Willingness

I attended a workshop recently where at the onset we, the participants, were instructed to laugh at the funny parts. It was a revelation to me that Laughter Yoga is not the only place where people are directed to laugh on command. I realized more than ever, how much willingness is a major factor in the act of laughing.

I once had a young woman attend my laughter club with a group of people. It was her first time and she arrived late, missing the entire introduction. She then spent most of the laughter session making ridiculing remarks and nonverbal expressions to her friend. One comment I overheard was a pronouncement of me and the laughter exercises as “not funny”.

Of course she missed the whole point of Laughter Yoga. She had no idea that it wasn’t my job to make her laugh, but only my job to inspire and encourage her to laugh. Willingness was her missing link.

To me it summed up the entire difference between the comedian who is responsible for making the audience laugh vs. the laughter club participant who is responsible for creating her own laugh, i.e. taking responsibility for “being willing”.

Even attending a comedy act, if you aren’t willing to laugh, you aren’t likely to find much funny. When you are “laugh-ready”, you’ll find a lot more things funny (in a comedy routine and in life), you’ll laugh more, and have a fuller experience participating in both.

Willingness is the key.

Photo: Stock.xchnge