How Adding Humour into New Ventures Changes Perspective

I was having dinner with a group of friends the other evening and we all were talking about our latest ventures.

This is a group of entrepreneurs who are forward-thinking and always have new projects in the works.  

As I sat back and listened to everyone chatting, I reflected on their approach to these new projects.

Everyone was light-hearted. They had an ability to shake their head and laugh at their mistakes, all the while taking the lessons they learned from them and putting them into future practice.

They also were playful with their experimenting. They talked about how they tried new things, weren’t afraid to launch their crazy ideas, embracing the fact that some would fail, but explaining how they got joy from trying different things with different approaches.

This made me think of my own career and how over the years I made it such a serious endeavour.

In my twenties and most of my thirties, I had such focus, determined to get the most out of my career and life.

This wasn’t bad per se, but I took myself too seriously. I often became self-critical, viewing setbacks and obstacles as failures. I did learn from them, but I was (and still am) very hard on myself.

I can’t help but wonder how my career and life may have been different if I had brought more humour and playfulness into it. If I approached criticism and setbacks with more lightheartedness, learning from them but also letting them roll off my back as I push forward.  

I am getting better at it and perhaps it comes from age and experience. I’m also finding it comes from regularly witnessing the exchanges among these new friends.

They have helped me recognize the importance of bringing lightness to my endeavours, and how it can ease frustration and self-judgement.

As a challenge today (for myself included), I invite you to find the lightness where you can. When you find your misplaced file in the middle of your desk or discover your warmed up coffee cup in the microwave hours later, smile, take a deep breath, and realize the humour in the situation.

Bring as much lightness and playfulness as you can to your professional and personal life. Witness how your day changes with this slight change in perspective.

-Best wishes, Lauren

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