Laugh More, Age Less
Why Laughter Is Good for You
As we age, we’re told to wear sunscreen, eat more vegetables, take vitamins, and even walk more — all in hope that our internal clocks will slow down and we will age better. But something as simple as laughter could actually be one of the easiest ways to slow the ticking clock of aging. Scientists have long known that laughter can be therapeutic and help us live longer. It has been shown to reduce wear and tear on our bodies and improve our relationships. A Norwegian study found that those who prioritized humor were more likely to live past 70 than those who didn’t laugh often. At a biological level, laughter can reduce tension in your muscles and activate a powerful stress-relief response from your brain by releasing dopamine. Just one chuckle may even improve your breathing and heart function! In fact, laughing can work wonders for the heart. One study showed that laughter therapy helped reduce the blood pressure and cholesterol levels of its participants. Their blood circulation improved, too. Studies have also found that regular laughter can help strengthen your immune system, and it has long-term benefits for those with respiratory conditions.
In addition to your body, laughter is also good for your social life. (And we don’t mean that people will want to spend time with you if you have all the good jokes!) Throughout history, laughter has been an evolutionary sign of understanding. When there are language barriers, laughing together can create camaraderie and a tighter bond between people of different cultures. The dopamine release that comes with laughter aids in stress relief and creates powerful memories that can improve your mood and strengthen friendships. Of course, laughter has its downfalls, too. Laughing at someone else’s expense is detrimental to their health and can harm your relationships. So, stick to light jokes and actively seek shows, cartoons, or people who make you laugh. You’ll feel good, and your body will be pretty happy, too.
Sharing Your Priorities —Not Just Your Procedures
GETTING YOUR EMPLOYEES TO THE ‘75% LEVEL’
In the last edition of my newsletter, I talked about the “75% Employee Rule” and how I started looking to find employees who would do their job at 75% of the way I would do the job. Learning to let employees do their jobs wasn’t easy for me — it isn’t easy for most control freaks. Some days, you love your employees, and other days, you see them as a necessary evil. However, if you want your business to be scalable, you need good people working for you. So, how did I get my employees to perform at that 75% level? I learned that employees are not mind readers. They do their best with the information they have. Let me explain. After hiring an employee, most employers give them a description of their responsibilities, a list of their benefits, and an employee manual. Then, a supervisor will train the new employee until they’re ready to do
the work they were hired for without any help. Then, the supervisor leaves the new employee to their work, and they go about their work in a way you don’t like. So what happened? Where is the disconnect? The problem is that you shared the procedures with them but not your priorities. Everybody has certain quirks and priorities that affect how they want things done, and that includes both business owners and employees. So, instead of telling the employee what you want done, let them know how you want it done by sharing your top 5–10 priorities with them. Some of these priorities might be, for example: 1. You like detail. This means all the reports are completed and not done halfway. 2. Timeliness is important. Always be on time. 3. Use written communication. Always follow up a conversation with an email or letter to ensure nothing is lost in translation.
4. Stay on task. Once you start something, don’t stop until it is finished. 5. Fess up when you mess up. Be accountable, good or bad, for your actions. By sharing your priorities with your employees, you eliminate the possibility of their having to guess how you want the job done, and the odds are much better the employee will perform to at least that 75% level.
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