In July I hope to celebrate my 87th birthday and have concluded that I have a great future behind me. 

The Benefits of Humor in Business and Leadership

Why should we all strive to add humor to our business management and leadership? First, people are more likely to listen to your words if they are entertaining and informative. Humor is the most unassuming, the least expensive, the most under-utilized tool in business, while being the most widespread, and the most shared denominator to multitudes of persons. And it’s sugarless and fat-free!

I would never dare appear at a team meeting or any assembly and not use humor. I dislike looking out into a crowd and seeing blank expressions. I know that humor is enjoyable, and I adore spotting people having a good time. When I see folks having fun, nodding their heads and smiling, I know I am getting my point across. Except for the ones who are angry that I don’t take most matters seriously enough.

As an English teacher in high school, I found it difficult to continue my lessons without the kids breaking up with laughter. It enabled me know they were listening, loving, and learning. Their parents adored me because their children did, and as a result, valued education more. For trades people, promotional and marketing people, humor is the central skill in attaining triumph. Unless your boss is manic depressive. Then, Watch out!

Fun Sells

 Observe advertisements on TV and YouTube. Witness how humor is used in almost every case to grab the public’s attention and keep it. Whenever I appear in front of a large group, and only one or two people are laughing, I say, “Would the two of you run around the room while you are laughing, so it sounds like a crowd?”    

Fun sells. Ask people what makes them laugh. They love to tell you, and they smile as they are doing it. People remember things through associations, and anybody who has a conversation, a sales pitch, a lesson, or at a get-together, will always have a story to tell. Especially the one I voice about how I got arrested for over-aged drinking.

People will remember what you are saying since they associate the point with the experience. Humor is an experience. Humor has power. It’s natural and cheap. It builds professional relationships. Be funny—make money. So why am I so broke most of the time?

Fun at Work

If you look at the people who are making it in today’s business climate, they are playful and having fun. Humor is likely to be a part of their work style and corporate culture. Recent studies show that a sense of humor is the most dependable characteristic among executives supported in major companies; and those leaders who show a sense of humor advance quicker and further. Until, of course, they decide to quit their jobs to become stand up comedians.

People who laugh with you will never forget you.  Humor is the great shared grease. People will want to do business with you because you are fun. If you can process the influence of humor, you will be loved, valued, listened to, and reminisced. But not so with your school educators who suffered your antics.

FEAR

Why is it that people know the power of humor and fun, but it’s still not used to its full benefit? Fear! There is the dread that we might not be taken seriously. (Boy, do I know that one!) I’ve had people in my workshops tell me that if they were to apply my suggestions, they would be laughing all the way to the unemployment office, or if not, at least to an isolated accommodation.  

Of course, there are some people who are put off by the light-hearted. I once had a colleague at work complain to me, “I can’t pin you down. I don’t know when your joking and when you’re being serious. “I’m both, Esther. Seek help,” was my curt reply. (We’re still friends. Take it easy). 

I offer you this creepy advice to dive in to the world of funny: 

1. Take risks. Don’t play it safe. Do something scary every day.
2. Make mistakes. Don’t try to avoid them.
3. Take initiative. Don’t wait for instructions.
4. Stay calm.
5. Smile and laugh a lot.
6. Have fun.
7. “Stay Foolish”.

I would love to hear from you and your experiences using the tips I have laid out. Keep in touch.

If you would like to book an entertaining, London inspirational speaker for your next affair, or would prefer private sessions please contact: www.lennyravich.org

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 I will be 87 in July. Last week, I got on a bus and a lovely woman smiled at me. I smiled back. She got up and walked toward me as my heart beat out of my chest. “Would you like to sit down, sir? You can have my seat.”  Well, what did you expect? I was pregnant at the time.   

 Adding Humor to Keynotes

 I have had professionals ask me, “Can you give me some tips on how to use humor in my keynote speeches?” My answer is that there is no formula or solution. Humor is a process to be practiced.

Perhaps you have heard the story of young boy who gets lost in Manhattan. He asked an elderly gentleman, “Sir, can you tell me how I can get to Carnegie Hall?” The older man’s answer is, “Practice, my son. Lots of practice.”

I have traveled this road all my life, taken the blows, and kept walking. I can only encourage you to take that first step. I may be able to give you a few tips, but the hunting will have to be done by you.

