12.26.08
Gonna Fly Now
What would Christmas Day be without endless replaying of Rocky movies on a cable channel? Lacking, that’s what. After watching Rocky’s I (the original), II and then III, it hit me. No, not a left hook (but really would be a right hook, since Rocky Balboa is a southpaw). It hit me, the difference between the original Rocky movie and the sequels is kind of like using humor in our speeches, and in our lives. I remembered Craig Valentine’s saying that the best way to use humor in a speech is to make it organic. Don’t just add humor–uncover it from what is already there, from what you already are.
When we do that, we seem genuine. Why do we root for Rocky (I) so much? Because he was all substance and no style. He ran through the streets of Philadelphia at 4 a.m. alone. He trained hard in smelly boxing gyms. He had grit. He had guts. He had the goods.
But once Rocky II came around, he still ran the same route through town, amid the marketplace and by the river and finally to the steps of the museum. But this time it was different. This time, they added something–cheering fans. Adoring crowds yelled, “Go, Rocky!” “Come on, Rock!”
This addition took away from the likeable quality the original Rocky had. It was somehow too flashy. Too much style. It was something extraneous, added on to the person.
Adding an unrelated joke or using an unnatural (for you) style of humor does this, too. We become disjointed from that Rocky who drank raw eggs and ran early through the streets. We forget who we are. We become less sincere. We lose a bit of credibility. We seem to be putting on an act, rather than just being ourselves. We seem, in a word, unnatural.
“Get Your SHINE Together!” means uncovering the humor we already have in our lives, and using the style of humor that fits our personality, our qualities, and our demeanor.
