Humor. We need it. We enjoy it. We do not get enough of it. Especially in the workplace.
In the past few weeks I have had several reminders of how important humor and laughter are in life.
A few weeks ago I attended an event where the speaker, Lara Hodgson, talked about how humor opens up the creative side of the mind. She recognizes humor as a creative element to the extent that when someone says something funny while solving a problem, they have to explore the potential value in that humor as a solution. Incredibly, she cited several examples of how the humorous comment actually developed into a valuable solution. Humor fosters and enables creativity.
This past weekend I participated in a meeting where the speaker, Karyn Ruth White, a professional comedian turned professional speaker, talked about humor as component of teaching and learning. Her emphasis was that there are silly things that happen in life everyday that are just plain funny. When they happen, we can either get serious about it and ignore it, or turn it into a moment to laugh and savor. One of the key points that she brought out was that we have been told at an early age that life is serious. In reality, life continually presents us with moments that, if we allowed it, would be great opportunities to laugh, smile, and let loose.
The main point here is that life can be fun. We should make it more fun. I remember a friend of mine telling me that “work was a four letter word.” As if that is a bad thing. Life is also a four letter word. So what. In fact, my favorite word is a four letter word and every time I get to use it, it makes me smile. Life, work, your daily tasks, and the silly events that occur everyday are up to you to enjoy and have fun with. If you are not making the most fun out of what is going on, rethink your mindset. Humor, laughter, having fun are all very attractive, energizing, and stimulating things. I think we all need to do more of it–all the time.