People Love “Acted Out” Stories

When I speak I offer my audiences images, metaphors and stories. I act them out. That’s the entertainment element. I talk about how my school administrators recommended that I be referred to a special education class when I was twelve. I was diagnosed as being overly joyous. I used to eat make believe peanut butter and cracker sandwiches during lessons to the delight of my classmates.  As I retell this vignette, I pantomime eating. M-mm. Delicious. It has a hypnotic effect. Though it didn’t work that way for my teachers! 

 I talk about my mother’s sense of humor and how it was passed on to me. She ate garlic every night before bed. (One night she forgot and HERE I AM!  But I digress).  “Mom, why do you eat garlic at night?” She explained, “If the angel of death comes, I’ll wake up and ask, “Whooooooo is it?”

A message is more readily received with a representation. I stand on stage as if holding a bowling ball. I pantomime throwing it with much concentration so as to knock down as many pins as possible. BUT! The bowling ball is headed toward the gutter. I demonstrate my dismay by trying to control the ball by making absurd faces and contorting my body to get it back on track.  I turn to the spectators and ask, “Is that familiar in your life? Is that how you want to live?” One picture and my message is predictable, most often with smiles. Now I can proceed to the narrative as to how this has happened in my life and how I overcame it. Can you think of an image you could use to enhance your meaning? Entertain them and they will remember.

The Ego

I am aware of my constant struggle with my ego. My show could be a great hit on any given night. However, if one person in the audience yawns or doesn’t laugh, I go into a fit. I’m attached to the unattainable belief that everyone must like me.

A man approached me in the supermarket to tell me how much he enjoyed my show. Instead of thanking him, I asked, “Was that the Thursday night or the Saturday night show?”            

Am I neurotic, overly sensitive, or manic-depressive? Maybe all three. Nobody says I have to be perfect. When I realize that I’m asking for the impossible I gently deal with this by joking and laughing at myself. 

Laughing at Myself

Making fun of ourselves does not belittle us. The opposite is true. It makes us stronger. Teaching an audience to laugh at themselves is a healing process.

I was arrested and spent some time in police detention for a mistake that I will talk about in another blog. I wrote to my wife, “You must be all worn out worrying about me. Perhaps we could trade places for a little while so that you could get some rest.” She didn’t think that was funny.

The night before his demise an inmate wrote, “The food in the Nazi death camp is really insufficient; but then again, I don’t think it is their intention to try and fatten us up. “Self-Humor has even eased the tragedy of facing death.      

A woman came up to me before my keynote presentation in London and said, “I came to laugh. It’s been a long time.” I asked her why the lengthy wait and her straight forward answer was: “I lost my son in a traffic accident. I’ve suffered enough. I’ve come here to return to life.”

With a humorous keynote speech, you have a mission. I invite you to recall a real-life situation, sit down and write an image with a funny script describing your most agonizing moments. Your listeners want to identify. But You don’t have to be amusing unless you want to be invited back.  

That’s the best I can offer at this point. 

If would like to invite a humorous keynote speaker to your event, contact www.lennyravich.org. Also for private coaching sessions. 

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I’m 86 going on 87 in July and at my age just finding a place to sit is much preferred to an evening of romance.  

In my previous blog I wrote about the Master public speaker. Now we get to the most commanding figure of them all: 

The Keynote Speaker as Wizard

This Sorcerer is not a designated card, but is out of the game. It requires playing or not playing the game of life as a choice. 

 Achieving the status of wizard is the ultimate in creating any reality I desire depending on my attitude and response to the cards I am dealt; transforming split seconds of pain, agony and tragedy into moments of triumph, laughter and compassion. This honor also comes with taking the responsibility of confronting myself as the main protagonist and antagonist in my life’s drama. Except for my panic attacks when I lose my internet connection.

It’s all a game

I am not a magician. The magician only knows tricks accomplished with sleight of hand, but I have developed the uncanny perception affording me to see all reality as just a game to be played out and not something to be involved in and/or, God forbid, to be taken seriously. 

I play just to play and not to win or lose and look at experiences such as winning and losing, fame and shame, success and failure, pleasure and pain, and rich and poor, up and down, love or hate, life and death- all as the same inclination and just part of the ride. Excluding my hysteria when my wife enters my computer room unannounced. 

 This power to detach from reality and look at life as a high-valued comedy has won me the privilege to be the controller of all responses, reactions, feelings, moods and outcomes. I see life as pure entertainment. But not when my kids ask me for money.

