Top Ten Ways to Be Funny

1) Be bold. There’s nothing that kills humor more than being shy. If you are using discretion, there’s room for humor almost anywhere, including your Bible study group or corporate boardroom.

2) Humor is, in part, about telling people what they want hear but would never actually say. For example, very few people would talk about light-hearted public bathroom embarrassments. It is amazing how far you can go, even at a church function, and remain “Family Rated.”

3) Learn from others. Know someone who’s really funny? Watch them carefully. Also, check out the sitcoms on TV. There, you will find both well scripted and improvised humor, including exaggerated facial expressions and body movements that reinforce the words or theme being used.

Sitcoms are great at turning life into something surreal and funny. They take minute details of life and blow them up until you can see how funny they are. Ever watched Mr. Bean?

4) Use a mirror. If you’re going to emcee an event, or do anything in public, don’t be afraid to use a mirror to practice with. Many humorous movie stars use this technique. Even if you’re a school bus driver just making faces for the little kids in the bus parked in front of you, you’ll be amazed at how a mirror at home can help you get some laughs and some big cheesy grins from the kids.

5) Use discretion. Use appropriate humor for the appropriate crowd. Although you can stretch the border at a church function, like talking about boys turning their underwear inside out at camp to get another couple of days use out of them, you can’t use off-color language etc.

6) Take a fresh look at life situations. For example, what would a man do if his pants got wet in a “bad” spot after leaning on a sink counter in a public washroom? How would he get over the embarrassment? Hmm… How about using the hot air dryer meant for drying your hands? What would he do if someone walked in while he was drying them?

7) Stare at an object for ten minutes and see how many things you can use it for, or what misfit situations you can get into with it. What can you do with a pair of rubber gloves other than keep your hands dry while you wash dishes with them? Or how about the retractable cup holder that you that you tried to use on your computer? You know, the one that you press the button and it comes out. It’s marked “CD” for “Cup Dispenser”.

8) Things that don’t fit together. A male pastor was asked to say grace at an all-women’s award banquet. After being introduced to say grace, he got up to the microphone and said, “I am totally honored to be here and to accept this award.” The ladies burst into laughter. He continued, “When I got the call yesterday, I thought it was just to say grace or something.” During the laughter, he pretended to listen to someone in his ear piece tell him that he was just called to say grace. Relaying this conversation out loud to the audience he became an instant “hit” in a very short period of time.

That is an example of something that doesn’t fit. A male would never receive an award at a woman’s award banquet, and yes he was just called to say grace and the audience obviously knew that.

9) Learn to imitate other personalities and language accents. Learn how to act like a nerd or speak like an East Indian or Scottish person. Even using an accent for a one-sentence answer to someone’s question can get a laugh.

10) Place yourself in situations that make you come out of your shell. Take chances and experiment.

It takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown and if you deliver honest and sincere humor to people, you’ll be placing smiles not only on faces but also in hearts.

You can be funny.

21 Ways to Be More Creative

1 – Stop watching television

Or better yet, get rid of the damn thing. Any time I teach writing or creativity, this is one of the biggies. TV is a mind-killer. It numbs you. It fills you with emotionally-charged images and over-simplified solutions. It dulls you. Turn it off. Even if this idea scares you, turn it off.

2 – Take a 20-minute walk everyday

It’s easy to become driven about exercise. You go to the Y. You go running. You think that a 20-minute walk isn’t productive or worth much. Take a 20-minute walk and allow the world to just be. Watch things. Stop and smell things. Notice birds. Let the world unfold and show itself to you.

3 – Write with pen & paper (or pencil and paper)

Keep a journal. Do morning pages. Write in long-hand. Typing on a keypad into a computer doesn’t always open up that tactile sense-loving part of us that loves to create.

I can sometimes get weirdly happy just hearing the sound the pen makes scribbling on paper. I also love it when the paper is thin, and my pen makes indents so it feels sort of Braille-y, and the paper makes a snappy sound when I turn the page.

4 – Write songs to your pets

At the first women’s retreat I ever facilitated, (at a college campus in St. Louis) a group of women sat on the floor one night in the dorm and sang each other the songs we’d written to our various pets. It was hysterical. The more we sat there, the more women came and sat down with us.

I’ve written many songs to my dog. Greatest hits include “Mom’s Little Girl,” “She Is Going to Be a Very Clean Girl,” (a bathtub song) and “She is Unbelievably Cute.” Of course, there’s also the “Good Morning Song.” My cats each have their own songs too. I actually make myself laugh as I’m creating them because my animals look so truly unimpressed with me.

