11.20.09
Posted in Humor~General at 4:56 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Bringing more humor into life means we create an environment that promotes lightness, fun, creativty, learning, and maybe even laughter. But as I always say, laughter isn’t the end goal.
Remember the research? Merely thinking about a humorous event can give us all the benefits of humor. Like lowered blood pressure. Increase in killer T-cells. Increase in endorphins. And many, many more benefits.
One way you can start creating a humorous environment is to visit one of my favorite sites, www.komando.com My friend Kim Komando now has some fun Thanksgiving decor–for FREE.
Here is what she said in her e-newsletter: “Today’s Cool Site…Get in the Thanksgiving spirit. Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away. So, the next week is going to be hectic, as we plan for the big day.
Maybe you could use help getting into the holiday spirit. Decorations will put you in the mood!
Start by adding some holiday cheer to your computer. Head over to my site to download desktop wallpapers. There are two wallpapers available. Both are free! I’m sure you’ll love them as much as I do.
The wallpapers are available in different resolutions. You’ll want to pick one that matches your screen resolution. I’ve provided instructions to set them up on your machine.”
Think of three more things you can add to your humor decor this week to help you Live Life–Lite! Share your ideas here and help someone else to, “Get Your SHINE Together!”
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11.19.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:41 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Hartwood Acres
Tonight I had a great time with several hundred other people at Run the Lights at Hartwood Acres just outside Pittsburgh, PA. It was a 3+ mile course winding through an enchanted forest. A forest lit with characters from The 12 Days of Christmas, various Santas, and a plethora of illuminated jumping animals and objects.
As I wound my way around all these sights, I thought of people I could invite next time. Because not only was this great exercise, it was unique, fascinating, and a big party! I couldn’t wait to tell people about this new event I’d found. Maybe I would bring my niece and nephews for their birthday presents that I still haven’t gotten them this year!
Disappointment set in, however, at the finish line. I asked one of the volunteers about this park and when the next event would be. He told me that they only allow cars on the trail from now on. Tonight was just a special event.
Although I was upset at this news, I was elated that I had taken part in tonight’s event. Lucky for me, I was in town for an appointment anyway. And Hartwood Acres wasn’t too far out of my way home.
But don’t you hate when you DO miss out on things like this?
Or when you miss out on saying something witty, poignant, and memorable?
If you know how to, “Get Your SHINE Together!” you’ll never have regrets like this. Ask me how. And, let’s meet next year and Run the Lights again! See you there!
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11.18.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:20 am by Dr. Trina Hess
My dog usually sleeps on the couch beside the computer. But at one point while I was typing today, she was gone. And she wasn’t sitting beside me begging for treats, either. If you have pets, you know silence can mean several things: they are eating the cats’ food; they broke something; they threw up; or any combination of the above.
So I looked through the house to find where the dog went. I finally found her in the breezeway, laying in the sun! This was the first I’d seen my dog do this. My cat regularly follows the sun, variously sleeping either on the bedroom floor or, from noon on, in the hallway. But always–following the sun.
We can think of a humorous lifestyle as the sun.
1. It’s warm
2. It makes us look good
3. It makes us feel good
4. It draws others toward it
5. It brightens our day
We can instill a humorous chip in our neck. We can have that innate sense of timing that animals have, to go to where the sun is. And the more we use our sense of humor, the more we are able to use it. And the easier it will be to find the sun.
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11.17.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:50 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Tonight was a big night for me. I finally accomplished the scorpion pose in our yoga class. This is a forearm balance. Rodney Yee, in his video, “Yoga Journal’s Yoga for Intermediates” suggests putting a yoga strap around the forearms and pulling out, while holding a yoga block between the thumb and first finger.
But that never worked for me.
So I tried using weight lifting straps. I made fists instead of keeping my palms flat on the mat. And I didn’t use a block. And you know what? It worked! For me.
What’s so funny about all this? Your sense of humor is like your body in a yoga class. And the yoga strap represents a certain audience. Some people will never “get” your humor. They won’t laugh. You are either above or below their level of understanding.
The point is: Don’t waste your time trying to do what Rodney Yee tells you in his video, if your “body”, your style of humor doesn’t work like that!
Try another audience. That audience will “get” you and your sense of humor. They will appreciate that you “get” them. They will love your material that speaks about things they can relate to. You will be able to do the scorpion pose because you are in balance, strong, and relaxed. All at the same time. And that’s how you will feel in front of this particular audience. YOUR audience.
The only constant in the pose is your body, your sense of humor. When you find the right prop–or, audience–you will strike the perfect pose. And you will feel that you Live Life–Lite!
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11.16.09
Posted in Humor~General at 1:59 am by Dr. Trina Hess
This week’s Comedy Around the World goes to space. Outer space.
If you’ve ever listened to space music, this blog will make sense to you. Wikipedia describes space music that evokes a “continuum of spatial imagery and emotion.” It can sound like being in outer space. It is very relaxing, because it encourages contemplation. Wikipedia says that it is often used to invoke, “peaceful expansive moods.”
