09.30.09
Take a Break
And check out this link from my funny friend Jay Speyerer. Hilarious and inspired. http://www.origamiboulder.com/ For more info on what Jay does, go to
Legacy Road Communications and www.jayspeyerer.com
09.29.09
Mark the Date!
Humor is all about trying new things, breaking from the routine, being creative and effective. Junior Achievement is about all that, too–and they start early! Mark your calendar to support all that JA does to promote entrepreneurship in the youth market. Save the Date for December 8th, 2009–Junior Achievement’s Holiday Luncheon at LeMont Restaurant.
Junior Achievement will be hosting their 2nd Annual Holiday Luncheon from 11:30am-1pm. Pricing: $20/person; $35/couple; $125/table of 8 (same great prices as last year!)
For questions please contact Lauren O’Leary at loleary@jawesternpa.org.
This luncheon has been generously donated to Junior Achievement by the Dunlap family.
Junior Achievement of Western PA One Allegheny Center, Suite 430
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
www.jawesternpa.org
724-772-5900
09.28.09
Running With the Big Dogs
This week’s Comedy Around the World goes everywhere, running with big dogs. When I started running, I was the typical lone long-distance runner. Mainly because no one wanted to run 6 miles.
The problem was that I didn’t have a dog to run with me. I live in the country (yes, THIS country), and so my running terrain is strewn with dogs.
After several near-misses and several actual bites, I devised a strategy. As I neared a house, I would look by the side of the road for a big stick. This always worked to keep the barking, chasing dog at a distance. But it was a struggle. And a constant source of anxiety. I knew I wasn’t completely protected.
Then, I got even smarter: I started running with my OWN dog. Now I had a buffer zone between me and certain dog bites. I had a protector who would fight the other dogs so I could be safe. I could now focus on my running and speedwork and enjoy the time doing so.
Guess what–HUMOR operates much the same way.
When we have to worry about protecting ourselves, we become serious. Competitive. We are on edge. Just like I was, dog-less and looking for sticks. We can’t relax. We can’t focus. We can’t possibly enjoy life.
But, humor acts like a protective force-field around us. It’s a buffer between us and the bites and barks of stress in our lives. The bad attitudes of people around us don’t bother us as much, because humor fends them off. We can run softly and not have to carry a big stick. We can feel freedom, peace of mind, and enjoyment.
Who will YOU take with you to run through your week?
09.26.09
What’s the Problem?
Today I had an email conversation with another comic. She told me that she is uncomfortable with having her family at her shows. Some comics thrive on having family and friends at their shows; they can depend on their laughs. Other comics hate it–it doesn’t give a good barometer of your act. Your family and friends will either laugh at everything you say, just to be nice. Or they will heckle you because they think that’s what they’re supposed to do.
What IS this dynamic that operates when we move from a chair in the audience to a stage in front of those chairs? It’s the same dynamic that operates when we use humor in our lives:
1. We have to tell the TRUTH, and so we are vulnerable. The best humor thrives on truth. The more truthful we are, the funnier our material is. Many comics say it’s a lot easier to be truthful in front of people we don’t know.
2. We are confronting people with CHANGE. People have seen or heard one tiny part of our personality. But onstage we have to be larger than life. By definition, we change. This requires that others change, too. And if they don’t want to change, they won’t support your acts of change.
3. We are offering a CHALLENGE. Humor challenges our typical perspectives and points of view. We may prefer to stay safely within the confines of the acceptable. But that’s not very funny.
The choice is yours: Will you stay safely within the seriousness of the audience?
Or will you: Tell Your Truth*Confront With Change*Offer A Challenge so you can Life Life–Lite!
09.25.09
What’s So Funny About the G-20??!!
Michelle Obama walks into a diner to eat pancakes for breakfast.
A Channel 4 reporter gets tear-gassed while reporting on the Summit.
Businesses board up their stores.
People are repelling from bridges in protest.
Iran isn’t listening to anyone.
Trina is watching the news instead of action movies.
The G-20 Summit is being held in my nearby Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. How can such a serious, important event be funny?
Because of the complete unpredictability of the week’s events. Everything is up in the air. Craziness. Protesters. Protesters of the protestors.
THAT’s what’s so funny about the G-20. It has all the classic elements of humor.
!. Humor requires us to suspend judgment. (Like my using the ! instead of 1.) All sides on the G-20 protest are judgmental. But we are viewers aren’t–we can’t be; we don’t know what exactly is going on!
2. Humor require us to embrace unpredictability. The same way the police have to do. They can’t fear or avoid the unpredictability of the crowds. They have to rush toward the unpredictable people and events.
3. Humor’s unpredicatablity breeds an openness. We are operating by new rules. Or no rules at all. There is a vague freedom in the air. We feel freer to try new things and to leap over our preconceived boundaries. Maybe we won’t rapell off a bridge, but we are more willing to test our courage.
How will YOU celebrate the G-20? Try something new: “Get Your SHINE Together!”
Trust Me On This
When I couldn’t get info about Alice Cooper, it was because I didn’t trust the person I was asking. And in turn, he didn’t trust me! Funny thing, Scott the Nametag Guy wrote something about that in his latest blog. All about trust. And guess what was one of his points to creating trust?
–Be funnier.
