.