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“A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke-and that the joke is oneself.”
~Clinton Fadiman
“To be happy in life, you must be able to take a joke.
And if you can leave a few also, that’s even better.”
- Swami Beyondanada
“The pleasure that I cause them tells me that at least for a short moment, they love me.”
– W.C. Fields
A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)
The best comedians make fun of themselves first..
~Clinton Fadiman
“To be happy in life, you must be able to take a joke.
And if you can leave a few also, that’s even better.”
- Swami Beyondanada
“The pleasure that I cause them tells me that at least for a short moment, they love me.”
– W.C. Fields
A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)
The best comedians make fun of themselves first..
The Most Important Letter in H-U-M-OR is "U"
We have finally come to the most letter in Humor AND the most important part of adding humor to your life - that's "U" and YOU. In fact the Universe begins with U -> YOU!
I have had to good fortune to learn from a lot of successful people and the #1 thing I see different between successful people and unsuccesfull people is that successful people take 100% repsonsibilty for everything in their lives. They believe that what they think about, talk about and act upon becomes their reality! They DO NOT play the blame and complain game.
So to channel success minding thinking in how we can successfully humorize our lives, it's important to realize that you have to start thinking humorously more often, talking more humorously (ie telling jokes) and taking ACTION. Then you will be a successful in laughter which will enrich your life in many ways as we have described in this book (your work, relationships, health, creativity, etc). This chapter will provide some powerful secrets and strategies you can utilize so you can start laughing in life right away!
I WANT YOU to start Laughing and Playing More.
Remember our chapter about children and laughing 400 times a day? It's time to awaken your inner child and start laughing more and having fun in life.
I have had to good fortune to learn from a lot of successful people and the #1 thing I see different between successful people and unsuccesfull people is that successful people take 100% repsonsibilty for everything in their lives. They believe that what they think about, talk about and act upon becomes their reality! They DO NOT play the blame and complain game.
So to channel success minding thinking in how we can successfully humorize our lives, it's important to realize that you have to start thinking humorously more often, talking more humorously (ie telling jokes) and taking ACTION. Then you will be a successful in laughter which will enrich your life in many ways as we have described in this book (your work, relationships, health, creativity, etc). This chapter will provide some powerful secrets and strategies you can utilize so you can start laughing in life right away!
I WANT YOU to start Laughing and Playing More.
Remember our chapter about children and laughing 400 times a day? It's time to awaken your inner child and start laughing more and having fun in life.
You Can Lead a Horse to Water...
You Can Lead a Horse to Water, but a pencil must be led!
Ok that's the humorous version.
You know that actual saying in its original form:
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink,
(Which begs the question - How do you lead a horse to water? With carrots of course.)
Seriously though this saying essentially means you can present someone with an opportunity, but you cannot force him or her to take advantage of it.
This book is me being that person and I am leading you the reader to an ocean of laugter (which means you are the horse...LOL).
This world is not just a small water bucket to take a drink, its one gigantic ocean of fresh water with plenty of fresh jokes awaiting your execution. Did I say execution, I meant delivery, but if your humor is not delivered properly, it can seem like an execution.
That's why this chapter is here... To share secrets of delivering humor that will make sure you "kill" it everytime so you can feel more alive with laughter.
"Remember that life is a situation comedy and we are in this material world to get more material."
Let's begin with the first BIG secret.
Ok, maybe its not much of a secret, and if it sounds too obvious, hold on, and keep reading.
The BIG Secret is situational humor, humor or jokes that are 100% relevant to any given situation. But in order to take advantage of this, you need to be armed with a large repertoire of jokes to pull from, especially short jokes and one liners that are the easiest to remember.
Ok that's the humorous version.
You know that actual saying in its original form:
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink,
(Which begs the question - How do you lead a horse to water? With carrots of course.)
Seriously though this saying essentially means you can present someone with an opportunity, but you cannot force him or her to take advantage of it.
This book is me being that person and I am leading you the reader to an ocean of laugter (which means you are the horse...LOL).
This world is not just a small water bucket to take a drink, its one gigantic ocean of fresh water with plenty of fresh jokes awaiting your execution. Did I say execution, I meant delivery, but if your humor is not delivered properly, it can seem like an execution.