It’s easy to do because you can do it anywhere – while you drive to work, while you make dinner, while you lie on the couch with them.

5 – Dance around the House

Put on old disco (Earth, Wind, and Fire, baby!), or new Madonna, or swing. Put it on loud. Dance around your house while you make dinner. Or start the day shakin’ your groove thang.

6 – Walk in the rain

I haven’t owned an umbrella in about 10 years. I love the rain. I love walking in it. I wrote the song Everything Green after I hiked in the mountains in the pouring rain. I was journaling about how alive everything was, and I wrote “It was all just rain and mud and wild and green.” That’s how I got my CD title. Walking in the rain can be a happy thing. (Use an umbrella if you want. Rain on umbrellas makes a good sound.)

7 – Make a collage

Magazines. Some Yes Paste. A scrapbook page and lots of crayons and paints and stickers. (And thou.) This isn’t a vision board. It doesn’t have a purpose. It’s just for fun and beauty and making something. I love collaging. I’m not great at it. But I’ve gotten better and better at laying out the page and learning what colors and shapes I love. I always feel more alive when I do one.

8 – Make a list of things you love

My song Loving Hands (on my first CD) was born out of a journal exercise I did where I just wrote a long list of all the things I love. That song remains one of my most requested songs. I had so much fun thinking of things that delight me in the world. Finding feathers, finding pennies, the sound of big flags flapping in the wind, the smell of my cat’s fur when she’s been out in the snow (she smells like a big box of wool mittens). I remember reading it to a friend of mine who just sat there smiling and nodding his head. Even though this was years ago, I still remember how much fun I had making that list.

9 – Write 10 postcards

Go pick out some really cool postcards, and then go to a cafe somewhere, and order your Genmaicha Tea (Okay, get yourself a Latte if you want) and write postcards to friends and family.

10 – Get up early and watch the sun rise

11 – Listen to music you’ve never listened to before.

After I saw the movie Tortilla Soup, I downloaded a bunch of Latin music from iTunes. One of my favorite nights in my memory this year was a hot rainy night thick with humidity. My husband and I opened up all the windows and doors. We pressure cooked (I love our pressure cooker) some black beans, shared a froo-froo mixed drink and made a fantastic dinner while all of my new Latin and Tejano music was cranked up. It was one of those really happy nights, partly because I loved discovering new music.

12 – Eat with your hands

Be a kid again. Make a meal and put the silverware back into the drawers. Eat with your hands. Have some friends over for a silverwareless dinner.

13 – Be quiet

Light a few candles after dark and just sit. Don’t meditate if you don’t want to. Just sit quietly and listen. Watch the candles. Allow for more silence in your life.

We are a noisy people. I hear people say they can’t stand silence. But it is in silence where we can hear the voice of our creativity. Maybe not at first. But it will come.

Drive with no music on. Make dinner in silence. Pay attention to your hands as you slice the veggies. Just be quiet.

14 – Take a nap

15 – Take photos. Real photos. Not digital photos.

My favorite camera is a Pentax K1000. It’s completely manual, and it’s how I learned to take pictures. I’m not very good. When I first moved to Asheville, I used to walk around town on Sundays (the whole town was closed up then) and take pictures of all the buildings. These photos are now a treasure to me because nothing is the same anymore. (Every building has been bought, remodeled and now is filled with stores that sell trickly fountains, Buddahs, and things that smell grassy.)

Take pictures of anything. And have fun in the old method of actually getting your film developed and the excitement of flipping through photos you haven’t seen yet.

16 – Make an event out of watching the full moon come up

One of the things I love about my husband is that he’s always looking for the perfect place to watch the full moon come up. He’ll make an event out of it. We pile in the car and go to this one field or to a bench on the college campus and sit and watch the moon rise.

17 – Read poetry aloud

Poetry is meant to be read aloud. The words and phrases will tilt your brain and open doors like you never thought they would. My favorites: Mary Oliver, e.e. cummings, Rumi, Pablo Neruda, Sharon Olds, Barbara Brooks, and Alicia Suskin Ostriker. There are lots of collections of poetry if you don’t want to pick just one.

18 – Go see a play or live music or live anything

Get out of the house and experience creativity. Avoid mega-blockbuster-Hollywood movies whose trailers begin with the deep gravelly voice saying, “IN A WORLD…” (And then bombs go off and Mel Gibson appears)

Live performance is an exchange. As an audience member you get to participate. I know this because I perform. Every night is different. Everything is about the audience. You receive so much more energy from live shows. Go see the symphony, even the small local symphony. See a play. See some improv. There is so much life on a stage, so many improvisational moments, so much about authenticity. You can’t help but take it in.