My violin teacher Jill Mattson used the concept of space and the stars in her CD “You Are Star Dust.” Our bodies and the stars are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen–in different proportions. And each of these elements emits its own frequency or sound. Jill’s CD took the sounds of the starts and raised them up several octaves into our hearing range. The songs literally vibrate us “into harmony with the songs of the heavens.” Her CD is relaxing, meditative, and regularly puts my cat in a trance. If you ever need to take a pet to the vet, you NEED this CD!
So, what does all this have to do with humor? Humor isn’t–believe it or not–about getting laughs. It’s about creating an expansive environment. Allowing a gap between. Giving pause. Permitting breath.
Our only job is to offer our sense of humor. And then give SPACE for people to sift it into their understanding. Much like those devices that shuffle a desk of cards. Each card separates from the pile.
Just like each person’s perception will separate from what we want them to perceive, or what we think they’ll percieve, or what we try to make them perceive.
And then they are free to use humor in the way they need to.
For coping
For relief from stress
For taking a break
For healing
For having fun!
Bring more space into your next speech or communication event.
To learn more about the healing power of sound and to get a free e-zine on sound, spirit and matter, go to: www.soundezine.com
Or, for a free e-book on Sound, Matter, and Spirit you can check out www.soundspiritandmatter.com
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11.15.09
Posted in Humor~General at 4:42 am by Dr. Trina Hess
As an educator and speaker, I have learned a lot about how to craft a message. A ton of ideas on how to get the listener’s attention. I’ve been blessed with the lessons of many teachers, mentors, fellow students and others who have influenced how I instruct, speak, teach, and entertain.
But guess what?
None of that matters.
It doesn’t matter what I have learned.
What matters is what I teach.
You will get thousands of incoming messages, ideas, intuitions, and insights from your life experiences.
None of those matter.
What matters is, what you teach. What can you say about all those messages? You can accept or reject them. And you can explain why. You can turn all that information on its head and create something entirely new. Something that will speak to YOUR audience.
We ALL teach something, sometime, to someone. When we use humor, people will learn.
What have YOU learned today?
What will you TEACH?
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11.14.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:40 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Dopamine is a chemical in our brains that helps us to recognize patterns. Research shows that too low a level inhibits creativity. We can’t make sense of things, we can’t recognize coincidences. We can’t make meaning.
But I think too high a level would cause us to seek too many patterns–to think like the crowd. In order to be truly creative, we take the pattern and then skew it. Make it so unusual that people have to look twice. We stand out from the crowd of pattern-pleasers.
Humor helps us do this. Humor gives us a stage–each of us has a unique sense of humor. That’s our stage. Then we can put our ideas, impressions, frustrations, fun and character onto that stage. And it’s all ours.
Sure people will try to copy you if you become great. But all they’re doing is creating another pattern of sameness. A pattern that you can continue to break by breaking the pattern. Again and again.
Don’t be a dope. Break the pattern.
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11.13.09
Posted in Humor~General at 3:54 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Thanks to Gary Svetz, Dan Brockett, Ronnie Beith, and everyone in Penn State Cooperative Extension’s Small Business Jump Start class. You were a great audience tonight during the performance of my executive summary! Look for more innovations and exciting new changes to YourShiningExample.com as well as more technological advancements for all your humor needs. Good luck to all the graduates and I look forward to shopping at your businesses soon!
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11.12.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:53 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Here are some great resources from my friend Kim Komando, from her e-newsletter’s “Today’s Cool Site” section. You can sign up for her newsletter by going to www.komando.com:
“It’s Veterans Day! So, let’s be sure to honor our vets today. They have made so many sacrifices for our country. Maybe you’ll attend a parade. Or, maybe you’ll visit a ceremony. But, before you do, head over to Military.com. It offers great ways for you to celebrate with your children.
You can also learn more about the history of Veterans Day. Or, read up on celebrities that have served in the military. There’s so much to explore here! The site will be of particular interest to veterans. Learn about your military benefits and other resources for veterans.
After you check out Military.com, be sure to visit Legacy.com. Its Moving Tributes page features videos dedicated to those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is one of the most moving sites I’ve seen. I’m sure you’ll agree. It’s hard not to have a tear in your eye when you view these tributes.
You can create a tribute for a loved one. Getting started is easy—and free. Tributes remain online permanently. Finally, the National Park Service is offering free admission today. What does that have to do with Veterans Day? The Park Service preserves important battlefields such as Gettysburg. There are also military parks and other historic sites. So, be sure to visit the National Park System’s special site. You can learn more about the National Park System and historic military sites.
And thank you for all of your sacrifices, vets!”
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11.11.09
Posted in Humor~General at 2:25 am by Dr. Trina Hess
Dave Nelson on social media
Click the above link to watch Dave Nelson talk about social media. He explains that social media has changed the way we THINK. I’ve heard about how it changes our attention span. Changes the way we process information.
But Dave says that social media is based on our trusting others’ choices. We click on links that our friends send to us. We follow people we find interesting. We go to where we feel drawn. We judge social media offerings by the quality of the friend who sent the link to us.
Today’s business depends not on the PUSH but on the PULL. We follow what we are attracted to. What draws us. What pulls us. The days of a teacher spewing information to empty-minded students are over. Now, learners create knowledge from the vast array of information they encounter.
How has social media–or technology in general–changed the way YOU think?
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