That's why this chapter is here... To share secrets of delivering humor that will make sure you "kill" it everytime so you can feel more alive with laughter.
"Remember that life is a situation comedy and we are in this material world to get more material."
Let's begin with the first BIG secret.
Ok, maybe its not much of a secret, and if it sounds too obvious, hold on, and keep reading.
The BIG Secret is situational humor, humor or jokes that are 100% relevant to any given situation. But in order to take advantage of this, you need to be armed with a large repertoire of jokes to pull from, especially short jokes and one liners that are the easiest to remember.
Situational Humor
The easiest type of situation humor is using something that comes up in a conversation, in life in general and say, "That Reminds Me of a Joke". You have seen me throughout this book, use that phrase followed by a joke. This always makes jokes funnier when they are relevant to the topic at hand and in the moment.
Or sometimes you can cleverly interject the joke without the person/persons even knowing.
For example, I remember talking to a customer of mine who was really into golf. I asked him, "Do you bring an extra pair of socks with you when you go golfing?" Surprised, he said no, why? I replied, "In case you get a hole in one". He laughed and I laughed with him. Even someone you hardly know can become a quick friend when you share in a good laugh. I have seen this over and over in my life.
Get creative, once you start learning and memorizing more jokes and punchlines, you'll find creative ways to add humor to any situtation. I have 1000 jokes and oneliners in this book to get you started, but keep on collecting the funniest jokes and keep them in a file (or Word Document). Make sure to only record the ones that YOU LIKE, because whether the joke is funny or not to someone else, the fact you are smiling and laughing will be contagious.
That is another aspect of the "U" / YOU in humor, YOU need to think the joke is funny, so only tell YOUR favorite jokes - just try to be mindful of distasteful and off color humor. The books I am sharing are for the most part 100% clean, non-offensive and cerified funny.
Or sometimes you can cleverly interject the joke without the person/persons even knowing.
For example, I remember talking to a customer of mine who was really into golf. I asked him, "Do you bring an extra pair of socks with you when you go golfing?" Surprised, he said no, why? I replied, "In case you get a hole in one". He laughed and I laughed with him. Even someone you hardly know can become a quick friend when you share in a good laugh. I have seen this over and over in my life.
Get creative, once you start learning and memorizing more jokes and punchlines, you'll find creative ways to add humor to any situtation. I have 1000 jokes and oneliners in this book to get you started, but keep on collecting the funniest jokes and keep them in a file (or Word Document). Make sure to only record the ones that YOU LIKE, because whether the joke is funny or not to someone else, the fact you are smiling and laughing will be contagious.
That is another aspect of the "U" / YOU in humor, YOU need to think the joke is funny, so only tell YOUR favorite jokes - just try to be mindful of distasteful and off color humor. The books I am sharing are for the most part 100% clean, non-offensive and cerified funny.
Create Your Own Jokes
You'll even start coming up with your own jokes. For example, here are some real life situations where I was able to create my own jokes based on the circumstance. It helps when the people you are with have a good sense of humor, but even if they don't you may be able to cheer them up.
You can do this too... It helps to keep a small notepad handy or better yet with techology you can dictate into your smartphone and add to your humor file later. You see I have a chapter "Bryant Meyers Originals". These are jokes I came up with myself. Whether they are funny or not to you doesn't matter, because they were IN THE MOMENT humorous jokes that came to me and were funny that moment. The important thing is start recording and remembering humorous things you say or do. The below examples are ALL true stories.
*This lady walked into our health food store and asked for some pine nuts. I got them for her and then she asked me where pine nuts come from. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know, maybe schizophrenic evergreens.”
*This little old lady walked into our health food store and bought twenty pounds of wheat bran! I said to her, “Wow!!, I see that you are going to be one of our most regular customers. She laughed out loud.
*Teaching inertia in a physics class I was able to yank a tableclothe & leave all the dishes, silverware and glass on the table virtually undisturbed... I told the students with big smile. "I can't believe I "pulled it off". They all laughed!
And there are more examples in my chapter "Bryant Meyers Originals".
