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How it all began …….

In April of 2002, a small story in our Sunday Parade Magazine caught my eye. It was a picture of a pretty woman about my age laughing and having a good time with a small group of people. I wanted to know who she was and what was so funny. It turns out she was a laughter leader for a club in her local community. I thought it fascinating and wanted to know more about people who got together on a regular basis only for the purpose of laughing. No jokes, no movies no nothing, just laughter. I was sure the article was correct that laughter was good for everyone. They listed a website for more information. I looked it up. They did offer more information about the program and even listed dates and locations for future training.

I called a friend of mine who is a humor therapist for a major hospital to see what he knew about the program. He got a big laugh out of it, asking, “Why in the world do you need someone to teach you how to laugh?” I couldn’t answer him, so I put it off. But for some reason, I kept the article on my desk.

Over the next several months, laughter training kept rearing its ugly head in the most inopportune ways. After all, I wasn’t interested; a real p-r-o-f-e-s-s-I-o-n-a-l had sneered at the mere idea. But it wouldn’t leave me alone. I kept coming across more articles on the subject and finally checked the website again for more information. I discovered there was to be a training session near where my daughter lived and it was close to Halloween. Besides, who wouldn’t want an excuse to visit two of the cutest grandbabies in the world at such a fun time of the year?

So off to laughter training I went, keeping in mind that if it was a big farce I could always call my daughter and begin my visit with her a day early. To my delight, the instructor was a licensed psychologist from a recognized community college. The participants were of varied backgrounds, interested in the training for a wide variety of reasons. It was truly two days of intense leadership training in the psychology of humor, group dynamics, political correctness, medical limitations, and most importantly, what Laughter Clubs are NOT.

We worked diligently at perfecting the timing and rhythm of the dozens and dozens of systematically explicit exercises. Laughing for NO reason is actually a very deliberate and methodical cardiovascular workout. In fact, at the end of the two-day workshop, I was convinced that I would never have to worry about a double chin again.

I came away from that experience understanding why we need someone to train us in the fine art of laughter exercise. I better understood the conditions of camaraderie that make this program so successful. And I absolutely knew that laughing for no reason is desperately needed in Corporate America.

I believed that to succeed, participants must meet on a daily basis and that we Americans would not be willing to meet in public parks at 6:30 in the morning to make fools of ourselves. For that is the misconception people have when you tell them you are going to teach them to laugh for no reason. I began a quest to establish a program that could easily adapt itself to the workplace and entice management to incorporate it in their daily processes and routines.

Dr. Madan Kataria is a qualified physician in the Allopalhic system of medicine and is affiliated with the Jaslok Hospital & Research Center in Bombay, India, specializing in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He developed the laugh for no reason program in 1995. It is a synchronized format that teaches people to laugh spontaneously without effort, increasing their endorphins and feelings of well being. In India, the weather is mild and the cities are filled with open parks where people gather on their way to and from work each day. Most people walk, ride bicycles or commute by bus. So the parks are a natural place for people to gather each morning and celebrate life with laughter.

To quote Dr. Kataria, “So now that we have decided to laugh, does that mean we have to keep a book of jokes handy, or dial up 'a laugh a day keeps the doctor away,' or stick our fingers in our mouth and make faces? No. We can simply learn to laugh for no reason.”

Here in the United States we are committed to our automobiles. Unfortunately, the weather for the most part, is not conducive to year around outdoor activities. So I began to think where do people naturally gather each day? Well, there is the mall and the morning walkers, but they, for the most part, are already thinking about their health and a large number of them are retired. Where do people need to de-stress the most? Where are they the most uptight? Where do they meet everyday? The WORKPLACE was the answer to all of the above. Then I began to think how do you get Corporate America to listen to this crazy woman who wants everyone to begin their day by laughing out loud for no reason at all except to save their sanity, health and guess what? They might just be more productive, more creative and show up to work more often and on time!!!!!!

Soon, the holidays came along and I just kept wondering on how to reach the Big Cheese in the Corporate Eiffel Towers across America. And, of course, no answers came my way.

Until one day when the light bulb went off and bingo! Where do I live but in the air capital of the world. We build more airplanes here than anywhere on earth. And where are people the most stressed on the job? Well, I can tell you 90% of the aircraft workers I know are thankful for their jobs, but they are far from stress free.

What does the research reveal about “on the job stress”? People are most stressed when they feel they are not in control. And believe me. The guy on the line is critical to the success of that airplane holding together and performing correctly, but has little or no say in how he performs his job. There is always the threat of layoff, not meeting deadlines, a new boss, a change in schedule and yes, overtime pay is nice, but it sure puts a strain on one's family. And of course, like any job, there is the guy next door who isn’t doing his fair share, the supplies that don’t arrive on time or the newly arrived parts don’t fit, etc, etc. So stress marches on in every workplace, not just the aircraft industry. But here I was in the heart of America surrounded by multiple aircraft manufacturers with tens of thousands of employees who all want to do a better job and be recognized for it.

So now that I have identified my market, where do I begin? Well, I figured if I was going to take the bull by the horns and talk to the big boys, I had better have my facts straight and be able to back up any and all data. So my search began. It has taken me down some long and lonely roads, but it has also enlightened me in ways I never would have imagined.

