07.21.09
Posted in Humor attitude, Humor~Health & Goals, Humor~Inspirational at 8:54 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
On with the discussion from the Warrior filming, about my new friend Kevin. I would add him on Facebook if he had an unusual name that I could easily search on one page; and if I weren’t on dial-up. But for now let’s just talk about him and hope he doesn’t read this post.
In between our acted-out cheers for all the fighters in the film, Kevin and I talked about my dissertation dissertation topic. We discussed the relative ease that people in the hard sciences have getting a doctorate. We decided that because neither of us is in the hard sciences.
Kevin said it would be difficult writing about something so esoteric as my topic, “Career Change & Identity Construction.” But, he added, “since it’s something you are interested in, it should be easier to defend your dissertation to your committee.” He was exactly right: it’s easy to do something you’re interested in. The tough part is getting others interested in what we think is important. And to show how our topic is important to their lives, too.
Our assistant director did this task well. Our Saturday filming had an empty center stage area. The actual fighting went on the day before, and there was a cage, a ring, fighters–everything. So it was easy for those extras to cheer and show emotion. They had an actual scene. Although it was choreographed and a fake ‘fight’, at least there were actual people in the ring fighting.
We didn’t have such an easy job. We had to cheer for three fighters who weren’t there, and cheer equally strong for all of them. How do you get 800 extras to pretend to be excited about something they can’t even see?
By bringing us into the vision of the movie, giving us the big picture, treating us like we were playing a very important role in the making of this film (and we were). Our assistant director was so passionate about his story, that in the final cheering scenes, he re-created each fighter so that we would at least have a direction in which to look and cheer. He even feigned knocking himself out in the last round so that we would know how loud and what kinds of things to cheer.
He was so effective that he had us believing in and supporting all of these imaginary fighters. As I sat in one of the extra-extras groups waiting for the next round of seat changes, I had the chance to listen to the cheering. It really did sound like these people were excited, enraged, happy, enthralled! Then I realized that they were simply mirroring the director’s enthusiasm.
“Get Your SHINE Together!” no matter how difficult it may be!
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07.20.09
Posted in Humor attitude, Humor~Health & Goals, Humor~Inspirational at 5:52 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Because of the many experiences I had on the set of the Warrior movie on Saturday, I thought I would write all this week about them. I especially wanted to mention our assistant director again. I was so impressed with how he was able to control~ 800 movie extras through our 12-hour work day.
The more I thought about him, the more I realized that he was doing what any entertainer–or speaker–can also do. He was merely skimming the surface, just like those insects that can seemingly walk on ponds without sinking, without flying. He was in the flow.
His actions reminded me of when I was learning to fly. Literally. There is a lot of feeling and sensing involved in flying, especially in the landings. Often I would ask the instructor who was flying with me, “Are we on the ground yet?” At those times I had made such a soft landing that there was no sense of up or down, air or land.
The assistant director kept us in this flow by his continuity: we went from gate to gate to gate, switching seats, cheering, doing our “acting” for the camera. There wasn’t a lot of down time to think about, “Now we get to take a break; then we’ll start up again.” He knew if we took a break, it would be too difficult to re-start our actions–or build our energy back up.
Both he and I had done something substantial, but we’d done it in a light, gentle, yet effective way. Too light, and we would be an out-of-control crowd just there for a party. Too harsh, and we would not listen to his directions. (Yes, he was our boss, but there were a lot more of us than of him and his crew).
In flying terms, too light and I’d never reach the ground. Too hard and I (and the plane) would get hurt. I experience this when playing the violin, too. If I move the bow over the strings too lightly the violin makes a hissing sound–but no music. Doing this too harshly makes a groaning sound. From the instrument and the audience.
This flow is what it looks and feels like when you, “Get Your SHINE Together!” The assistant director sometimes made us laugh. But not for the whole 12 hours. There wasn’t a lot of laughing while I was trying to land–at least not from me. Getting laughs isn’t the end goal. The goal is to create the type of environment where laughter is possible.
Whether you’re acting or flying, you can learn how to Live Life–Lite!
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Posted in Comedy Around The World at 3:34 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Today’s Comedy around the World goes to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the filming of Kurt Angle and Nick Nolte’s movie, “Warrior.” I was an extra—along with 800 other people—yesterday at the Peterson Events Center on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. We had to cheer for the fighters (who weren’t there), and we had to fill every seat in the arena in order to create the image of a filled stadium.
Our assistant director was fantastic—he was upbeat, energetic, funny, and fun. He directed us through at least 10 moves at each of the “gates” before we broke for lunch. Then, when he told us, after a long day already, that we would be making another lap around the arena, we didn’t riot. We of course weren’t happy about this new task, but we were at least calm.