You can do this too... It helps to keep a small notepad handy or better yet with techology you can dictate into your smartphone and add to your humor file later. You see I have a chapter "Bryant Meyers Originals". These are jokes I came up with myself. Whether they are funny or not to you doesn't matter, because they were IN THE MOMENT humorous jokes that came to me and were funny that moment. The important thing is start recording and remembering humorous things you say or do. The below examples are ALL true stories.
*This lady walked into our health food store and asked for some pine nuts. I got them for her and then she asked me where pine nuts come from. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I don’t know, maybe schizophrenic evergreens.”
*This little old lady walked into our health food store and bought twenty pounds of wheat bran! I said to her, “Wow!!, I see that you are going to be one of our most regular customers. She laughed out loud.
*Teaching inertia in a physics class I was able to yank a tableclothe & leave all the dishes, silverware and glass on the table virtually undisturbed... I told the students with big smile. "I can't believe I "pulled it off". They all laughed!
And there are more examples in my chapter "Bryant Meyers Originals".
Preplanned Humor
I have given many examples of using preplanned humor in this book.
When I taught physics and physics, I would try to find a cartoon, joke or even perform a skit that was relevant to the lecture of the day. For example, I remember one day during a basic algebra class, that I dressed up in a very formal suit and tie. All my students looked and me in somewhat shock, because I always dressed very casual. Finally one student raised her hand and said, "Mr Meyers, why are you all dressed up today?" Hardly able to contain my laughter, I said, "Why, I always dress up for functions". The topic of the day was functions f(x) = y = equation, etc.
Throughout this book I have given many preplanned examples of using humor from humorous syllabuses, to humorous handouts, top ten lists, bumper stickers, using humor or cartoons on projectors, or even whiteboards, etc etc, BUT the spontaneous situational humor that just comes up in life to me is the still the best, because it wasn't planned and has an added element of surprise for both YOU and the audience. Always be watchful for the opportunity to interject a pun or funny joke. The goal of this book is to provide you with a good base of clean and always appropriate humor to start with, just like Victor Steinman helped me to get started that cold winter night 18 years ago. And like I mentioned, keep a notebook or word file of any and all funny jokes you come across and someday you'll be able to write your own jokebook filled with your very own experiences.
Regardless of how rich you are, humor and laughter are guaranteed to enrich your life and positively influence all those you know and love... And it will spread around the world. A conflagration of smiles and laugher.
But Before You Can Begin, it helps to know the basics of how professional comedians tell jokes, AKA the Delivery!
When I taught physics and physics, I would try to find a cartoon, joke or even perform a skit that was relevant to the lecture of the day. For example, I remember one day during a basic algebra class, that I dressed up in a very formal suit and tie. All my students looked and me in somewhat shock, because I always dressed very casual. Finally one student raised her hand and said, "Mr Meyers, why are you all dressed up today?" Hardly able to contain my laughter, I said, "Why, I always dress up for functions". The topic of the day was functions f(x) = y = equation, etc.
Throughout this book I have given many preplanned examples of using humor from humorous syllabuses, to humorous handouts, top ten lists, bumper stickers, using humor or cartoons on projectors, or even whiteboards, etc etc, BUT the spontaneous situational humor that just comes up in life to me is the still the best, because it wasn't planned and has an added element of surprise for both YOU and the audience. Always be watchful for the opportunity to interject a pun or funny joke. The goal of this book is to provide you with a good base of clean and always appropriate humor to start with, just like Victor Steinman helped me to get started that cold winter night 18 years ago. And like I mentioned, keep a notebook or word file of any and all funny jokes you come across and someday you'll be able to write your own jokebook filled with your very own experiences.
Regardless of how rich you are, humor and laughter are guaranteed to enrich your life and positively influence all those you know and love... And it will spread around the world. A conflagration of smiles and laugher.
But Before You Can Begin, it helps to know the basics of how professional comedians tell jokes, AKA the Delivery!
