The Spice of Life (Part 3)

 
Have you ever watched a soap opera on TV? Mainly the characters do selfish and hurtful things, and they suffer. Thousands of people watch these soap operas each day. For some people feeling helpless can seem more appealing than feeling happy.

There is a clear alternative. Humour can be added each day to feel happiness, to find common ground with others and find solutions to problems.

Some will smile when they read, “We are all bozos on the bus”. With so many everyday competing demands, it is hard not to feel inadequate some times. We can get stuck in ongoing emotional struggles, even with the ones we love.

Usually when we get very upset we lose our sense of humour. Frequently we are upset about little things, like dirty socks on the floor, the seat left up, and the toilet paper that is rolling over instead of under. [Do you want to change the bit about the toilet paper to something like leaving the milk out, or not picking up the bath mat? Had to stop and think about the last bit of the sentence which is a little distracting.] Underneath, what is upsetting is feeling helpless and thinking that others don’t care about our needs.

Telling others what we don’t like about them does not help them to change. Criticizing in a critical voice tone often creates resentment, and escalates the problem. One critical moment can undo the goodwill established with many good talks. Improving communication skills will help. Humour makes it easier to communicate well. Little fun moments are like building a relationship one brick at a time.

Here is what businesses have done to improve communication and morale.

• Wheeling around a refreshment cart at 3 pm on Fridays.

• Replacing dress down Fridays with dress up Fridays.

• Celebrating birthdays each month with a cake and a get together at lunch.

• Giving each person the name of another employee and secretly leaving poems, small gifts or words of appreciation.

 
Here is what fun-loving people do away from work:

• Put up streamers even when there is no special occasion.

• Make a family photo collage for the wall.

• Make a hanging mobile and hang it in the house.

• Wear funny hats in public.

• Make music out of utensils from the kitchen.

 
Humorous conversations naturally come when the unexpected replaces your daily routines. Giving each person a chance to shine builds trust and increases creativity. What follows is a warm feeling inside, some smiles or big laughs and the good memories and good feelings last for a long-time.

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Jack Milner Comedy Workshops
tel: 01494 772 908
email: jack@jackmilner.com