The Wizard Speaker

I became a wizard speaker; This clout came to me only when I finally accepted the fact that every person in the audience, and any and every person on earth for that matter, was me in drag. That is why I have never blamed spectators nor any individual for not being accepting or responsive. It’s all me. They are the mirror of my soul. And so are you, dear reader. There is no such thing as separation. Separation is an illusion Everything in the universe is interrelated with everything else. There is no flower without a bee and no bee without a flower. All that we do and think is immediately impacted on the cosmos and has an effect on everything and everyone. I must be careful what I say, think, feel and do. It all goes around and comes back. Especially when I have to wake up a number of times at night to pee. An enlarged prostate is a joy forever!

When I realized that what I was witnessing was the result of my own projections, I decided to accept that part of me that I was foretelling onto the audience, acknowledging it as another discovery about myself that would advance my ability to love that very same shadow part in me that I was projecting onto other people, and to love those whom I had allowed previously to threaten me. As a result, I have found my way into as many hearts as possible. By choosing to love the people I had once feared has afforded me new friends and by the end of an hour’s talk, I could take them and myself to unbelievable heights. But not if they owed me money! 

Connection

The reason that people come to hear any speaker is connection. They want to be loved and to love. They want to be spoken to on an eye to eye level and will eat you alive if you come on as patronizing. I have to show my own vulnerability, pain and shortcomings in order to bond. Audiences find it difficult to get close to a person who tries to be perfect.  Every lecture and every interaction becomes a life lesson. Particularly when my cat needs my attention during a Zoom conference call.

 I have to accept the responsibility of making this day better than yesterday and making the world a better place at each opportunity. If what you think I am doing on these pages is bragging, then know this… If I do not accept my powers, I cannot teach others to accept theirs and would not even be blessed to write this article.

To have a positive effect, I must imagine it in my mind’s eye. Prior to every performance and every workshop, I say silently to myself, “This is going to be the best I’ve ever done. What will I learn from this?” I am not attached to the result. Apart from when I’m in a traffic jam and running late. 

 I had to surrender my control to a higher authority. I just buckle my seat belt, live with tremendous excitement and anticipation, and allow the journey to run its “planned by-the-higher-power” course. I relax into it, surrender to where I’m taken. Mainly when my accountant calls to tell me that I’m late in tax payments.

 I am honored and privileged to stand before any audience of any size and try to provide whatever it is that they need. It’s not about me. Most of all, I feel blessed to be in the service and in the presence of God.  So why not craft love, passion, happiness, joy, wealth, good health, well-being, compassion, peace of mind and fabulous relationships every moment? But not when somebody cuts me off in traffic. The SOB!

I practice happiness by experiencing all emotions without judgmental narratives. The wizard has no excuses nor expectations. But they should have paid me on time!  

I carry love and joy in my heart. All the rest is bullshit. 

If your aim is to become a wizard, please be kind.  

If you would like to book a humorous wizard-speaker for your next event or prefer personal coaching, contact www.lennyravich.org

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 Since I will be 87 in July I have to take lots of pills. And whenever my doctor gives me a prescription I immediately read the side effects.  The list consists of nausea, constipation and worst of all I have to stop nursing my babies.                           

I’d like to walk with you through the stages of a public speaker’s journey. I use the metaphor of a deck of cards since that is how I experienced my passage. 

Deuce to Ten

I started out with card numbers two to ten which have little or no power. Seasoned poker players seldom make bets on cards of this type. Being a 2 to 10 is when I am making calls and requesting the privilege of speaking before a group and am asked, “Who are you? Why should I hire you to speak before my team?” A good question for which my elevator speech draws an astounding blank. 

I start to perform toll-free or for a nominal fee just to get a name or some exposure, and take the blows and survive the cuts. It’s painful coupled with the feeling of ineffectiveness.   Okay so I finally get hired, perform, and watch people walk out, talk to each other or on their cell phones and fall asleep during my talks. I suffer the humiliation at the meeting planners chagrin and feel like crap, and ask myself, “What went wrong? I’m a loser. Do I kill myself or look for a job at the post office?” (Of which the first option seems the better of the two). Then I go back to the drawing board, make corrections and revisions, lick my wounds and try again.

The Jack

 Failure for a professional at numbers two to ten in a deck of cards becomes nothing more than feedback from the universe. If I continue to get thrown out, land on the sidewalk, get up, brush off the dust and keep moving and if don’t whine and cry and give up I might reach the status of “Jack.”