Mastering the Delivery - The Art of "Killing it" in Comedy (Not "Bombing")
CAUTION: Not everyone will laugh, but don’t let that stop you
“It isn’t always funny because what is funny is a matter of personal opinion.” – Steve Allen
“What may seem depressing or even tragic to one person, may seem like an absolute scream to another person”. - Dave Barry
“A joke is not just a collection of words; it’s the scene that appears in the listeners mind as a result of those words.” – Dave Barry
There are three parts to being funnier: Theory, Practice and Execution (and if you don’t get the theory and practice right, it may feel like an execution).
Next there is the practice and delivery of the jokes. Here are some strategies that top comedians use to deliver their jokes that makes being funny easier. Mastering the delivery and practicing will give you more confidence and help you overcome the fear of the dreaded “Bomb”. But even if you bomb, don't worry. As A. Whitney Brown once said, "That is the saving grace of humor, if you fail no one is laughing at you."
Bombing 101: The net effect of bombing in front of others or an audience is the same as though the joke were never told. So no worries. But if you want to kill it and help people to die laughing, it is good to avoid bombs as much as possible. So before we tell you How to deliver a Joke, let's first start with How not to ...
“It isn’t always funny because what is funny is a matter of personal opinion.” – Steve Allen
“What may seem depressing or even tragic to one person, may seem like an absolute scream to another person”. - Dave Barry
“A joke is not just a collection of words; it’s the scene that appears in the listeners mind as a result of those words.” – Dave Barry
There are three parts to being funnier: Theory, Practice and Execution (and if you don’t get the theory and practice right, it may feel like an execution).
Next there is the practice and delivery of the jokes. Here are some strategies that top comedians use to deliver their jokes that makes being funny easier. Mastering the delivery and practicing will give you more confidence and help you overcome the fear of the dreaded “Bomb”. But even if you bomb, don't worry. As A. Whitney Brown once said, "That is the saving grace of humor, if you fail no one is laughing at you."
Bombing 101: The net effect of bombing in front of others or an audience is the same as though the joke were never told. So no worries. But if you want to kill it and help people to die laughing, it is good to avoid bombs as much as possible. So before we tell you How to deliver a Joke, let's first start with How not to ...
First, Here is How NOT to Tell a Joke
- Insist that you are terrible at telling jokes, but tell one anyway. Don't start out by apologizing. That just ruins it.
- Immediately give away the punchline, as in “have you heard the one about _____?” People laugh when the punchline is revealed AFTER the set up.
- Add lots of extra stuff to make the joke longer. “It’s not the length of the joke that counts, it’s how much pleasure it gives.” The longer a story is, the funnier the punchline had better be. Get to the point.
- Laugh hysterically in the middle, and say, “You’re gonna love this ...”
- Forget the punchline halfway through the joke, or worse yet forget the punchline right before the end of the joke. (This is why practice is necessary).
Ok now that you know what NOT to do, lets get into what you need to do to Have 'em Laughing!
Here is our Final Top Ten List... Drum Roll Please....
Mastering the Delivery (This is what YOU DO).
1. Telling a Joke is Like Magic. You start with something ordinary or familiar about everyday life. Then comes "the Turn", or Twist which is followed by a revelation at the end. The secret is revealed and the audience or listener is "surprised". In a joke, the bigger the surprise, the bigger the laugh. Set up a joke like a magician would, to intentionally distract and mislead. The bigger the gap between the listeners expectation and the punchline, the bigger the chuckle.
2. Draw the listener in. The story of the joke (especially longer jokes) must completely draw the attention of the listener so they are present each moment and hanging on every word. Create more interest and you will add more punch to the punchline.
3. Understand that what makes a successful joke is the shortest distant to the punchline. I love the T.V. Show last comic standing (I recommend you watch it or Netflix it) because you can learn so much from the judges critques. One thing I hear over and over is "get to it", that is the punchline. Say as much as necessary but no more. Don't leave out necessary details in the joke, but far too often comedians are too wordy and take too long to get to the point, or in this case the punchline.
4. Create a good rhythm... Many jokes have a common structure and rhtyhm and many times come in threes. For example "A minister, a priest and a rabbi.." or "A Mathematician, a physicist and an engineer". Having heard similar jokes the listener is expecting a one...two... three (with three being the punchline). Sometimes there are jokes that disturb the rhythm and are funny because of that ... for example, A minister, a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar and the bartender says, what is this some kind of joke. But usually a good rhythm will draw the listener in and help "spike" the punchline.