How did this man get 800 extras to work for a 12-hour day climbing arena stairs and sitting, standing, cheering, screaming—at imaginary fighters, even?
He had established that light atmosphere right form the start. And he had defined himself to us as a likeable fellow. And so, he was able to lead us. Even up until the 11th hour, he led 800 cranky, tired, hungry huddled masses to move to the next “gate” and the next and the next, until we had covered each of the seats in the entire arena. Here’s exactly what he did:
1. He had the right tools: He had a microphone. The others who were directing us from up in the stands had no microphones. They got frustrated because we didn’t hear what they were saying and when we didn’t do what they (thought they) were telling us to do. To create the atmosphere, you need to have the correct—practical tools. Whether that means getting a microphone, moving chairs to be nearer to you as a speaker, or shutting curtains to keep people from looking out windows while you are speaking.
2. He had the right attitude. This is because he knew the overall, big picture. He is a director, so he has a good idea of how many hours these shoots usually take. And he knew to pace himself and us. He didn’t panic at small things like people taking two lunches or people having their bags stolen in the holding area. He conserved his energy. Because he had a sense of the whole, he could relax into his easy nature, and help us relax with him. Even though we were doing grueling work, we didn’t have to feel grueling.
3. He had not only a big picture but he had a vision for the final product. He knew what the fighters were supposed to be doing while we were cheering for them. And he described their actions so well that even we could imagine the fighters entering the stadium. We could imagine the Marines standing and singing their Marine Hymn. He believed in, bought into, and described his vision so well that we bought into his vision as well.
Whether you’re leading a group of 800 extras, or a small meeting, or even leading yourself to new behaviors and attitudes, with the right tools, attitude and vision, you CAN learn how to Live Life—Lite!
”Get Your SHINE Together!” Go YOU!
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07.19.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:49 am by Dr. Trina Hess
From my friend Sheryl Roush, author of the Heart of a Woman in Business book. (Page 117 is the best–very funny!…). Sheryl writes, “With everything that’s going on in the world right now, America needs INSPIRATION to keep us moving forward in a positive and heartful direction! To support this morale-boosting effort, snuggle up with
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www.SparklePresentations.com
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07.18.09
Posted in Humor~Inspirational at 12:30 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Peter Mayer is a musician who told Science of Mind magazine in its July 2009 issue that he is transformed. When the audience matches his own energy, “there’s a resonance to the experience that you can’t match.” Being in this realm makes it easy to “take time in life to really stop and see whatever is in front of me. It almost always seems to lead to a feeling of awe and wonder.”
When you can use humor in this way, it’s a moment where “everything feels aligned and you leave your body for a minute.” I have experienced this when during a show hecklers yell things and I immediately can respond with something completely appropriate and funny. Funnier than material I’ve prepared, rehearsed, tested, and approved.
That’s because it’s humor that we’ve created together–the audience and I. It’s more real because it’s immediate and satisfying. It relates to their lives right at that moment. It validates them, me, and our shared reality. When you can create this humor you can “Get Your SHINE Together!” and not only that, you will show your audience how to Live Life–Lite!
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07.17.09
Posted in Humor attitude at 3:00 am by Dr. Trina Hess
I read in Scott The Nametag Guy’s blog that it’s important to NOT be perfect. He advises people to “Learn to thrive in shades of gray. Learn to walk the halls with an attitude of confident uncertainty. Ellen Langer explains the power of this practice in Mindfulness: ‘You’re confident that the job will get done, but without being certain of exactly the best way of doing it. This gives employees more room to be creative, alert and self-starting; plus, risk taking becomes less risky.’” Scott explains this grey area as “increasing your tolerance for ambiguity. It’s about not reaching for ready-made replies. And it’s about asking questions you don’t know the answer to. Are you confidently uncertain?”
All of this reminds me of my flight training. Yes, me. Piloting a small aircraft may seem like a highly accurate endeavor. But if I accomplished it, you can be sure that it’s not. There really is a lot of gray matter.
For example, when coming in for a landing, there are many technical adjustments that need to be made. Flaps, altitude, nose up or down, airspeed, etc. But there is also a moment of hang-time. That feeling of being in the gray area. I know the plane will land safely; it’s only a matter of waiting on the airplane to get to the ground when IT is good and ready to do so.
We can have that certainty about life–that everything will work out even if (and maybe especially if) we don’t interfere. Then we can hang in that gray area that Scott and Ellen talk about. Then we will know how to Live Life–Lite!
