Are you happy? I mean are you really happy? Are you so happy that you’re "Al Green," happy? I had the opportunity to catch the soul r'n'b legend a little while ago and I have to say I’ve never seen anyone as happy as Al Green. The guy oozes happiness. As I listened to his show and watched the parade of women of all ages head to the front of the stage to honor and thank Al for changing their lives, (one woman credits The Reverend for making her sex life explosive), I caught a glimpse of what makes this man so damn happy. He's grateful; genuinely thankful for what he has and who he is. He's comfortable basking in all those compliments, thank-yous and swooning without any of it ever seemingly swelling his head.

How are you at receiving a compliment? What do you do when someone openly acknowledges you for how great you are? If you’re like most men, you likely brush it off in a superhero-like way, "well ma'am, it’s all part of the job and someone’s gotta do it. Means nothing." Perhaps you quickly glance at the floor, fidget with your hands, go warm in the face and pray that the attention will shift off of you and go somewhere else – fast! Or, maybe you divert the attention by spreading the acknowledgment to other people, or making a joke at your expense.

All of these behaviors have the effect of taking what was offered as a gift and returning it unwrapped and un-appreciated. The giver stands there empty and you stand there empty (yet momentarily relieved).

Is there anything we can do about all of this emptiness? The answer I believe can be found in one of the central principles of Improv which is acceptance. Anyone who has tried their hand at improv knows that the dialogs or scene requires that each person in the scene both offers and accepts offers from the other people in the scene. This process of acceptance is what keeps the scene moving and dynamic and it is how ingenuity and creativity are born. So, what's the lesson for us from this?

Receiving and accepting a compliment keeps the good energy moving forward. If you accept, more likely sometime in the future you will make an offer to someone else. All of this offering and accepting creates happiness. And that’s what The Reverend Al Green has mastered. He understands that by offering his music and love out to the audience, they in turn, will offer their thanks back to him, and most importantly, when he accepts their appreciation, the good lovin' energy keeps cycling around. All of that good energy breeds happiness, and no one is more happy than Al Green.

Til next week,

Dale

Dale Curd is Director of The Mens Program and a counselor in private practise. Check him out at www.DaleCurd.com.

Dale is the co-host of "Guy Talk" 10 pm (EST)Sunday nights on CFRB 1010 or www.CFRB.com.