Our days are jammed packed, on the go early, smart phones buzzing, emails, phone calls, social networks, busy freeways, the days fly by, never enough hours in the day. So when do find the time to enjoy a simple laugh?

As I get older I find myself spending more time reflecting on the past, recognizing how quickly the days pass. When we were younger we laughed a lot, life seemed simpler, less serious, less responsibility, and we enjoyed the simple things in life and laughed along the way.

I’m not saying I’m not happy, I’m very happy and very proud, I’ve raised two amazing young men, now in college living away from home and moving along nicely with their lives. But it seems like yesterday I was coaching their youth sports, attending school functions, and running off to the park with them on weekends, laughing and playing without interruption.

I’m married to a great woman, keeps me on my toes, we live, love and enjoy eating great food together. She’s raising three children, a wonderful, caring mother, always busy. Thanks to new technologies, we are always in communication with our children, love technology! We look forward to the day we are able to run off and see the world together.

I love my career and our team. Our business provides a great service to many, and the many challenges ahead as we grow keeps me stimulated.

But lately I find myself coming back to this, do we really spend enough time laughing, or are we so determined to push so hard to succeed in our careers and our personal lives that we forget to enjoy the simple things, a simple laugh.

How do we define success? Money? Material things? Or is it just finding peace of mind, with our friends and family, laughing.

Now I’m not saying to make light of our work, our lives, but adding more laughter to our day, every day, is a key ingredient to good health and a better life. Think about how good it feels when you have a good laugh. From head to toe you feel a euphoric feeling of satisfaction, of inner peace.

I spend many hours each week traveling the busy freeways of Southern California. For many years I listened to talk radio, or simply spent the time thinking, serious stuff, however as of late I’ve tuned into comedy podcasts, or the comedy channel, light hearted listening, and it’s not only made travel more enjoyable but lessened some of the day’s stress. I’m thinking clearer than ever before.

Work smart, maintain a healthy diet, take a walk on the beach and laugh. Take the time today, let go, be happy right now.