George Gilbert’s Motivational Humor

“The most thoroughly wasted of all days is that on which one has not laughed.” - Chamfort

Experts tell us that as children we used to laugh on the average of 150 times a day, up to 400 times a day, but by the age of thirty-five we laugh on the average of 15 to 17 times a day. What has happened? We take laughter for granted. Doctor Albert Schweitzer didn’t take laughter for granted. When Albert Schweitzer had his hospital in the middle of the African jungle, he made a point of having dinner with his staff every night so that he could tell them a joke or a humorous story. Something to make them laugh because he knew if he could make his staff laugh they could handle the stress of working under such terrible conditions, day after day, with so many sick people. Albert Schwitzer said, “Laughter is the nutrient of the spirit.”

I don’t have to go to the African jungle to find stress, But I do understand the importance of laughter. I suggest you make a point of finding more humor in your life so that you don’t waste another day.

Change, uncertainty, the unknown. These words can cause one to stress out. Whether in your professional life or your personal life the fear of the unknown can create stress. This is when we need to keep our sense of humor most. It is easy to laugh when everything is cheery, but it is self-preserving to be able to laugh when the feelings of fear start to take effect. Abraham Lincoln understood the importance of laughter and coping when he said, “With the fearful strain that is one night and day; if I did not laugh I should die.”

Laughter can help us cope with the tension of not knowing what is next. Maintaining a sense of humor can help put the situation in perspective. Next time you are starting to stress out about the unknown ask yourself or those around you that are starting to stress out “What is the worst that can happen?” and give as many outrageous or ridiculous answers as you can come up with. Pretty soon you will be laughing at the outlandish responses. Quite often it is our anticipation of the unknown that causes anxiety rather than the actual occurrence. Dr. David B Posen, author of “Staying Afloat When the Water Gets Rough: How to Live in a Rapidly Changing World” said, “Humor isn’t about changing what happens. It’s about changing our reaction to what happens. And those who use humor as a coping strategy are generally more resilient and adaptable when faced with change.”

www.originallyspeaking.com

Do you feel hopeless? All stressed out? Are you fatigued? Don’t want to get out of bed to go to work? If so, you might be suffering from burnout.

Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams describes burnout in the medical industry as “a state in which people are unfulfilled by their work and are insufficiently rejuvenated. They find themselves giving too much for too long; then something snuffs out the joy and thrill of helping others.” 

Dr. Beverly Potter say’s, “Burnout is a malaise of the spirit in which motivation, that mysterious force that gets us moving, is damaged or even destroyed. Job burnout could be called job depression.”
 

 So how do we overcome burnout?

I believe that you have to acknowledge the fact that you have to make some changes. When you feel burned out you are in rut. In order to get out of a rut you have to make a conscious effort. Do something different. Don’t try to make big changes at first that may fail. Quite often when we are down we try to do too much, making us feel even more hopeless. Start with small changes where you can have some success. Celebrate your success. When something doesn’t work don’t get discouraged look at it as a learning process.

Incorporate humor and laughter into your life. When we are suffering from burnout we tend to take everything too seriously. This is when you need to find more and more humor in your life. Not only will the laughter help reduce your stress, but humor can give you a different perspective. Make a game out of your work. Look up jokes that apply to what you are trying to do. Think how your favorite sit-com would handle this project. Remember those old “I love Lucy” shows where Lucy and Ethel would work in a chocolate factory and couldn’t keep up with the assembly line. How would they respond to what you are trying to do?

I find myself getting into a rut when I start trying too hard and taking myself too seriously. Putting a little fun and humor into the task at hand helps to alleviate the tension that stifles my creativity and the ability to accomplish my goal.

www.originallyspeaking.com

“If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.” -  John Cleese

Creating a fun working environment can lead to more creativity and productivity. When employees enjoy their job and aren’t all stressed out they are more apt to get things done.According to Dr. David Abramis at Cal State Long Beach “people who have fun at work are more creative, more productive, get along better with co-workers and are better decision makers. They also call in sick less often.”

When I worked for a company that didn’t encourage fun, there was more stress in the office, employees didn’t work as a team and I found myself less motivated to get things done. Others called in sick frequently. Getting out of bed in the morning was much more difficult because there was no incentive other than money to go to the office.  

Creating a fun work environment isn’t difficult. It starts with respect. Do you treat your employees with respect? Are you approachable? Do you create an environment where they can approach you with a problem without fear of negative consequences? When employees don’t feel they are respected the motivation to be productive plummets.

Humor and fun on the job don’t have to interfere with productivity. As long as the humor and fun are part of the subject at hand it helps motivate employees. A laugh now and then can help reduce the stress of a major project that gets bogged down, and change perspective. When the team is trying too hard and the mood is tense try lightening it up. Do a David Letterman’s “top ten” list on the project to break up the tension. Encourage the list to be outrageous. Not only will this reduce the stress, but when you look at the list there may be something on there that might inspire a solution to what was creating the tension in the first place.