I began to look for ways to interconnect with the types of training already being provided in the workplace. One company in particular seemed a natural. They had just begun a company wide, twice a day stretching exercise program for all their shop employees. A pilot program the year before had proven very successful in reducing the number of on-the-job accidents and repetitive motion stress syndrome. But as life would have it, they suffered a major layoff just about the time I was ready to call them. But you know life is meant to be that way. I obviously needed the extra time to prepare and complete my research.

So in the mean time, I began to look at other industries that could benefit from my program and address their need to increase productivity, accuracy, accountability, trust, creativity and just plain old good citizenship.

A side note about the major aircraft manufacturer I thought would be a natural candidate to start this program. I had heard its CEO make a public statement some years earlier that he hoped all of his employees were happy in their jobs. I challenged him on his comment and his reply was unwavering. He looked me straight in the eye when he said, “I truly want people to love what they do.” I hope I get the opportunity to stand face to face with him once again and tell him I have found a way to help his employees be happier in their jobs and be more productive too boot.

I also began to tweak the Laugh for No Reason program so it could more easily adapt to the existing corporate work environment. Laughter training, no matter the environment, is a systematic activity by combining both ancient practices of yoga and meditation with modern medical science. Laughter training is an interactive yet self-starting form of genuine exercise. No jokes, no court jesters, no humor, but rather an organized catalog of laughter exercises.

According to Dr. Kataria, "We don’t use humor because humor is subjective. What is funny to one person may be highly offensive to another." Humor is personal as well as subjective; laughter, on the other hand, is universal. What I wanted to do was make the actual exercises more palatable and subdued for the workplace. I also felt it important to incorporate additional high quality communications training, leadership initiatives plus stimulating and cohesive team strategies into the training mix.

So after much thought and belabored deliberation with friends and cohorts, I determined that the company should be called The Laughter Connection and the training units would be known as Laughter-Links. Make the connection and link up to success. Both names have now been servicemarked. I also have been issued a personalized license tag--"Laugh"--by the State of Kansas. What fun!

And after checking the web, can you believe there was not one book titled The Laughter Connection. And what does Robin Fisher Roffer say in Make a Name for Yourself? Publish, publish, and publish! So that is how I came up with the name of my book. In fact, what you have just read is the introduction. Look for it to be in the bookstores soon.

Here is another humorous side note. In my quest for finding a mentor, I had come across the name of Lynn Martin, former Secretary of Labor under George Bush, Sr. I had greatly admired Ms. Martin's tenacity and straightforward approach to big business and BIG government. Again to follow the sage advice of Ms. Roffer, I wrote Ms. Martin a letter requesting she act as my mentor in my new endeavor.

Much to my surprise, a week later I got a call from her secretary, who had a child who attended K-State . . . small world? Barbara told me Ms. Martin would not be able to serve as my mentor as she was already committed to helping 90 other young women. WOW! What a commitment from someone who not only has a family and a full time job with a major corporation, but also serves as a director on many, many national corporate boards. I'll never complain about having too much to do again.

I was delighted when Barbara said Ms. Martin would be happy to talk with me personally if we could coordinate an appropriate time for the call. She also suggested that I formulate a few specific questions I would like to ask her. I couldn't believe I was going to get to actually talk to the former Secretary of Labor. WOW! And, I could ask her anything!

I had sent along a copy of the brochure I was working on. One of my major challenges has been how to describe what it is that I do. Well you try it! Tell your friends and perfect strangers, "I teach people how to laugh." Guess what? Everyone will do exactly as my p-r-o-f-e-s-s-i-o-n-a-l friend did and LAUGH at you, not with you. And then when they find out you are serious, they will immediately tell you they laugh all the time. Of course, you will be tempted to ask if that is a small social giggle (most are) or a good hearty belly laugh (rare that they are). But don't. They most likely will not find your question amusing. Well, I didn't mean to digress, but as you can imagine, it is quite a challenge and one that I am still working on.

Anyway, back to my excitement. When Ms. Martin called, first she asked me what exactly it was that I did. I gave her a brief oral history and then mentioned that I had enclosed my brochure with my letter. She responded, "Well, that isn't what it says." Oh my, she had actually read it!

Then my pea brain went into overdrive and I realized what she had just said. Yes . . . remember I did say one of the things I most admired about her was her forthrightness. All I could think of was, now I have to start over. I am sure she could hear my wheels turning, so she kindly brought me back to reality with her next statement, which was, "Your slogan. I don't think you mean Laughter is good for the soul and big business too!"

My mind went racing off again with "Sure I did! I think I did, didn't I? Oh dear, didn't I?" Thank heavens she brought me back to reality once again when her good strong voice said, "What I think you mean to say is Laughter is good for the soul and good for business too!"

At that instant, I knew my intuition had been "right on" about writing to her. I also knew in that instant that I had to find myself an editor, and fast.

One of my favorite sayings is, "God looks after fools and the rest of us," and he sure was doing a great job the day he sent me Ms. Martin. She truly is a jewel and I am so glad she let her light shine on me! She was so kind in her closing remarks when she said she wanted to hear from me again in the future and see how it was going.

Watch the bookstores for The Laughter Connection, and read about the many other people who have helped me along the way. It will have my picture on the back, or maybe I'll be like Dr. Phil and put myself bigger than life on the front cover.

God Bless and remember . . .

if you fill your day with laughter, you'll fill your heart with joy!

Judy

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