Cheerfulness

by Gregory Allen Butler

Yesterday, I paid a visit to personaldevelopmentbooks.net. This is a wonderful site and resource that I subscribe to, and I recommend you do as well. Here's why -- subscribers of the site receive a free e-book each week pertaining to personal development. This week they are making available to their subscribers a small booklet from 1899, a book so insightful that it has the capacity to transform the lives of its readers. It's one of those books that changes the way we look at the world.

Jarle Husefest, the owner of the site, has a disclaimer at the beginning of the e-book that I love: "As long as you do not change the contents (or charge a fee) you may freely distribute it to your friends and family (and everyone else you think it might be useful for)." Therefore, I have a free download link for you right here:
Cheerfulness as a Life Power.

If you are not sure you want to take the time, at least consider these words, excerpted from the book:

Laughter begins in the lungs and diaphragm, setting the liver, stomach, and other internal organs into a quick, jelly-like vibration, which gives a pleasant sensation and exercise, almost equal to that of horseback riding. During digestion, the movements of the stomach are similar to churning. Every time you take a full breath, or when you cachinnate well, the diaphragm descends and gives the stomach an extra squeeze and shakes it. Frequent laughing sets the stomach to dancing, hurrying up the digestive process. The heart beats faster, and sends the blood bounding through the body. "There is not," says Dr. Green, "one remotest corner or little inlet of the minute blood-vessels of the humanbody that does not feel some wavelet from the convulsions occasioned by a good hearty laugh." In medical terms, it stimulates the vasomotor centers, and the spasmodic contraction of the blood-vessels causes the blood to flow quickly. Laughter accelerates the respiration, and gives warmth and glow to the whole system. It brightens the eye, increases the perspiration, expands the chest, forces the poisoned air from the least-used lung cells, and tends to restore that exquisite poise or balance which we call health, which results from the harmonious action of all the functions of the body. This delicate poise, which may be destroyed by a sleepless night, a piece of bad news, by grief or anxiety, is often wholly restored by a good hearty laugh.

I put this theory to the test last night. Yesterday was a particularly hard day for me, the result of which left my spirits on the low end of the spectrum in respects to feeling cheerful. After reading some of this book, I turned on the comedy channel for 90 minutes and got some good laughs. The gloomy feelings evaporated and I had a great night’s sleep. I woke up this morning feeling great.

If you read the book, you’ll understand why that type of transformation is possible so quickly (and painlessly). And again, the best part -- it’s free. Download it and share it with those you love.