Scott quotes bestselling author Jeffrey Gitomer’s book, “The Little Teal Book of Trust”:
“The funnier you are, the more engaging you are, the closer the audience will listen, and the more authentic you’re perceived to be. Getting the audience to laugh is tacit approval, and it’s your best change to deliver important facts. At the end of laughter is the height of listening.”
Scott adds, “Just be funny. Humor is the great catchall. If people perceive you as being funny, you’re halfway home. What have you done in the past month to become funnier?”
What better reason to develop your humor muscles and “Get Your SHINE Together!” I trust that you’ll get started today!
09.23.09
What Did You Expect?
One of my favorite hobbies is meeting celebrities. There is an excitement and electricity in the air. Usually the other people in the area of the celebrity are also excited about the opportunity to meet in person one of their heroes (or even their villains–in this sport, it doesn’t matter). Each of the photos in my website Photo Gallery was accomplished through luck, sheer determination, or sometimes (each time?) a divine intervention.
I have no idea how this hobby got started. I remember meeting my first celebrity, Dennis Miller, back when I was in high school and he was on SNL news. This was way before I had a website, a plan for what I would do with these photos, or any logical reason for my actions.
The worst way to meet a celebrity is when I have to go through a gatekeeper. It was easy meeting Bruce Springsteen. My Dutch friends and I approached the guard at the door of the Green Parrot in Neptune, NJ and he was very nice. He motioned us in, saying, “Yes, he’s in there.”
It was much harder trying to meet Alice Cooper last weekend. I went to the most logical places–the local private golf courses. And this is (finally) where and how all this relates to HUMOR.
Our sense of lightness is a radiating influence on others. Unless the person you encounter is completely psychotic, they will realize that you are a fun person. That you mean them no harm.
Yoga instructor and writer Sally Kempton calls this mirroring a positive feedback loop. Read all of her article here: http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2547?utm_source=Wisdom&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=wis176
Kempton says that we get back what we give out. She even cites recent studies in neurophysiology, “that describe a particular type of neuron whose function is to pick up and mirror the emotions of others—literally throwing back what someone puts out.”
Some of the people at the golf courses were helpful. Especially the young (Gen Y and below) cart boys. Because I knew they weren’t hiding any information from me, especially when they said, “Alice Cooper? Who is she?” There were other people, though, that I sensed were untrustworthy. Did they sense my sensing, and then distrust my intentions? I don’t know. This was too complicated; I just wanted a photo for my website!
Kempton explained it this way, “If I have a tendency to distrust you, you pick it up and throw it back to me—maybe by mirroring my distrust, maybe by keeping your distance. Thus, we create a vicious cycle and replicate negative experiences.” The good news is that opposite is also true: We can create positive experiences that will be mirrored back to us, too. And we have the power to make that happen.
So, although I didn’t get my photo with Alice this time, I at least got a short video clip next to him (to watch the video, click on the link above).
In the meantime I’ll keep sending out positive vibes…and you send them back to me.
Starz on Demand
My friend and Kill Point co-star Michael McGlone stars in Starz’ Hit Series CRASH, Season 2 Premiering Friday September 18th. Didn’t see the first episode? Don’t worry, Michael appears in episodes 2, 3 & 6, too!
The series also stars my Shannon’s Rainbow co-star Eric Roberts! And, Dennis Hopper, who I’ve never met. But I hear he’s good, too.
In a role of a darker variety McGlone plays a gangster/entrepreneur who comes on the scene to blackmail one of his debtors’ girlfriends, played to exception by Moran Atias. From there forward the story-line unfolds in, literally, explosive ways.
To learn more about the CRASH, its notable cast and first season click here
http://www.starz.com/originals/CRASH
To learn more about Michael McGlone’s music, acting, and voice-over work, just go to www.MichaelMcGlone.com
09.22.09
If You Want to Be You Be You
Have you heard the new T-Mobile commercial, featuring Cat Stevens’ song? It reminded me of the power of Humor in our lives.
When I first heard the commercial, I smiled. I immediately recalled the scenes from “Harold and Maude” which featured the song. I was in a better mood the rest of the day.
Humor happenings like this can lift us out of confusion, boredom, or sadness. They can carry us through the day, smiling.
If this can happen with a 30 second commercial, think of how powerful it would be to have a humorous outlook all day.
If you want to be you, be you–and Live Life–Lite!
09.21.09
Red Blue Jeans?
Just got a link about a trip to India. http://www.globalj.org/indiatrips/indiawithleelamata.html
When I clicked on the link for more information, there was Indian music playing in the background. I just kept it on, even though I didn’t understand what they were singing (Red blue jeans?). It was hypnotic mainly because it was so unusual and the words and music unknown to me.
This week’s Comedy Around the World will go to India–a place I’ve never visited. Even though there’s nothing really very funny about the link, it does do some things that humor does for us:
—It’s very different from our normal lifestyle (unless of course you are Indian). This newness really made me pay attention and got me more and more curious about this place, the people, and the trip!
—Since I’m not an expert on Indian culture, I wasn’t critical or judgmental. I simply let the ad explain things to me, like the red blue jeans. No pressure, just enjoyment.
If we can harness this capacity for the unique*and not critique ourselves or others*we can let our humor out. We can even wear red blue jeans…
