Humor and the Motivation Factor

 

Did you know that laughter is essential for a healthy and productive workplace?  If you didn’t, you do now. Whether you are in sales, in service, in education, or in any other business, using humor as a strategy in your process will improve morale, increase efficiency, and help you create lifelong relationships for success. In other words Laughter is a powerful force to help you stay motivated personally and professionally. This Strategy should not only start at the beginning of the day, but continue throughout the day, every day.

Now if you’re thinking that you can’t find the laughter as soon as you wake up to greet the day, you’re just not looking. Try looking at yourself first thing in the morning. Really!  Don’t even get dressed. As soon as you wake up look into a full length mirror and say, “Well, I’m ready to go to work just the way I am!” I bet it will at least put a smile on your face.

Humor is everywhere. All you have to do is to make the initiative every day to get in sync with your Humor Being and observe. It’s what I call “observing and developing your humor insights.” It simply means, observe the funny stuff that is around you.

If your married, believe me there is humor there. In fact, I believe that a sense of humor is a major component to having a successful marriage. But, according to Oprah Magazine, the key to a successful marriage is to understand you partner. Oh really!  Are you kidding me?  Understand you partner! Whether you are a man or a woman, you will never be able to understand your partner! The only thing that you have to understand about your partner, is that there are things about your partner that you will never understand. If you can understand that, then you will have better understanding. Do you understand?

I’ve been married to my wife for 26 years. Till this day I can’t understand why I have to get in trouble for dreams that she has. Allow me to elaborate. I wake up in the morning, look at my wife and say, “Good morning.”

Her response to me is, “Don’t you good morning me!”

“What’s wrong?”  I asked.

Her response is, “I just had a dream that you had an affair with another woman!”

Guys, believe me, your response should never be, “Really what did she look like…?   I just want to know if it’s the same dream I’ve been having.”

Use your imagination. Observe your kids, especially as you start your day. They are without a doubt the funniest people on earth. Watch how they grow up to be just like you.

My son thinks he’s a comedian. When he was in grade school, he was always making people laugh, including the teachers. But he didn’t know when to turn it off. This started to become a problem.

One day I came home and said, “How was school today?”  Without missing a beat he said, “Good crowd! Good crowd!”

Trying to hold back my laughter, I said, “Don’t get smart with me.”

He looked right at me and said, “Don’t worry pop. I don’t want to confuse you.”

I take these funny occurrences with me to the work place.  It’s these types of observations that help you to develop your humor insights. This is how you tap into your laughter reservoirs and how you get your humor genes circulating. This is the stuff that puts you into a good mood. Doesn’t it make sense to create this feel-good-state-of- mind at the beginning of your day? Hold on to that very special something that made you laugh and take it with you throughout the day. It’s so very simple and the benefits are priceless.

The greatest benefit that comes from observing and developing your humor insights is that you eventually begin to view your challenges and problems from a vantage point, rather than a disadvantage and that is a major key towards motivation.

 

Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights. I welcome all comments.

Steve Rizzo is the Attitude Adjuster.  You can’t attend one of his keynote speeches, seminars, or read his books and leave with the same attitude.  He’s a personal development expert, motivational business speaker, corporate-comedian and best-selling author. It’s no surprise that Steve is also a Hall Of Fame Speaker Inductee. An honor bestowed upon on fewer than 200 speakers worldwide since 1977.