Laugh your way to a Better Bottomline

She took over.  I never meant for it to happen.  One day, I was laughing and joking around and then I wasn’t.  It happened so gradually that I didn’t realize it for almost a month.  I reverted to “Serious Starla” who thinks much more than she feels.  It’s not a fun place for me.  I get so caught up in “stuff,” that I am impatient and disconnected.  Silliness, playfulness and fun are luxuries.  Instead it’s all about the to-do list. 

It’s paradoxical.  I think that I’m being more productive because I’m working so much and so hard, but it’s actually counter-productive. 

More work = No fun = More stress = Foggier thinking

Last night, my husband David resorted to desperate measures.  He pulled out some of our old pictures.  When you’ve been together as long as we have, there are some serious cring-worthy pictures.  Between cringing my former Italian unibrow and his gay (but not in a good way) wife beater t-shirts, I finally stopped long enough to laugh. 

One of my former bosses, Ken Barnes, used to say that people without a sense of humor aren’t that smart.  I couldn’t agree more, especially because of my own finely tuned sense of humor. 

When I go and get all serious on myself, there are 8 sure-fire ways to unleash the hilarity.  Let’s walk through them, just for my enjoyment, shall we? 

1. Watching stupid movies.  Classics include Spinal Tap, Naked Gun and anything with Will Farrell.
2. Picturing my mom getting pissed at a kid in the pool for splashing.  She dove under water and bit him in the leg.  Kid exiting the pool crying.  Absurd AND hilarious.
3. Remembering my poor jetlagged mom in the airport in the Caribbean.  The security guard points to the x-ray machine for her to put her purse on it.  She starts to climb up on it instead.  (Yes, I am getting back at her for many years of making fun of me). 
4. Watching anything with animals in them.  Bonus points if the animals are talking.
5. Training the dog to attack David’s eyebrows first thing in the morning.  Good dog with bad dog breath.  I’m a morning person - he’s not.  It never gets old.
6. Re-enacting my husband David flailing on roller blades, falling off the exercise ball or getting caught in the shrubs. 
7. Imagining how my mom, dad and I could manage to tie ourselves into a car (don’t ask - only the Sireno family). 
8. Picking up a copy of The Onion.  Headlines like “Owls are Assholes” give me material for months.

You might have noticed that laughter at someone else’s expense runs in the family.  It’s all fun and games until it’s my turn to be ridiculed.  It’s a small price to pay. 

Life doesn’t have to be so serious.  Try giving yourself enough space to laugh this week.  

Starla Presents at the YWSE Retreat

Young Women Social Entrepreneurs Annual Retreat: Bloom Where You’re Planted

Date: September 6-7, 2008
Location: Headlands Institute Conference Center, Sausalito

Starla presents Your Time in the Sun: Executive Presence for Everyone / Managing Impressions.

Branding isn’t just for the big guys like Nike and Coke. Who you are speaks louder than words. Join us and discover what your current brand is saying and how to develop a brand that will bring you to higher levels.

In this highly interactive workshop, you will uncover:

*What the “Likeability Factor” is and why it matters
*Tips on avoiding the most common networking and etiquette mistakes
*How to inspire confidence through how you look, what you say, and how you say it

No matter what business you are in, people don’t just buy what you’re selling, they also buy you!

Register online here.

YWSE Annual Retreat

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