When my son Natti started out in his career as an actor, I asked him to please fail. “Why fail? Am I not supposed to succeed?”” he asked. “You will succeed but to be a true artist, you must get over the fear of failure, and the only way to do that is to fail on purpose and realize that it’s not the end of the world.  Don’t play it safe. That’s the sure road to mediocrity.” He did it and we now joke as we reminisce. 

King and Queen

Even as the Jack I am only allowed entrance to the King’s and Queen’s court on condition. Now people are asking for my business card and taking me a bit more seriously. I currently have the opportunity to perfect my art and craft and gain the power of a Queen and King.

Being King and Queen is cool. It means I am getting a credible name in the marketplace. I’m starting to know my stuff, learn from the successful dominators, read books, attend workshops, and get mentored. Now I’m gaining confidence. People begin looking to me for inspiration and knowledge, and I become quite full of myself. But, as the King I am stuck in my ego. The King, as experienced and as erudite as he is, is not the top of the ladder.

The Ace

Suddenly, as I start to perfect my supremacy, read more, study with the best, I realize that there is a character even more influential than the King and that is THE ACE.

 As the ace I feel empowered and go around trying to impress people with my flair and pomp. I begin to get high on my own supply as a “TOP GUN”. Lots of admiration as well as jealousy are heaped on. I stay in focus, realizing that it’s not about me but rather the giving of value to others and offering to teach and to inspire and coach beginners. Becoming an ACE is reaching a plateau. This status is most difficult to reach and the most practiced specialists fail to get out of this peg. 

The Joker is Wild

However, there is one echelon even above the Ace and that is reserved for the very few. This one who knows that dying is easy and comedy is hard is the “THE JOKER”. The joker is wild and can get away with just about anything even poking fun at the King. The Ace is impotent around the Joker. As a matter of fact, The Joker’s task in life is to make fun of the King in order to keep him out of his ego and, as a result the joker becomes a more dominant figure. I relate this figure to Steve Jobs’ discourse to the graduating class of Stanford University in 2005. His final sentence was, “Stay Foolish.”

As a JOKER, everything I do is accepted as “Oh, he’s just being the Joker and ‘the Joker is wild’.” This journey has afforded me the privilege of being a Funny, inspiring Keynote Speaker in London  

The person coming up from the ranks from the deuce to the Ace could never get away with the antics of the Joker. But even this achievement is not the end of the ride.

 A good speaker will impress you. A great speaker influences your life. A MASTER speaker changes your life forever which I will discuss in my next blog.

If you would like to book a humorous, inspirational keynote speaker for your next event or prefer a private session, contact: www.lennyravich.org

The post The Joker is Wild appeared first on Lenny Ravich.

My parents came to the USA from Russia before The Great Depression. As a child, whenever I wanted to buy something my mother would say in Yiddish, “Daft Nisht. Tzee Fil” which translated means, “You don’t need it. It’s too expensive.” She would also exclaim, “Eat your sandwich over the sink so crumbs won’t drop on the floor,” adding “and take that shirt off before you eat. I like that shirt and you always drop food all over it.” Then I got married and my wife keeps saying the exact same things. Did I marry my mother, or what?

So let’s talk about your prepared performance. Again, I can’t teach you how to present. I can only tell you how I do it and you take it from there.

Show Time

 I’m backstage ready to go on. I take three deep breaths and say, as I inhale, “I’m here” and on the exhale. “Now.” I’m “here, now” grounds me to the present moment and I begin to notice what I’m feeling. “Anxiety”? No. Let’s change that to “excitement”. I’m excited to be here now. I ask God, “Are you with me?” She answers, “Always. Just get out of the way and let ME take over” as the sponsor reads the very short introduction that I had mailed her previously. “…And Lenny is here today to offer us the choice to dance life or to drag it. Let’s have a nice round of applause….”

On Stage

So now I’m out there and take a few moments to look over the crowd, take another deep breath and fall in love with all the faces looking up at me. Yes, you read that correctly. I fall purposely in love. There’s a good chance they will feel it and respond in kind.

Reality is Projection

It wasn’t always like that. Some psychologist once said, “Everything is projection.” So even if my audience is having a great time, my eyes inevitably fall and stay on the ones who seem not to be entertained or pleased. (Is that my “I’m not good enough” jingle playing its familiar tune?) But one day I learned my lesson.  