Where will YOU land today? “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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07.15.09
Posted in Humor~Health & Goals at 4:29 pm by Dr. Trina Hess
Yesterday I mentioned about getting rid of the secrets that our dark side holds. When we do this we will be able to be more humorous, and to Live Life–Lite!
This morning I read a great illustration of this in @WarrenWhitlock’s Twitter Handbook blog (http://twitterhandbook.com/blog/mea-culpa-my-social-media-mistake/) You can read the whole story at his site. But here’s the gist of it.
Warren had a misunderstanding with a radio show, and he could have hidden this from his followers. But instead, this is what he did: He decided he would, “tell the truth and be transparent…When you make a mistake, take the heat, admit you did wrong and move on. While the public does like to see someone fall, they like it even better when there is a redemption…”
Because Warren admitted his mistake, he gained some benefits:
1. He took the weight of the silence off his shoulders. He doesn’t need to use his mental, emotional, or spiritual energy to hide the incident and its consequences. When we do this, we are more free to see the humor that is available all around us. This decreases the pressure that everyday stressors can have on us.
2. He admitted his part in what happened. Even though it seems like a bad thing, it is actually positive. He has just reinforced his (and others’) belief in his own power: power to make choices–good or bad. This nourishes his belief in his power to also choose to use humor in any situation.
3. By admitting his mistake, he appears more–not less–of an authority on his subject and on himself and his emotions. He appears more human than before he made the mistake and the apology. In doing so, he has allowed his followers to also make mistakes and be human. More human = more approachable = more likeable = more follow-able.
The ability and the permission to live fully is the goal of every healthy person. Give yourself permission to, “Get Your SHINE Together!” so just like @WarrenWhitlock you too can Live Life–Lite!
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Posted in Humor attitude at 2:59 am by Dr. Trina Hess
I used to tell my workshop participants, “Everyone is already hysterically funny.” It was the external things that kept us from being funny. We got yelled at in school for cracking jokes. We were told at home to be serious. We knew bosses didn’t appreciate laughter in the workplace.
But I changed my mind about the whole scene after one of my recent “Get Your SHINE Together!” workshops. One of the students told me about her family member who is always serious, always negative, and who isn’t funny at all. She then described the person in more detail. I realized that she was right: Some people are just NOT funny. I realized that although they may not be immediately funny, there is still hope for them. They can take certain steps in order to unleash their humor power.
1. First, they need to de-tense. When we’re distracted by stressful situations or people, we can’t always see things clearly. Or funnily. Yes, funnily. Being tense makes us miss all the funny things going on all around us. We can’t hear the funny, ironic things within everyday conversations, because our ears are tuned into static instead of ecstatic.
2. Second, they have to be brave and face their dark side. What are the things we hide from others, the secrets we keep? Secrets about our thoughts, our likes/dislikes, and about ourselves. Secretive behaviors keep us defensive, building a wall so others can’t see the real person. The problem is that we can’t see out, either.
3. Get rid of perfectionism. Trying to live up to a perfect image is exhausting. It breeds insecurity. Instead, accept your failings–in order to improve you have to start somewhere. Knowing your low points gives you a clear place from which to start improving and changing.
Do YOU know someone who isn’t at all funny? Are you that person? There is hope–it is possible for all of us to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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07.14.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:17 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Here’s a new book from my friend Shawn Doyle called, “Cartoon Magic.” Learn how to draw over 50 drawings in less than five minutes!
Shawn says this book is ideal for trainers, teachers, parents, facilitators–anyone who wants to be more creative! Anyone who wants to learn to draw can do it in four easy steps! Find out more here:
https://www.createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do?id=3390277
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07.13.09
Posted in Comedy Around The World, Humor attitude at 3:02 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Today’s Comedy Around The World segment goes across the piano keyboard. Playing a piece of music that has 7 flats has a different “feel” than playing a song with only 3 flats. My fingers somehow “know” to not hit the D flat when going by it.
This is how humor works, too. The more audiences you speak to–just like the more songs you play–the more you will get a “feel” of how far you can push the proverbial envelope. What type of humor do women, young adults, males, white-collars, office staff, CEO’s appreciate?
It’s a risk playing a new piece of music. I may hit the wrong notes. I may in fact hit the D flat when I shouldn’t. But I won’t know if I don’t experiment.
Adding humor is also scary and feels risky. But you won’t know what the “song” sounds like until you try to play it. And the sound of the audience’s laughter will be worth the risk.
What songs have YOU played today?
Know this one: “Get Your SHINE Together!”?
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