What Makes Comedy The Best Coping Mechanism

“The only weapon we have is comedy.”

–       Robin Williams

 

 

How can we cope? We think we’re in control, until we discover we’re not. We’ve suffered Shakespeare’s ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,’ and lost our grip. How can we get it back?

 

Yup. We may hold positions of power and authority, have all our ducks in a row, all our people in the right seats, make seemingly the right moves, but still, something happens and we’re blown out of the water. No matter how good we are, no one can predict outcomes with any certainty.

 

Some people can make a huge mistake and somehow bounce back and turn it into success.  Others can’t, and as a result never do seem to be able to pull themselves out of the hole. How come?

 

What gives some people the capacity to turn lemons into lemonade?  Why do others end up with raisins when they set out to produce wine?

 

Perspective.  It’s the one thing we can control and  the one thing we all seem to lose, especially when the going gets tough.  But I’ll tell you something.  That old adage, ‘Laughter is the best medicine,’ is absolutely correct and comedy is the best coping mechanism there is.  In fact, it’s our friend. It opens us up, challenges our assumption and beliefs and leads us to a new outcomes totally unexpected from what we would imagine. It shifts our focus and allows us to see ourselves – and our problems – in a different light.  We laugh. It opens our mind to possibilities that might very well have remained closed had we remained with doom and gloom.

 

Laughter and comedy can restore hope, optimism and are surefire ways to shake yourself into a new reality.  And, when you need an attitude adjustment, there’s nothing better.  Fast-acting too.

 

The ability to laugh doesn’t imply you’re  in the comedy business, or that you don’t take your business seriously. Everything is a matter of balance and perspective. And that’s where we get to choose our path.

 

Basically there are two types of people in this world. There are optimists and there are pessimists. There are realists as well, who actually play the middle ground, but to my way of thinking they’re basically pessimists who want to keep their options open.

 

We get to choose how we view our world every morning when we rise and, (sometimes) even shine.

 

Here’s what we know:

 

Optimists live longer (on average, by about 10 years), are healthier, more active, and happier in both their personal and professional lives. They’re more expansive, more empathetic, have more friends and better marriages.

 

In the workplace:

 

• Optimistic leaders and employees are more productive.
• Optimistic salespeople outperform pessimistic sales people.
• Optimistic leaders make better decisions.
• Optimists are better able to handle stress and challenges.
• Optimists are more resilient.
• Optimists are have a far higher EQ.
• Optimists are expansive:  they can see the ‘big picture’ with greater clarity.

 

Take all the attributes of the optimist, make them negatives, and there’s the pessimist for you.

 

Given all the benefits, it’s hard to imagine anyone leaning to the ‘dark’ pessimistic side.

 

Yet, sometimes are minds play tricks on us without us even realizing it. A full 98% of us fall victim to negative self-talk.  In business, we note that over 90% of people are more likely to leave negative reviews or make negative comments, rather than positive ones.  In our own lives we seem to think in extremes.  There’s good and there’s bad. White and black. True or false.  Tragedy and comedy. All or nothing. The fact remains that nothing in life is either good or bad.  Everything’s neutral and it’s only our perceptions that color our views.

 

The majority of us have the capacity to change our views and perspectives.  We’re fortunate. The pendulum swings both way for us, but luckily we have coping mechanisms.

 

We can laugh and bring sunshine or cry and bring rain. Those gifted with the ability to shine light on others are the ones and were the ones truly blessed.

 

We’re lucky and have much to be grateful for.

 

As long as we’re alive, we have a choice.

 

For my part, you can always find me where the sun shines.

 

“Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

–        Robin Williams as John Keating in Dead Poets Society