What is Funny About This?

What can you do to wake-up when you are stuck in a limited way of thinking or being, and don’t even know you are stuck? We refer to these as ‘blind spots’ – but if we’re blind, what hope is there that we can recover sight? 

As you watch this 2-minute video please consider: what is one thing that could help these two individuals who are seemingly blind to the obvious?

What could this man and woman do to free themselves? It seems so simple and clear to you and me – their freedom does not rest with other people. The elegant solution is right there. The only thing trapping them is the thought that they aren’t already free. 

Did you laugh when you watched the video? I did. It was the laughter of recognition, remembering all the times I got stuck blaming others for my experience.

As I support clients to have Honorable Closure with professional or personal endings, I regularly encounter this kind of stuck-ness, especially if the ending has left them feeling hurt, betrayed or let down. Like the woman in the video, clients often arrive thinking, “I don’t need this,” or “It’s not me that has to change, but ‘them’ or ‘the situation’.”

What is funny about this? 

The man and woman in this video are taking themselves and their situation too seriously. They have lost their sense of humor. One thing they could do to shift this is to ask themselves or each other: “What is funny about this?”

I’m in no way suggesting that people in transition deny the pain of an experience. Being a mature human being requires cultivating compassion for whatever predicament we find ourselves in. Often a sense of humor can be the window into where we are stuck, so we can shine the light, see new possibilities and walk right off our own personal escalator of stuck-ness, and on with our day, on with our life. 

What have you lost your sense of humor about? It could be around a person, a project, or an idea. If you find yourself in a difficult transition right now, ask yourself: “What is funny about this?” And if you don’t like the word “funny”, try using other words like “ironic”, “amusing” or “deceptive” whichever word lessens your resistance and yields an interesting or unexpected answer. 

I invite you to sit with these questions for the next week, write down your observations during that time and share what you discover with me via email or on Facebook. I’d love to hear from you.