Use Laughter to Help Build Resilience

If you're reading this, I bet you've felt overwhelmed by life's curveballs and the relentless pace of the entrepreneurial world.

Before we delve into today's conversation, I've got a confession to make: Last year I started a podcast that sounded less like a mental health masterclass and more like an emo bands hit single — full of stress, hardships, and every other word that falls under the ’this is hard-er than I expected’ category.

So I picked up a book called ‘Humor, Seriously’ to strike a balance between reality and a good laugh.

Now, let me be clear about one thing. Too often, we let our health or personal situations limit us. We start to believe that our struggles define our capabilities. But in reality, we possess an incredible capacity to achieve, regardless of these hardships.

Rather than selling you success stories from self-help gurus, I'll give it to you straight — the statistics and my experience.

Consider the humor cliff: children laugh 300 times a day. The average 40-year-old? They'd need 2.5 months to reach that same laugh count. What happened to our humor, our joy, our resilience?

More sobering facts follow: A survey that's been popping up on Forbes and Entrepreneur reveals some harrowing statistics about entrepreneurs. Of the 250 entrepreneurs surveyed, 72% reported experiencing a mental health issue. This compares to the 48% reported by non-entrepreneurs.

Then, consider the rates of depression (30%), ADHD (19%), and substance abuse (12%) among entrepreneurs.

Are you feeling uncomfortable yet? Good. Because change begins with discomfort.

In the last month, while facing the loss of my grandmother, facing my mother being sent to jail for 3 years minimum because of a license from another state, and my neurologist not being able to tell heads or tails about my brain injury — this week I’ve been validating a problem in my niche that I spent 6 months uncovering, working with my mentor using Russell Brunsons’ method, and my business coach is aiding me in securing free case study clients to validate that my methods work for others in this niche. (yes, this is a shameless plug. If you want to learn more, respond to this email).

It's tempting, really tempting, to let these situations become excuses. To chalk up our unfulfilled dreams to our health or life situations. But here's the thing: our struggles don't define our capabilities.

This newsletter isn't meant to be a misery memoir or a sympathy plea. Rather, I hope it serves as a reminder: You are not alone in your struggles. There's a vast community out here, many of whom are battling the same demons, and yet pushing forward.

Find humor in the chaos. Laugh amidst the trials. Your health doesn't define your success — your resilience does. Take care of your mental health, yes, but remember that even on the darkest days, you are capable of extraordinary things.

The question is coming from the book that struck me: When was the last time you seriously laughed?

Action item: Find 5 things to laugh about a day, That’s it - but I’d recommend laughing at the beginning of the day to set the tone. A meme, a joke, something.

See how it affects your level of stress and mood.

I'll leave you with this: Don't wait 2.5 months find a reason to smile — even if you don’t feel like it.