It was an afternoon performance for retired doctors and most were amused, laughing and learning when I noticed this one guy sitting with his arms and legs crossed and had a look on his face that would make a lemon cringe with envy. I was visibly upset. He came back stage with a gaze that could kill a vampire. I waited for the “Will Smith” slap across my face, but instead he just looked me straight in the eye and mumbled, “I enjoyed your talk very much. Thank you.” Thanks to YOU, sir wherever you may be. True: Not everyone has to love me. What I project I inject.

Back at the Ranch

“Nice to be here in London again. How are you? This July I hope to celebrate my 87th birthday. (Applause) Thanks. It’s nice to get applause just for staying alive.” (Laughter) “This last December my wife and I rejoiced our 57th wedding anniversary. (Applause) Would you like to know how our marriage has lasted so long? It’s that most amazing emotion in the world. Fear. (Laughter) She’s afraid to live alone and I’m afraid of her” (laughter and applause). 

We are not just speaker and audience anymore. We are friends. Get someone laughing and applauding and poof! She’s your buddy now. Then the stories, the metaphors, the jokes and the learning that they will play forward and long remember. 

Wrapping up

“And before I go, I’m going to thank you all for your time, attention and love. And then, I invite you to give me a standing ovation, with whistles and screams, and sing to me, ‘That’s the way, uh huh, uh huh I like it, uh huh uh huh.’ (Laughter) “You see, in a few minutes I’m going to call my wife and she’s going to ask me how my keynote was in London. And I’m going to tell her (acted out on phone) ‘Darling. You won’t believe this. At the end of my talk, everyone gave me a standing ovation and sang to me ‘That’s the way uh huh uh huh I like it a huh a huh a huh.’ I put imaginary phone away, look straight at the joyful grins and add, “And I don’t want to lie to her. So try not to embarrass me. Thank you.” Bingo! How do you think that event ended?

I hope this has stimulated you in performing your next show. If you need some “one on one” guidance you can reach me at www.lennyravich.org. Or maybe you need a funny, motivational keynote speaker for your next event.

Let me know how it’s going for you.    

The post It’s Performance Time appeared first on Lenny Ravich.

I will (If God be willing) celebrate my 87th birthday in July. When you get to be my age you take a lot of pills. A lot of them. I always read the side effects of each prescription my doctors give me and in all of them awful things can result. Worst of all I’ll have to give up nursing my babies.

If They’re Not Laughing, They’re Not Listening 

When I stand in front of an audience my “muse” tells me, “If they’re not laughing or at least smiling, they’re not listening”.  This has left me with no other option. I have to be funny. It’s a life or death situation. When I am existentially threatened you can believe me, I have to find a solution or die. I don’t remember who said this: “Death is easy. Comedy is hard.”  Whoever came up with this sentence, bless her or his heart. I want to get my message across and to do this I must be outstandingly funny or somebody else will.

How I Do It

This is how I do it. Read the second paragraph of this article. See what I did? I took a real issue in my life and bent it out of shape a bit to get a beam from you. If you’re still reading this, you must be smiling. Am I right?

That’s how I start my talks. I find something about myself and go off the edge with it. Example: “According to statistics a male child born in the USA has a life expectancy of 74.5 years on average. Since I will be 87 in July, I hope you don’t mind if I rush through my presentation to make sure I get to the end. (Pause) Before the end gets to me.” (laughter) This establishes, “this guy is fun and his talk is going to be enjoyable. I’m in for the long haul and I don’t care if I have to use the toilet.”   

Tell a Story. Act it out

I get them amused right from the get go. I then tell a story (acted out) to relate my message: “At the Age of Eleven My Mother Changed My Life with One Sentence.” Are you still reading this? Of course you are. Here is a shortened version:

When I was in 6th grade I was put into a special education class, known to my friends as “the dummy class.” I was considered to be “disturbed” I’m still “uneasy.” What is the difference between a troubled child and a disturbed adult?   One gets humiliated and the other makes tons of money. 

I had trouble concentrating on the lessons and would draw pictures of war all day.  War has sounds as well as colors, so as I sketched I unconsciously added, “Boom! Eayawe” Crush! Ping, ping.” I looked up and the class was laughing. I thought to myself, “This is why I came into this world. Laughter!” But there was one person in class who didn’t agree that I would get more attention than she. Right. The teacher. She put my chair with my back against the wall and I was isolated from the class. So I started pantomiming eating peanut butter and cracker sandwiches. (Acted out, of course). My mother was invited to school to discuss my behavior at least once a week. It was decided that I would see a guidance counselor. A guidance counselor is a person who used to be a teacher but decided not to work anymore. He would call me “God”. Whenever I came to his office he would exclaim, “God, it’s you again!” 

