Happy happy October

Another brilliant and fun filled month is in full swing.  I hope your September was wonderful and your October is off to a brilliant start.

For many  of us here in Australia the months between July and October mean tax time.  A time to gather all those bits of paper that relate to income and expenses and fill in those papers that the tax office require.  I pay an accountant to deal with mine.  Tax isn’t something that rings my bells so to speak and it’s something I’m happy to hand over to another.  It’s the very thought of how much Neil, my accountant, enjoys his job that has sparked this month’s happiness tip.

This month, in honour of Neil, we are re-visiting gratitude.  Gratitude, it’s well known, is one of the key elements of happiness.  The ability to not only say thank you but to feel a sense of thankfulness is an important skill when it comes to being happy.

This month my thoughts of gratitude turn to all those who do the jobs that I don’t have time to do, am unable to do myself or would prefer to leave to others.  Believe it or not, we all need loads of assistance to get us through our day.  All jobs are important, all jobs have meaning and each one of us  enjoys doing different things, something I am eternally grateful for.

 Those who know me or have been to one of my workshops know that I thrive on sharing the health and well-being benefits of laughter to groups small and large.  I have friends, acquaintances and even a couple of family members who are all too happy to tell me that I can have my job all to myself,  that they would never get up in front of any group and do some of the things that I do.

This month I thought it might be a good idea to share thoughts of gratitude and words of thanks to all those who help us through our day.  I’m not going to name them, the list would be enormous and no doubt I would leave someone out, but I’ve no doubt you can think of at least 20 different jobs that help you get through your day, from the people who work at the companies that made the bed and the bedding you slept in and on last night, to the designer of the container your coffee or tea came in and the people who picked, processed and packed the beans and leaves that made your morning drink. Often we take the ‘things’ we use during our day for granted but each and every thing we use has its importance and each and every thing we do is assisted by someone, usually unknown to us, that has helped to make our day a little easier. 

This month when you see someone doing something you might never want to do, never think to do or never have time to do, instead of thinking “I could never do that” think “thank you for being the one to do that or make that happen” because ‘that’, whatever ‘that’ is, is an important ‘thing’ in the grand scheme of ‘things’ that helps to get  us through our day.

You might even like to stop and give a moment’s thought to the things you use that you never really think about.  I have a relative who designs garbage trucks.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard  people say “Really? I never thought about someone designing that stuff” when they ask what he does.  Every time I see a truck collecting waste I think “thank you Graeme for designing a machine that makes bin emptying so simple.”

This month I’m especially grateful to the wonderful people at the Kraft Vegemite Toast of a Nation Competition.  They have named me as one of their 25 Toast of a Nation Winners.  Yes, I am officially a HAPPY LITTLE VEGEMITE – how much fun is that! And a big thank you also goes out to the amazing Jayne for nominating me.  The 25 winners are now in the running to be named in the top 10, all of whom will get their story printed onto the labels of Vegemite in 2012, and 1 of the top 10 will be named THE ULTIMATE TOAST OF A NATION WINNER.  The top 10 and ultimate winner will be chosen by popular vote through the Toast of a Nation Web Page at http://toan.vegemite.com.au/toast-of-a-nation-nominate.aspx.   I wouldn’t want to influence your voting but if you head to the website you will find a nomination for ‘Australia’s Laughter Lady’.  I can’t think of anything more fun than being on a Vegemite Label!  Voting is open until the end of October. A big thank you to everyone who has already voted. 

The rest of my October is going to be fun.  Tomorrow, Qantas permitting, I’m heading to Rockhampton for 4 amazing days and a few fun-filled workshops with the wonderful people at the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association. 

Next week is choca block full of fun with a number of Melbourne based groups and then it’s off again to re-connect with clients in Sydney and Brisbane.  Next year I’ll be looking at combining these amazing ‘business trips’ (how can this be called work?) with chances to catch up with some of our amazing Let’s Laugh family.  At the moment I keep my trips short as I care for a family member who is ill but well along on their long journey to recovery.

Thank you also goes out to everyone who joined the wonderful family who make up the face book group – Smile Project.  In the last 2 weeks their numbers have more than doubled.  Certainly something to smile about.

Keep laughing and have a brilliant rest of October.

Bronwyn