19 – Visit a gallery

See another artist’s creation. The downtown of any city is bound to have some great galleries. You don’t have to buy anything. Just experience the artistry of someone gifted in glass blowing or pottery or woodwork.

20 – Write a letter

When was the last time you wrote a letter? I just got a long letter from one of the women who participated in my last retreat. It was funny. And it was fun to read. And I kept thinking, “Damn. It’s been too long since I’ve experienced this.” Every time I write a letter, I feel clearer and happier. Not only is it more fun to make something for someone else, it’s also just a way to get out of yourself.

21 – Stop watching television

This is an important one. It bears repeating. There are so many better things you can do than watch American Idol.

Help each other out! Leave your own thoughts or ideas in the comments…

How to Socialize, Be Funny and Make Friends

1.Just be yourself. Don’t be afraid to express your opinions. If someone insults you, just ignore them. The people who are jealous and hate you will be outnumbered by the people who love you for being yourself.

2.Be optimistic. Even if you are feeling really down, remember that there’s always something out there to smile about. A positive outlook will make people want to be around you a lot more. Be cautious, however. There’s a point where optimism can be annoying. Don’t be too optimistic.

3.Crack a joke. (Having a sense of humor is important, but don’t get too carried away, there are some things you have to be serious about.If you joke about your friend in a rude way it could damage your relationship with them.)

4.Smile as much as you can! Signs of encouragement let people know you care about what they are saying. But have a reason to smile. Make it clear you have a reason to smile with humor or optimistic words. Smiling without a reason, or smiling too much may creep people out.

5.Share interesting/silly ideas. Your thoughts can open up many doors that can lead to friendship.

6.Listen more than you talk. Instead of nodding and smiling and occasionally wiping the drool off your face, try to take what the person says and run with it. Add your own thoughts into the mix – but don’t hijack the conversation.

7.Start by doing little things if you are very reserved. For example, every time you go to school, work, or wherever, say hello to one person and have a one-on-one conversation with them.

8.Say “hello” to those that don’t talk much. (Share something about yourself, such as where you’re going or why you’re there. Avoid talking about the weather – as Tom Waits says, “Strangers talk about the weather.” Try to compliment them.

1. Don’t expect perfection out of anyone, especially yourself. For example, if you forget your own name while introducing yourself (which probably won’t happen), just make fun of the situation.
2. 10

   Be Patient. If you are still among strangers, the apprehension of a conversation may cause a delay in comments. Don’t worry, that will go away in short order.

3. 11

   Talk to older people, maybe even your own folks. They will be less likely to ridicule you, therefore making it easier to learn to talk well.

4. 12

   Place importance on making social contacts. The people who are considered popular may not be the sharpest tacks in the box, but they are acquainted with important people who may contribute to their future careers. It is never too late to feel that being popular is important. If your work environment allows for it, host a party, organize a sports game, etc.

5. 13

   Love yourself. It is difficult to like others when you do not appreciate yourself for who you are. Try exercise to improve your self-esteem. Start your journey to “self-discovery.”

6. 14

   Be loyal. Little things count. If you make an appointment, be on time. If you’re in a group, show up early, and stay late (even if you don’t have anything to say at the moment).

7. 15

   Be nice to others. Always give compliments, but don’t try too hard. If you are shy, take a deep breath and risk it – you never know what might happen. Again, if you are shy on the outside but a little crazy on the inside, let it out once in a while. Wear your hair up high and spin around or dance. Others will laugh and find you funny and fun to be with.

8. 16

   Try not to be defensive over something that is possibly your own issue. For example, don’t shout, “Why are you so prejudiced?” or “Why don’t you like women?” when due to past situations you may just be overly sensitive. Try to always believe the best of others and give them the benefit of the doubt that can go a long way in getting to know the real person. If it turns out they are a bigot, then move on to befriend the next person and don’t waste any more energy. It may take a few tries to find friends that “click.” And anyway, if you’re arguing with someone about something stupid such as shoes, drop it. Try to get out of arguments that are dumb. If you’re arguing because you were sticking up for your friend such as something like someone was making fun of her and you were trying to stand up for her, then I completely understand.

9. 17

   Be honest. Lying will make people not want to be your friend any more, because they will not trust you anymore.

