The BIGG Successs Show
The Most Important Person To Laugh At
Making fun of this person pays bigg dividends. Read the show summary at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today, we'll talk about the most important person at whom to laugh. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. Today, we'll talk about laughing at yourself and the benefits that go along with it. Laughing is good for you. Research shows that people who get in a few big belly laughs every day are healthier. And you know Mary Lynn, the older I get, for some reason, the bigger my belly laugh seems to get. You know what that just means? There's more belly laugh to love, George. Another benefit is that it keeps you from taking yourself too seriously. And I'll tell you, I learned a long time ago not to take myself too seriously because nobody else shirt in. It also endears you to people. People like people who can laugh at themselves. And they may relate to what you said. And that's what makes it even funnier. Think of when you're watching a comedian, like Bill Cosby, for example, whenever he's talking about his situations, jello pudding. But his family situation. I laugh even harder at those because I can relate to them. Well, and take a cue from fiction writers. They know that characters have to be multi-dimensional. Developing the ability to laugh at yourself is just one fantastic dimension to have. I always feel good when somebody makes fun of themselves because then they're not making fun of me. And believe me, I provide a lot of material. I'll say you do. Wait a minute, laughing at me, not yourself. Oh, that's right. I found that it can also release the pressure in a tense situation. And Marilyn, I've witnessed this time after time after time. Got a group maybe of employees, sitting in a meeting and the conversation starts building up. And people start getting really invested in their positions. And if you can say something silly and maybe make fun of yourself a little bit, it seems like everybody takes a little break and then the conversation becomes productive again. That's good. Now, obviously you have to be careful with that because you can have the exact opposite effect if you don't pull it off. Yeah, they started making fun of me too. [laughter] Became a gang thing. [laughter] Gang up on George. That's right. Well, you know, George, some people just don't have the ability, you know, that sense of humor to be able to poke fun at themselves. So let's offer some tips on how to be able to do that. Well, first of all, it helps to look like me. [laughter] You're on a roll. [laughter] The first thing is talk to yourself. You know, one of the things my dad always said, and I love this quote, he said that talking to yourself son is the best way to make sure that intelligent questions get asked and intelligent answers are given. And the thing is, if you can make yourself laugh quietly, that's a good thing. [laughter] Second, become a student of humor. You know, when you're watching a show or listening to a comedian and you hear them say something funny, think about how you could use it. And then also review past conversations you've had. Have you ever thought to yourself, "Oh, I wish I would have thought of that." Well, the more you do that, the quicker you're going to get. And the third thing is it has to be spontaneous because that's what normally makes it funny, that element of surprise. And an easy way that I found to do this is to take something that's memorable from the discussion you've been having and then bring it back, turning it on yourself. And if we'd said anything memorable during this discussion, I would give an example right now. So we're just going to have to move on coming up to things to avoid with self-deprecating humor. Today we're talking about laughing at yourself and why it's a good thing. And we've offered three tips so far, but here's two things you want to avoid. Don't make fun of things you're insecure about. It serves no purpose and it makes other people uncomfortable. You have to laugh at yourself with confidence because then people will know that it's a joke. And don't create a bad perception with yourself deprecating humor. You may not have any insecurity. You may be very confident about your work ethic, for example. And one of the things you try to do is to take it kind of to the opposite. Well, the opposite of a strong work ethic is being lazy. Right. Well, you probably don't want to talk about being lazy all the time, although I've seen people get away with it. Hey George, one of your favorite lines when we're out socially and people ask you what you do, you always say as little as possible. That's because it's true. There you go again. Yeah, Mary Lynn, but the thing is, I always follow it up with the real answer. After they've laughed with you, laughing at yourself. That's true. What's your favorite self-deprecating line? Share it with us on our blog today at big success.com. That's also where we have a written summary of today's show. And let's get a big quote for the day, George. Our big quote today comes from Shirley McLean, who said, "If only I knew which life to make fun of." I'll bet she wishes she thought of that one. Yeah, actually her quote was, "The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused." And thanks to myself, I am easily amused. Next time in Honor St. Patrick's Day, we're going to ask a question. Is it better to be lucky or smart? Hmm, I'll have to ask me lucky charms. Until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com [MUSIC PLAYING]