5. Master the Pause. A pause at the right place makes every joke funnier. The best and most obvious place to pause is right before the punchline. The pause lets the setup of the joke sink in so the punchline is much punchier and funnier.
For example consider the joke
Two Fish in a Tank
One says to the other
(PAUSE - let the ordinary image of two goldfish swimming in a tank sink in)
Do you know how to drive this thing.
The well placed pause can make or break a joke.
6. Slow down. Speak slow enough so people can process the images of the joke in their head. The idea is to give people the time to fully commit to the wrong interpretation, and then let them have it!! The punchline that is. Like the pause, saying the joke a little more slowly builds the tension, gives the listener time to form the mental imagery, so when you get to the punchline, they burst out in laughter.
7. Practice, Practice, Practice. Regardless of natural funniness, no one becomes really, really good at anything without practice, practice, practice. Think of atheletes like Tiger Woods in his prime or Kobe Bryant in his glory days. They both took thousands and thousands of shots and practiced tens of thousands of hours. Now you don't have to practice THAT much, but telling jokes will be a ball if you but practice even a little. And it will give you added confidence so you almost are guaranteed laughs. The best comedians are brimming with confidence because they practiced over and over and seen how their jokes make people laugh. Personally I have had this experience with jokes that were winners every time.. I would have a smile on my face just knowing laughter was coming.
8. In choosing jokes, know your audience – Is the joke a match with the audience? Is the joke likely to be taken as an insult? Is the joke rude, crude or mean? The reason I have only clean jokes in this book is that they are good for all occassions. There may be a few exceptions, so even with these jokes in this book be mindful. For example if someone is a fundamental Christian, they may not appreciate some of the Christian humor. Also be mindful of my science jokes, not everyone will get those as they require a high humor IQ.
9. Stop trying! Here's a secret for happiness is, “take humor seriously, and seriousness humorously,” this doesn’t mean you have to work at being funny. There is nothing less funny than someone trying to be funny. So stop trying, and relax. The whole idea is to have fun. If you can light up a room with a wink and a smile, you may be way ahead of the game. Telling a joke might be superfluous! I think the funniest people have that charisma and gift, you start laughing or smiling just looking at them.
10. Take a Dive into the Humorverse. Immerse yourself in the kind of humor that makes YOU laugh. Tell the jokes YOU find funny and hang out with people you can joke and kid around with. I find the best friends are the ones you can play a practical joke on, say any type of joke. And when you do a practical joke on someone, be able to take one back. Enjoy being on the receiving end of humor, and then it will be much easier to share it.
2. Draw the listener in. The story of the joke (especially longer jokes) must completely draw the attention of the listener so they are present each moment and hanging on every word. Create more interest and you will add more punch to the punchline.
3. Understand that what makes a successful joke is the shortest distant to the punchline. I love the T.V. Show last comic standing (I recommend you watch it or Netflix it) because you can learn so much from the judges critques. One thing I hear over and over is "get to it", that is the punchline. Say as much as necessary but no more. Don't leave out necessary details in the joke, but far too often comedians are too wordy and take too long to get to the point, or in this case the punchline.
4. Create a good rhythm... Many jokes have a common structure and rhtyhm and many times come in threes. For example "A minister, a priest and a rabbi.." or "A Mathematician, a physicist and an engineer". Having heard similar jokes the listener is expecting a one...two... three (with three being the punchline). Sometimes there are jokes that disturb the rhythm and are funny because of that ... for example, A minister, a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar and the bartender says, what is this some kind of joke. But usually a good rhythm will draw the listener in and help "spike" the punchline.
5. Master the Pause. A pause at the right place makes every joke funnier. The best and most obvious place to pause is right before the punchline. The pause lets the setup of the joke sink in so the punchline is much punchier and funnier.
For example consider the joke
Two Fish in a Tank
One says to the other
(PAUSE - let the ordinary image of two goldfish swimming in a tank sink in)
Do you know how to drive this thing.
The well placed pause can make or break a joke.
