How To Get Lost...And Stay That Way

We've all heard the famous quote of Rene Descartes, the 17th century French logician: "I think, therefore I am." But do you know the true significance of Descartes philosophy? It's not a declaration of humanity, so much as a transformation of science which can be summed up in two words: systematic doubt. I'll finish this story momentarily...

Watch a child play. See how utterly transfixed she becomes with her game. It's pure immersion; she has lost herself in the world of play.

You used to do that too when you were a kid. But you can't do that anymore, right?

Wrong.

You were born with the ability to lose yourself. You still have it. It's one of your greatest gifts because it puts you in the present moment (where all the fun is).

Legendary comedian Chris Rush told me there are three things that root you in the moment, as an adult: great sex, gunfire, and laughter. I'll add one more to his list - your decision to be in the moment. Yes, you occasionally find yourself lost in an activity, but you can actually learn to get lost as often as you decide - and, as you'll see, when you do this your success will skyrocket!

Losing yourself in the moment is so important to your health and success, in fact, that I've made it one of my newest Fun Commandments: Get Lost. It turns out that "get lost" is actually one of the nicest things I've ever been told!

Why is it so important to get lost in the moment? Because your life is currently dominated by two pressing illusions that weigh you down like anchors tied to your neck in the deep end of the pool. You've come to accept these illusions to such an extent that they dominate about 96% of your daily thoughts and focus.

What are these two horrible illusions? The future and the past.

You populate your illusions about the future with your fears, hopes, guesses, etc. But the future is a lie - a time-waster at best and an immobilizing fear at worst. The future will never actually arrive, because when it does it will be the present moment!

You place judgements on your past, labeling events failures, successes, mistakes, triumphs, etc. But the past is a lie too; the past is gone and it is a distraction at best and a paralyzing guilt-producer at worst. The past isn't real anymore.

Frightening to think you destroy so much of your time and energy focused on these two illusions, isn't it? And you do waste more time on them than you'd like, don't you? Me too.

The present moment is where all your fun is. The present moment is where all your success is found. The present moment is the only thing real in life.

That's why it's so important to cultivate the ability to get lost. And that's why it's such great news that humor is your biggest ally for getting lost. Humor helps you like nothing else because it is entirely about the present moment.

In fact, humor's ability to transfix you in the moment is one of the main reasons you are gifted with it. Humor is the universe's way of saying, "Hey, you don't have to be imprisoned by the twin illusions of the past and present! You were born with a key - humor. Use it and free yourself!"

Prior to Descartes, by the way, scientists started with a general proposition and then proceeded to find what else could be deduced from that general idea. Descartes proclaimed that the "truth" should not be stated at the beginning of the investigation, but should emerge from the process of investigation and experimentation. "I think, therefore I am" refers, then, to a process we now call the scientific method.

Next week, I'll give you much more fuel for your experimentation with getting lost. I'll share humor's role in the process and help you have fun with your research. I have a pretty good idea, though, that your results with this process will be quite grand - please share them with me.



Cliff Kuhn, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor
"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor
"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

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How To Claim The "Catbird's Seat"

Have you heard the term "sitting in the catbird's seat"? It refers to a position of great prominence or advantage. But did you know that it was coined by the late Red Barber, a longtime radio sportscaster? I'll tell you Red's funny story about how this term was acquired in a minute...

You zoom through your day, alternatively focused distractingly on your past or your future and also productively achieving your personal to-do list. You're good at this routine. Yet all around you is an untapped source of motivation so powerful, you'll feel like you just drank a Starbuck's double-espresso (with sugar).

This source of motivation is something I call the laughter symphony. And it is so beneficial to your health and success that I've created a new Fun Commandment: Conduct the Laughter Symphony.

What is the laughter symphony? Quite simply, it is the sounds of joy being abundantly produced all around you during every moment of your day. Don't restrict your imagination to thoughts of outright laughter (although you can hear that in abundance by visiting any park or playground). Joy and laughter can be heard in something as delicate as a cheerful inflection in someone's voice. And it can be seen in something as unobtrusive as a tiny grin on a beaming face.

Laughter is everywhere!

How do you conduct the laughter symphony? By listening and looking for it, everywhere and at all times. You'll hear and see so much laughter that you'll feel like the conductor of a symphony and you'll begin to notice that it does, quite often, sound like a classical composition.

Before you balk at the simplicity of my newest Fun Commandment, allow me to call attention to something which clearly illustrates the laughter symphony's immense value to you. The sitcom staple, the laugh track. Laugh tracks are usually annoying at best, but downright insulting at worst. So why do the studios continue to use them?

Because they work. They make us think the shows we're watching are funny.

Laugh tracks work because they tap into a preconditioned psychological trigger you share with all other humans - the trigger of taking behavior cues from the actions of others.

You're not stupid or simple-minded, but rest assured this trigger has a deep subconscious effect on you just like all of us. As humans, we are all susceptible and that's why television executives continue to insult our intelligence with laugh tracks.

But think about the ramifications of what I've just shared. You have a deep, subconscious trigger of following suite with the actions of those around you. You can use this trigger to your advantage any time you with. Like a finely tuned judo master, you will use the forces of nature in your favor.

What if you practiced my Fun Commandment, Conduct the Laughter Symphony? What if you trained your ear to hear, and your eye to see, the incredible variety of laughter surrounding you today? What if the laughter symphony becomes your personal laugh track?

I know what will happen to you because that's exactly what I've taught hundreds of my patients and clients to do.

You will smile 84% more often. You will laugh 63% more regularly. You will experience a 37% reduction in physical pain. And your energy level will rise by a whopping 58%! These are averages, mind you. You may do much better!

By the way, Red Barber says he got his famous term from a poker game. His opponent kept raising the bet and Red kept answering (even though he only had a pair of eights). When his opponent's winning hand was revealed, and Red lost the pot, the man said to Red, "Thanks for all those raises. From the start I was sitting in the catbird's seat."

Red Barber wrote, years later in The Saturday Review, "Inasmuch as I had paid for the expression, I began to use it."

Now you'll be in the catbird's seat as you conduct the laughter symphony this week. Please write me and tell my how your symphony performed!



Cliff Kuhn, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor
"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor
"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

The Blog Directory