Humor Visualization (Humor Challenge Day 5)
No doubt, there will come a time (chances are it has, already… and more than once!) that you’re stuck in a negative situation or with a negative person (the one whose goal in life is to be miserable, and whose mission is to bring down the rest of us with them!). When that occurs, one technique that you can practice is humor visualization.
I once worked with an administrator who had a gift for making all around her unhappy. Whenever she attended a meeting, by the time it was over, somebody was sure to leave crying. As I was walking out of one such dismal meeting, a colleague came up to me, and in a voice dripping with sarcasm asked, “What were you smiling about in there? You two collaborating on some little scheme?” When I realized she was insinuating that somehow I was fraternizing with the enemy, I was shocked. I’d found the meeting painful. How could she think I’d been smiling? And then it dawned on me…
At the low point of the meeting, I slipped into humor visualization. I began imagining the administrator flipping over backward in her chair. With her dress flying up over her head. With her stretch marks shining in the fluorescent light. And that was enough to take me from a white knuckle grip on my pen to chuckling and thinking, “This too shall pass!”
Today’s challenge: Practice Humor Visualization.
Picture an annoying situation or person—like the imbecile who cut you off in traffic, the clueless soul with a basket full of groceries in the express lane, or the customer service rep who put you on hold with Muzak—FOREVER! Now play with your pain. Picture this person dressed ridiculously, or in an awkward pose, or with a comical voice… until it brings a smile to your face. By manipulating your mindset, you'll enjoy your day a whole lot more!
That’s it. Congratulations on committing to enhancing your sense of humor.