6. Slow down. Speak slow enough so people can process the images of the joke in their head. The idea is to give people the time to fully commit to the wrong interpretation, and then let them have it!! The punchline that is. Like the pause, saying the joke a little more slowly builds the tension, gives the listener time to form the mental imagery, so when you get to the punchline, they burst out in laughter.
7. Practice, Practice, Practice. Regardless of natural funniness, no one becomes really, really good at anything without practice, practice, practice. Think of atheletes like Tiger Woods in his prime or Kobe Bryant in his glory days. They both took thousands and thousands of shots and practiced tens of thousands of hours. Now you don't have to practice THAT much, but telling jokes will be a ball if you but practice even a little. And it will give you added confidence so you almost are guaranteed laughs. The best comedians are brimming with confidence because they practiced over and over and seen how their jokes make people laugh. Personally I have had this experience with jokes that were winners every time.. I would have a smile on my face just knowing laughter was coming.
8. In choosing jokes, know your audience – Is the joke a match with the audience? Is the joke likely to be taken as an insult? Is the joke rude, crude or mean? The reason I have only clean jokes in this book is that they are good for all occassions. There may be a few exceptions, so even with these jokes in this book be mindful. For example if someone is a fundamental Christian, they may not appreciate some of the Christian humor. Also be mindful of my science jokes, not everyone will get those as they require a high humor IQ.
9. Stop trying! Here's a secret for happiness is, “take humor seriously, and seriousness humorously,” this doesn’t mean you have to work at being funny. There is nothing less funny than someone trying to be funny. So stop trying, and relax. The whole idea is to have fun. If you can light up a room with a wink and a smile, you may be way ahead of the game. Telling a joke might be superfluous! I think the funniest people have that charisma and gift, you start laughing or smiling just looking at them.
10. Take a Dive into the Humorverse. Immerse yourself in the kind of humor that makes YOU laugh. Tell the jokes YOU find funny and hang out with people you can joke and kid around with. I find the best friends are the ones you can play a practical joke on, say any type of joke. And when you do a practical joke on someone, be able to take one back. Enjoy being on the receiving end of humor, and then it will be much easier to share it.
Summing Everything Up = InFUNity
17 Ways FOR YOU to Interject H-U-M-O-R in YOUr Life
Below are 17 secrets strategies and tips you can start USING today to add humor to your Life...
To reap the benefits of the Grin Reaper, you must take action: start with tip #1 and learn 1000 jokes... This book is a great starting point. These 17 tips are a summary of what I have shared in this book, and it is my sincere hope you will take this information and jokes to heart so you can have more "hearty" laughs!
H = Health and Happiness
1) Laugh at aging and time. Laugh at doctors and hospitals, even healthy stuff.
2) Laughter is GOOD for your health - Understand Laughter research and why its HEALTHY to laugh.
U = YOU
3) Read and Study 1000 Jokes, keep a file of all your favorites - memorize AT LEAST 10 of your favorite if opportunity arises to share a joke. Start with easy one or two liners.
4) Learn to Laugh at yourself.
5) Master the Delivery - See Appendix 1 for Tips on how to Deliver Jokes More Effectively. Master these and you are well on your way to being a standup comic.
6) Try stand up at an open mike (but practice on friends first). Study up on mastering the delivery and practice first.
M = Meditation/Mindset
7 ) Don't take Beliefs too seriously.
8) Be a Opti-mystic, think positive.
9) Ask More Questions and Don't have all the answers.
(You can be right or you can be happy)
10) Practice Laughter Meditation.
O = Occupation
11) Practice on Friends and Family then on coworkers.
12) Make work more fun.
13) Humorize - worksheets, manuals, etc etc. Humorize Slideshows a little, Lectures , etc... Creatively add humor to any and ALL presentations you do... even if a little... I like to start out with humor.
R = Recreation/Recess
14) Be More childlike (but not too childish).
15) Find friends you can joke around with and don't mind being made fun of or having a prank.
16) Watch funny movies and stand up comedians.
17) Play more practical jokes - just don't hurt anyone or get yourself in trouble.