10. 18

    Respect everyone, no matter what they think or say. They are a person and deserve to be treated with respect. If you treat people well they will treat you the same.

11. 19

    (Build confidence)Try to get younger friends if you are in middle school. Hanging out with kids a year or two younger than you will help build confidence, which will help you with kids around your own age. I know, no one wants to hang out with the 10 year old next door. But i promise just hang out and talk to them and your confidence will skyrocket!

    • Avoid saying something that could be taken the wrong way, but don’t over-analyze what you want to say. If you think about it too much, not only will you miss out on your chance to contribute to the conversation, but what you do end up saying might sound scripted and unnatural.
    • A pendulum has to swing in the opposite direction before it lands in the middle, so if you have too much of a problem over-thinking things, first let go of it allowing for errors or failed attempts — and let yourself say things that could be taken the wrong way (be inaccurate) until you get the hang of it, and then learn how to “filter” out those errant efforts at conversing and associating for fun and friend.
12. 20

    Find people who share your interests. Get up, move and join a group of classmates that has similar interests whether at lunch or at a party. In that environment, it would be easier to meet people and make friends. And it’s fine if your friends don’t have much in common with you as long as you both are happy and comfortable. If they judge/don’t approve of something you do, they aren’t friends. If they don’t approve of you smoking for example, don’t look at it the wrong way. They’re only trying to protect you. So, don’t remain on the edge looking in; your move…

    21.Sport Social Network

    Challenge Yourself – Get Advice, Share & Improve in Your Sports

tips

• Everybody likes some attention, (even the shy ones). Pay a little attention to people, and often they’ll repay you warmly. It doesn’t take much.
• Do not be selfish. Many think if they are generous their friends would take advantage of them. This is an absurd paradox. If your friends were taking advantage of you, you would see right through them, and they should not be considered your friend!
• Avoid prejudice, even among age. It is not impossible for a 20-year-old to be a friend to a 70-year-old. Don’t limit your possibilities.
• Earn some money. You’ll be able to go out and do more things, and if you get a job, you’ll meet more people there who have similar experiences.
• Surround yourself with people you want to be like.
• Be passionate about what you believe in – keep your own opinions and ideas.
• Take genuine interest in other people, and they will do the same for you.
• A great way to start a conversation with some one new is to ask advice. Everyone wants to show off a little and most likely they’ll be happy to help.
• Start out slowly with people. Begin conversations with open-ended questions like, “How’s it going?” and let the other person run with the conversation. Calibrate their initial response, to gauge whether they are responsive to more conversation.
• Don’t forget about your other friends! Introduce them to each other. That way, you’ll have more to talk about and your friends can make more friends, too.
• Sometimes people need a little coaxing. You might have to ask them “How are you?” and “What have have you been up to?” in succession before you get a deep enough response to bring about further conversation.
• People often underestimate how self-conscious other people are. When you interact with other people, remember that they can often make the conversation uncomfortable because of their own insecurities. The best thing to do is to be confident. Confidence gives you a greater vantage point in which to see the social inadequacies of other people.
• Aim to get respect from other people instead of their approval. People are attracted to the people that value themselves. If you are looking for other people’s approval then you are implicitly saying that “I value this person’s opinion of me, and valuation of me as my indication of worth.” You have to value yourself and not seek anyone else’s value assessment of you.
• Surround yourself with other people and you will attract more people. People take shortcuts, and in the absence of spending hours with you to find out who you really are, they look to see that you are liked by other people (it’s called social proof). As a result, they come to the conclusion, “if other people like you, then I suspect I can like you as well.”
• One thing that people like to talk about is sports. A good way to start a conversation is “Hey! How ’bout them (team)?” (If they are into sports that is)
• It’s easier to talk to people if you have shared an experience with them. Clearly the friends you have at the moment predominantly talk about interesting things they did in the past.
• Don’t be afraid to ask them for their Facebook, MySpace, AIM Screen Name, email address, phone #, etc. Its very important that you guys stay in contact if you want more friends.
• Don’t try too hard.
• Cursing can be very unattractive, but at the same time, some people don’t mind. It’s best not to curse at all, people who don’t like it instantly notice, but those who accept it don’t notice it. But know the group you are in. Some groups of friends will like you better if you curse, but then it can be complicated(it might be OK around your same-sex friends but not when they have an opposite-sex friend over).
• Never wear disgusting and dirty clothes. It puts people right off.
• Always be nice to older people. Some of my best freinds are older.