12.21.09
The Comfort of Comedy?
This month I’ve done two very scary things. Completely out of my comfrot zone. Things I’d avoided for a long time. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t pleasant.
But once the effort was made, there was a release, an outflow of new, pure energy.
Using our sense of humor requires that we be uncomfortable. At least for a little while. But it is within this discomfort that we become at peace. Ironically enough.
I read an interview of actress Helen Hunt. She said she has made a career out of going toward what scared her. Going out of her comfort zone brought her huge rewards.
It didn’t feel great at the time. Just like trying out your sense of humor in a new situation. But the rewards are more than worth the try.
Scott the Nametag Guy wrote in his blog entry, “Do You Embody These 12 Attributes of Utterly Unequalable People?” that even if hurtle ourselves at our fears, and fail, it’s still O.K.:
“Use every challenge as a growth spurt. As long as you ask yourself questions like: ‘What am I supposed to be learning from this?’ ‘What is the opportunity for growth in this loss?’ and ‘What universal principles of growth or change can you distill from this experience that can be passed on to others?’…Now that you’ve experienced this challenge, what else does this make possible?”
Comedy is never comfortable because it’s all about change. Changing our perspective. Changing our response. Changing our minds, our behavior, and our environments.
What fear will YOU throw yourself at today? And how funny is that?
