Catching up with Karyn

Are you funny? Do people laugh with or at you? Or maybe you just want to be funny or simply, be funnier? Maybe you want to make people laugh without having to try so hard to be funny. If you can identify with any of these questions, you're in the right spot because I'm going to try my best to address these questions in today's video.

If you've gotten this far into my video series, odds are you're already familiar with your humor quotient and how it can help you with your goals to be a better humorist. It also is going to help you apply humor in your everyday life, but why is that so important?  Whether you're using humor to influence or get closer to your family, friends, or at work, you're using it for a reason, and I want to make sure that you're able to be as effective as possible without having to put too much effort in. Applying humor to make someone or a group of people feel good is obviously going to boost morale wherever you are, and it's important that you know that...

Toys aren't just for kids. De-stress! Play with your OWN toys!

One of the theories of humor is that it comes from incongruity or derailment. That moment of absurdity that occurs when your mind thinks your train of thought is heading one direction, and then suddenly goes another, triggers our brain to laugh.

Today’s humor challenge: Practice derailment by playing with aphorisms.

An aphorism is a short phrase that expresses a truth or wisdom. For instance, you’ve probably heard the following aphorisms:

• The early bird catches the worm.
• Crime doesn’t pay.
• Too many cooks spoil the broth.
• Fish and guests smell after 3 days.

One way to play with aphorisms is to take your list of phrases, cut them in half, and then mix them up to create new and funny phrases, like

• The early bird doesn’t pay.
• Crime catches the worm.
• Fish and guests spoil the broth.
• Too many cooks smell after 3 days.

Another way to play with derailment and incongruity is to take the first half of the aphorisms and then make up your own endings. A first-grade...

Here’s a great way to experience humor that doesn’t require you to go anywhere or do anything other than relax and… remember a past humorous memory or Moment of Mirth.

Today's humor challenge: Moments of Mirth.

We’ve all got stories that we share when we get together with friends or family—usually preceded by “Remember the time when…?” These stories usually grow and get even funnier over time.

I keep a journal and when I think of another Moment of Mirth (MOM) I jot it down. There’s an old Chinese proverb that says the palest of ink is better than the sharpest memory. (Especially MY memory!)

When feeling like I need a humor boost I pull out my MOM journal and laugh over an incident that might have otherwise been forgotten. Like when my son Adam, at 4 years old, hopped up into the barber chair and said to the barber, “Gimme a flat top.”

The barber saw the surprised look on my face and said to Adam, “Is that what...

I called my son, Adam, and I heard him respond, “Hello? Hello?”

“Adam, it’s mom,” I said.

“Hello? Your reception is terrible. Try moving to a better spot,” Adam said.

I walked to the other side of the room. “How’s that? Any better?”

“I can hardly hear you,” he said. “Try moving to a different spot.”

I walked to the other side of the room. “How’s that?” I said a little louder.

“I can barely hear you. Can you move around?”

I walked to a different spot. Now yelling, I said, “Can you hear me now?” And then I heard…

“This is Adam’s voicemail. Please leave your name and number and he’ll call you back.”

 
Today’s humor challenge: Leave something humorous on your outgoing voicemail message.

You can have fun AND give folks calling you a reason to smile. Over the years I’ve collected dozens and dozens of humorous outgoing...

When we look at something as negative, bad juju in our body. But if we can change our perspective, it changes our outlook as well as our health. Humor is an easy and practical way to change your mindset.

Today’s humor challenge: Create a "ridiculous explanation" list.

Think of something you’d like to get out of doing: Doing the dishes, filing your taxes, going to work… Then use your creativity or brainstorm with your humor buddy, and come up with as many outlandish and ridiculous reasons as you can to dodge the dreaded task! By viewing your chore through the lens of humor, you can lessen your stress and improve your mood. You'll more likely do a better job and enjoy it more.

Here’s an example:

I can't go to work today because…

• I have amnesia and can’t remember where I work.
• my goldfish has pneumonia.
• you broke my funny bone!
• I bumped my head on the glass ceiling.
• I’m taking a mental health day—I’m calling in well.
• I have...

Who makes you laugh? Mike Birbiglia? Ellen DeGeneres? Steve Martin? CK Lewis? Rita Rudner? Tim Allen? Roseanne Barr? Jeff Foxworthy? Whoopi Goldberg? David Letterman? Paula Poundstone? George Carlin? Wanda Sykes? Eddie Izzard? Joan Rivers? (Review your notes from Challenge Day 1: But I’m Not Funny)

Today’s challenge: Tap into your favorite comedian.

Today it’s easy to tune in and listen to your favorite comedian. YouTube carries tons of routines from comedians, past and present. You can find them on podcasts, social media, audiobooks, streaming specials—or if you're really committed—see them live!

Schedule at least 15 minutes today to listen to your favorite comedian. Just in that short amount of time, you can experience physiological and psychological benefits!

You can learn a lot about practicing humor from watching kids at play.

I was behind a mom and her 2 kids in the check-out lane and overheard her 6-year old singing away at the top of his lungs. It was a total nonsense song: John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt… I couldn’t help but laugh out loud—and then sing along with him!

Today’s Humor Challenge? Sing a silly song!

Think back to when you attended camp, or scout meetings, or church groups. Did you ever learn any silly songs? (Thought-provoking songs, like… Do your ears hang low? or Great green gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts?) Still drawing a blank? How about theme songs from sitcoms? How about Gilligan’s Island, Beverly Hillbillies, and Sponge Bob Square Pants? [If all else fails, Google 'camp songs' or 'sitcom theme songs'.]

Warning: Song may get stuck in your head (technically, that’s called an Ear Worm, but this is not a true parasite!). The antidote for an earworm? Substitute a...

Do you ever hit a point in your day where your energy lags, your shoulders tighten, and you wouldn’t recognize a good idea if it jumped up and bit you? Time to push back from your desk and have a little fun. Can’t think of something fun to do?

Today’s challenge: Create a fun list!

Make a list of at least 10 things you like to do (20 is even better!). Disclaimer: Make sure that at least half your activities cost you $5 bucks or less to do.

The rationale? Often when you’re most in need of fun, you’ll least be able to think of something fun to do. And sometimes the reason we’re feeling crabby or crappy is because cash flow is a problem—and you don’t want that to get in the way of experiencing some amusement.

I could give you a long list of things that I think are fun. But they may not be fun to you. Humor and fun are individual tastes. A participant in one of my programs listed skydiving at the top of his list. My mom was a pilot. She...

Shared humor is even more powerful than humor experienced by yourself. When you share humor with another person, you both get to experience the benefits!

Today’s challenge: Designate a humor buddy.

Reach out to someone who shares your sense of humor. Invite them to be part of the Humor Challenge with you. This person is someone you can laugh with, try out your humor exercises on, and can help hold you accountable.

I have a number of humor buddies that I love sharing humor with. I know when I send something their way, they’ll appreciate a chuckle and know that I was thinking of them. And when I’m in need of a boost, I can call them, email them, send them a text, give them a shout-out on social media, or get together over coffee (or other beverages of choice!) and they’ll provide the support I need in the form of something funny.

This challenge is about helping you create a humor habit so you can maximize the benefits that humor provides. You can do this by...