Clean Jokes

Joseph Plazo asked:


The best leaders keep the world in perspective. They see the bright side of things. They can find humor in most circumstances. They can laugh at the absurdity life often offers. Humor eases tension and takes the bite out of tough situations.

A sense of humor draws followers to the leader. It helps followers feel safe and energizes and activates their minds. Humor also plays a larger role as an essential element of effective living. Health professionals agree that those with a sense of humor have a greater sense of being and belonging. That feeling gets communicated and creates the rapport that attracts others to the leader. Some people say that humor must be limited within the serious business of work. Yet people laugh most often about the things that are most serious to them. Think of all the jokes you have heard about money, taxes, and even death.

Stay within your style and focus on topics that delight you. This means overcoming the limiting belief that “I’m not funny.” Everyone gets a tickle out of something. For example, bring to mind the somber image of Alan Greenspan. Imagine him saying, “Inflation is what lets you live in a more expensive neighborhood without having to move.” Share what tickles you and let people see your sense of humor. Don’t worry about never getting jokes, not remembering funny stories, or not spinning a good yarn.

You don’t have to tell jokes to demonstrate your sense of humor. You do not have to try to be funny. You do not have to be a great raconteur. Just talk about topics that interest you and reveal your sense of playfulness. I knew a corporate attorney who everyone thought had absolutely no sense of humor. I found out the attorney was an avid Red Sox baseball fan. Since I enjoy baseball too, I asked him about the Red Sox once. He went on for twenty minutes about his love for the team. Several of his comments were about humorous incidents at Red Sox games. I laughed loud and hard at some of his comments.

Respond to others’ quips and cleverness. Your sense of humor is conveyed when you engage other people and react to them. Simply restating what someone else said, with a different tone or with a link to another idea, can cause a chuckle or create a second round of humor. What if your attempt at humor bombs? Acknowledge the bomb. Have at hand a few ready-made recovery lines to stop the flop. George H. Bush certainly never created the impression that he was one of American polities’ stand-up funny-men. Yet he demonstrated a good sense of humor when he flubbed a line during his 1988 presidential campaign. Bush said, “We’ve had triumphs. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve had sex.” “Sex” was the tongue-tied replacement for “setbacks.” Bush recovered easily from his flub by saying, “I feel like the javelin thrower who won the toss and elected to receive.” When you do bomb, and everyone does, say or do something rather than try to ignore the bomb.

You have the best of intentions. You know you’ve been too intense at work. And you’re really disliking your job more and more each day. You promise yourself to keep a better focus on what’s really important in life. But so far you haven’t kept your promise to yourself.

Or maybe it’s the upkeep of the house. You try to keep a clean living environment. But after working and spending time with friends, there’s no energy left to pick up the clutter and get rid of the dirt. After all, the clutter and dirt will just come back. So you’re left with a feeling of discouragement and frustration.

Or it’s the work you do for the kids. Boy, do they take a lot of work. Keeping the baby fed, clean, and happy takes all your time. And then there are the older kids. Soccer practice. Piano lessons. Church youth group. There’s just no time to do it all. You’re racing through life like little more than a robot. How can you reclaim your humanity?

Life gets to all of us from time to time. It seems to be the price we pay for an increasingly complex world, a world where the Internet has opened up so many choices to us, that we can feel overwhelmed with making decisions.

Fortunately, despite any complexity the Internet has added to our lives, it also has made it easier to insert some little pauses into the day to make life a little more bearable. I call these little pauses micro-breaks. And they can be a great way to step off the fast-track for just a moment to relax a bit and refocus on the things that are important.

Micro-breaks come in all shapes and sizes.

One type of micro-break that many people find helpful is a thought for the day — a profound, noteworthy, or entertaining saying. The Internet has all kinds of sources for a thought for the day. Just do a search on any of the major search engines, and you’ll find how many possibilities there are to choose from.

What kind of thought for the day works best? That depends on your personality.

If you tend to get caught up in the details of life, then you might do best with sayings that focus on more profound statements of life and existence.

If you are inspired by quotes that have stood the test of time, sites that focus on the sayings of famous people might provide the most benefit to you.

If you find yourself taking life too seriously too often, sayings that can make you smile or chuckle would suit your style well.

The most important thing is to find a source of micro-breaks that you find inspiring or relaxing. These will give you the most energizing pauses in your day.

Of course, there is no reason you can’t make use of more than one type micro-break.

So, fire up your browser, visit your favorite search engine, and find yourself some places where you can get your thought for the day. Then, either sign up to receive your daily thought in your email, or make a habit of visiting the places you like best for a quick micro-break. Soon you’ll be headed in the right direction to maintain a balanced life.



By: Robert Favero

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