To reap the benefits of the Grin Reaper, you must take action: start with tip #1 and learn 1000 jokes... This book is a great starting point. These 17 tips are a summary of what I have shared in this book, and it is my sincere hope you will take this information and jokes to heart so you can have more "hearty" laughs!
H = Health and Happiness
1) Laugh at aging and time. Laugh at doctors and hospitals, even healthy stuff.
2) Laughter is GOOD for your health - Understand Laughter research and why its HEALTHY to laugh.
U = YOU
3) Read and Study 1000 Jokes, keep a file of all your favorites - memorize AT LEAST 10 of your favorite if opportunity arises to share a joke. Start with easy one or two liners.
4) Learn to Laugh at yourself.
5) Master the Delivery - See Appendix 1 for Tips on how to Deliver Jokes More Effectively. Master these and you are well on your way to being a standup comic.
6) Try stand up at an open mike (but practice on friends first). Study up on mastering the delivery and practice first.
M = Meditation/Mindset
7 ) Don't take Beliefs too seriously.
8) Be a Opti-mystic, think positive.
9) Ask More Questions and Don't have all the answers.
(You can be right or you can be happy)
10) Practice Laughter Meditation.
O = Occupation
11) Practice on Friends and Family then on coworkers.
12) Make work more fun.
13) Humorize - worksheets, manuals, etc etc. Humorize Slideshows a little, Lectures , etc... Creatively add humor to any and ALL presentations you do... even if a little... I like to start out with humor.
R = Recreation/Recess
14) Be More childlike (but not too childish).
15) Find friends you can joke around with and don't mind being made fun of or having a prank.
16) Watch funny movies and stand up comedians.
17) Play more practical jokes - just don't hurt anyone or get yourself in trouble.
Raise Your Laugh Quota
Make it a point to laugh more with the goal of laughing 400 times a day. Granted that is a lot of laughing, but if you have an extended... hahahahahahahahahahaha laugh you can count each of those ha's , he's or ho's. You don't have to count every laugh, but if you do a daily gratitude journal, look back on each day and make sure you laughed a lot!
And Smile More!
Smile, and the World Smiles with You
Even easier than telling and delivering jokes is a simple smile.
Besides laughter, just smiling can work wonders to brighten up your life. A smile is sunshine from the soul, and can instantly create a connection even with a stranger and is something so simple to enrich your life. Just have the courage to do it. Don't worry if someone doesn't smile back, just offer your good cheer to all.
Researchers have examined the effect our smiles have on other people. They visited a shopping center, and the experimenter either smile or frowned at the people who walked past him, while another researcher secretly observed whether the person reciprocated a with a smile or a frown.
Neearly 40% of people responded to the experimenters smile with another smile. In contrast, only 6% of them frowned when the experimenter frowned at them.
The researchers neatly summarized their findings in the title of their article: "Smile, and (half) the world smiles with you, frown and you frown alone.
*Hinsz, V.B. & Tomhave, J.A. (1991). ""Smile, and (Half) the World Smiles with You, Frown and you Frown Alone." Pesonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17(5), 586-592.
Besides laughter, just smiling can work wonders to brighten up your life. A smile is sunshine from the soul, and can instantly create a connection even with a stranger and is something so simple to enrich your life. Just have the courage to do it. Don't worry if someone doesn't smile back, just offer your good cheer to all.
Researchers have examined the effect our smiles have on other people. They visited a shopping center, and the experimenter either smile or frowned at the people who walked past him, while another researcher secretly observed whether the person reciprocated a with a smile or a frown.
Neearly 40% of people responded to the experimenters smile with another smile. In contrast, only 6% of them frowned when the experimenter frowned at them.
The researchers neatly summarized their findings in the title of their article: "Smile, and (half) the world smiles with you, frown and you frown alone.
*Hinsz, V.B. & Tomhave, J.A. (1991). ""Smile, and (Half) the World Smiles with You, Frown and you Frown Alone." Pesonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 17(5), 586-592.
Final Joke
What did the ocean say to the beach?
Nothing it just waved.
Now, spread your wings, take flight and start quacking up the world!!
Nothing it just waved.
Now, spread your wings, take flight and start quacking up the world!!
