One of the healthiest things we can ever learn is how to stop being so serious.
Of course, a healthy and natural confidence is essential to curate and to keep, because we need to know our own worth and respect ourselves as much as we can.
…Yet there always comes a point where those healthy attitudes can turn to ego or arrogance. This makes us a rather inflexible, unhappy person.
For instance, it may prevent us from brushing off a rude comment or make us feel terrible when a joke doesn’t land – rather than considering both of these things just normal things to expect in the course of a lifetime.
When we stop taking ourselves so seriously, we can even stop limiting ourselves in more ways than one.
Think about karaoke. You may have been invited to karaoke by your colleagues, only to clam up, not wanting to take part in case you ‘looked silly,’.
The irony is that taking part and laughing at how bad you all are (while letting loose at the same time) can help you look like the coolest one of the bunch. When you achieve that, looking cool doesn’t even matter. It is time to stop being so serious.
Let’s consider how you can begin this most vital of inner achievements and stop being so serious…
Learn to Congratulate, Celebrate & Laugh at Yourself
One of the best things in life is to learn how to celebrate yourself, while also allowing this to be a platform for modesty.
For example, you may have secured work as a model for a decent clothing line, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend that evening celebrating with a bottle of wine, a movie with your friend, and a few snorting laughs as you enjoy your time in your pyjamas.
Remember that no matter what, we are all people (warts and all), and the more idiosyncrasies we have to celebrate, the better.
Get Involved in Something Fun
Never turning our nose up at something fun can be a great means to take life as it comes.
Even if your auntie invites you to Bingo or to a knitting group!
Going along to keep her company and to have some fun with your family can be a viable use of your time, even if this isn’t something you would usually do alone. Stop being so serious.
Additionally, we may decide to take up extra hobbies, such as making crafts and purchasing glue guns for arts and crafts alongside a range of other fun and exciting materials, giving us the time to indulge in creativity.
When we say “yes” to life, life says “yes” to us.
Stay Socially Open & Considerate
It is also worth doing your best to stop judging people. Instead, give them the benefit of the doubt.
Of course, we all judge for our own health and to be wary of bad situations. However, it might be that someone in your friend group is not quiet because they have taken a disliking to you, but because they are struggling with some bad family news.
Someone at your work may not be as skilled as you, but they may be trying their best to learn – using you as inspiration.
The more we stay open and accepting, the easier we can adopt those attitudes in regard to ourselves.
That is a powerful skill to learn! With this advice, I hope you can stop being so serious and learn to enjoy your life more – no matter what.
Image: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
