Don’t worry be happy

Imagine how life would be if you were telepathic. You could sense what your partner was thinking without having to ask – a great way to increase your emotional closeness.

It just happens that this week I’ll be doing my first theatre shows in a long time, longer than I care to recall. I often do live shows, of course, at parties or in hospitals – and I’m often to be seen, doing my stuff on TV. But performing to camera is nothing compared with standing up on stage before several hundred people and working with an audience of attentive, often sceptical watchers.

Early in my career I regularly performed in theatres and nightclubs, and I’d often throw in some hypnotism to add mystery to the telepathy and psychokinesis which has come naturally to me since I was a child. But I gave up the hypnosis long ago – next week I’ll tell you why.

These shows will be different. I believe the key to joy in our everyday lives lies in positive thinking, and it’s this which I want to bring to audiences around the country on my tour. Positive thinking means finding the best possible outlook on every situation, which is why I admit I am relishing the nerves that are jangling as I prepare my new act.

New experiences keep us young. Whether it’s a holiday to a place we’ve never visited before, or a taste of some fresh menu or sport or challenge, a course of lessons in an unknown language or an armchair adventure with a great movie or book, we expand our minds with new experiences.

For me, the chance to step on a stage and do things, say things, reveal things which are new will be a rollercoaster experience. My aim is to suffuse myself in happiness before I walk out before the footlights, and to let everything brim out of my joy.

Positive thinking transforms worry into anticipation. It enables the mind to take control and transforms anxiety into action.

I keep hearing myself whistle a little song which has almost been my theme tune since Bobby McFerrin took it into the charts more than a decade ago: Don’t Worry Be Happy.

The human mind is a powerhouse of energy. When we worry, we’re burning enough energy to light up half a city. By thinking positively, we can channel that energy into happiness, and enjoy the shock of the new. I can hardly wait.