Laughter & Achievement
I've been laughing myself to sleep a lot recently. I lie down in bed, take a deep breath, and just relax. Without fail, goofy thoughts start arriving and I lay there chuckling to myself until I fall asleep. Every so often I have a little trouble falling to sleep, but I like those nights as well because I can spend the time thinking about different concepts, as well as new articles that I want to write. I tell myself that if I only sleep four hours that night, I can sleep long tomorrow.
When I go to sleep, it's normally 8-12 hours before I have to do anything or be anywhere. I may not have achieved everything that I needed to do that day, but I have always achieved something. Writing an article, completing a workout, building a plan - there is achievement in everyday. Nothing as "important" as a huge loan deal, an acquisition or a divestment - items that I used to work on. On the other hand, my unfinished business at the end of each day is pretty minor. So far, I think the most serious it's been was having unanswered e-mails left overnight in my inbox.
I've also been laughing a lot during the day. Entertaining images, stories and people roll through my head throughout the day. It was a little concerning at first. You see, I thought I might be losing my mind - I was that happy. So, I did what I normally do in a situation like that, I started analysing.
I was thinking about the most successful people that I have come across when it hit me. What do they all have in common? Laughter. They can all share a good joke. I didn't limit my definition of success to financial only. I thought about folks in all areas of my current and previous lives. Without a doubt, the most successful folks were a happy bunch.
SO.... what if we measured success by the number of times we laughed each day? I think laughter is a great indicator as it is a sign of many things. True laughter comes when you are relaxed, happy, and relatively content. Most folks would agree that when you are stressed, unhappy and unsatisfied, it is quite hard to muster a laugh. So, if you are laughing, it is a sign that things probably aren't that bad. If you are laughing a lot, I'd be willing to bet that things are pretty good. And if you are laughing yourself to sleep each night, you're clearly on the right track.
Possibly not an earth shattering realisation? You're saying to yourself, "Wow, Gordo just figured out that people that laugh are happy." In a sense you're right, but what if we modified our view of achievement. What if we said that the truly successful were the those who were always smiling and full of joy. Wouldn't matter if you were Bill Gates or a Microserf - if you were laughing, you were winning. It's probably more of a realisation for me than for you. I was "winning" for many years, but my laughter wasn't fully there. It wasn't until I stopped achieving in financial terms that I was able to start living in real terms.
This isn't a rejection of my old world. As I have said before, many of the folks I worked with continue to score off the charts on the Laugh Index. They've found their niche. I just needed to find mine. Of course, there are a few people that I have come across who don't score well on the Laugh Index. I hope they find a path to happiness.
So I've got my new index. I am going to try to use it for a while. I had the opportunity to grow my coaching business the other day. I whipped out my index and asked it, "Will increasing the size of my business make me laugh more or less?" The index said that a larger business might overload me right now, and advised waiting a little bit. This brings me to something else that's been on my mind for a while...
Why is bigger better than smaller?
I've been reading about draft legal racing recently. The main argument seems to be that draft legal is better for TV and spectators. If it is better for TV and spectators then it must be good. Why? Because people grow the sport and TV attracts money. Money and growth. Hmmmm, nobody said anything about it being more fun. Not sure if this passes the Laugh Index.
Think about some of the larger money sports - do we want to become like them? Coming from an ultrarunning and mountaineering background, I can tell you that it is far more fun to be competing with (and for) yourself than to be competing for the dollar. There are only a select few that can race for joy and money. Even today, I can see it in the eyes of some pros that race for cash.
With increased money comes increased cheating, increased drug use and reduced participant power in the direction of the sport. The sponsors and television companies take over. Those in favour say, "the sport needs to grow up". Why? How often do we ask why when it comes to growth, increased exposure and more money? We have been trained to accept that these are universally good.
Once I get my Laugh Index better established, we'll have an easier time convincing them - except for Simon Whitfield. I'd be willing to bet that he's one dude that's riding the Index quite high at the moment!
I loved the Olympics, and I don't really mind draft legal racing. It's their reasoning that I find objectionable! Something for me to think about in the days ahead.
So a few thoughts for you, typed out inside a freezing room (it must be nearly 17C inside here!!! 
) in Taupo, New Zealand. I have a Half Ironman race tomorrow morning. Glad I brought my winter cycling gear and neoprene swim cap. Having a five minute transition to put on winter gear during the southern summer - that scores pretty high on the Laugh Index.
Keep smiling,
gordo - 15 December 2000