And, of course, my mother was requested to come to discuss my situation.

The last day of school I received my report card. I failed everything. Everything accept physical education class where all I had to do was show up and take a shower. I felt dejected and guilty as my mother asked to see my grades. I hesitatingly handed them over to her and after one glance she blurted, “This report card belongs to ME. I’m in school more than YOU!”  With that one sentence we both laughed and bonded. The laughter was so pure, so loving and the closest thing to a prayer.

What I Learned

I learned that one day and that one sentence to remember to laugh at myself and never to take things too seriously. I have taken her gift and have played it forward to the world.  I offer it to you. Can you learn to laugh in the midst of anxiety and stress? 

Do you see how I prepare a humorous and inspirational speech? Take a true story, add a bit of wit and entertain your audience with a powerful message. This is how I became the funny, inspiration speaker in London.

To book an amusing, motivational speaker for your next event or to “rap” with me personally refer to www.lennyravich.org

Let me know how it’s working out for you.       

The post Here’s How I Prepare for a Humorous Speech appeared first on Lenny Ravich.

I will celebrate (I hope) my 87th birthday in July. I’ve noticed that the older I become, the more respect and attention gets thrust upon me. People all around are asking if they can help me with my suitcases and constantly inquiring if I’m alright. I had to wait to get old to get recognized. If I had known this before, I would have chosen to be born old rather than waiting so long for these privileges.

This January, 2023, I gave a talk for The Professional Speakers’ Association of India (PSAI) in Chennai titled, “You Don’t Have to Be Entertaining Unless you want to Get Paid”. It went over amazingly. I believe that speaking to any group of people (and I think most of you do) you must entertain your audience because when they are entertained they are engaged and when they are engaged they are absorbing your message easily.

Be Funny. Make Money

Now, in this article, I would like to talk to you about engaging your audience by being funnier. That does not mean I am going to teach you to be funny. I can’t do that, but what I will do is explain how I use humor to keep the spectators’ attention with the hope that I can help you raise your awareness on how to use your own natural humor to achieve success and get more gigs and a higher fee. That’s the bottom line, right?

Reality Doesn’t Care How You Feel

First of all, I use lots of metaphors to communicate my meaning since most people think in pictures. For example, I use the image for bowling to make my argument. I actually act out a person throwing the bowling ball down the aisle at the pins and crouching over in pain trying to get the bowling ball back on target as it heads straight to the gutter after having left her hands. My message is, “reality doesn’t care about what you want or how you react” and the listeners are involved as they watch it unfold in mime. Point made! Plus, some laughter and smiles. Acting out a scene usually attains this.    

Laughing at Ourselves

Secondly, I find flaws in my own character and joke about them since that will bring audiences closer to me. They usually identify with their own bloopers when I tell them my experience as a TV announcer and forgetting my name while on a live TV broadcast. My last name is Ravich and I was known as Mr. Garbage, or Rubbish for the rest of the season and I chose another name and forgot to remember. And, of course, most people recognize what it’s like to be humiliated, thus many grins and much merriment when you admit yours. 

Everyone Loves  Story

Thirdly, everyone loves a story; especially making it a funny one that delivers your delight straight to the heart.

My son Deron stole my car when he was only 14 years old. I was not surprised since I had stolen my father’s car and I’m sure my father had stolen his father’s horse. Family tradition, you might say. I’m not proud to say that all I could afford then was a twelve-year-old, beat up Ford. One night I fell asleep and he grabbed the keys and began joy riding around town with his friends.  Then they came to a police barrier and they waved him to stop. His friends urged him, “Deron, you have no driver’s license. Press the peddle to the metal and escape!” Of course the police gave chase and he was handcuffed and taken to detention. I was called and told my son was behind bars. I rushed to the jail house and watched him, dejected and depressed. I looked straight at him and whispered, “Deron! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Who gives a car chase in a broken down 12-year-old Ford? Don’t come home until you’ve at least stolen a brand new Mercedes!” 

We both had a good laugh and bonded.

I must stress: Your stories must be acted out as well as told.

During my humorous keynote speeches in London I let my audiences ponder: Always remember to laugh at yourself. It’s pure, healthy and the closest thing to a prayer.

So if you are looking to book a Humorous, Inspirational Speaker for your next event contact www.lennyravich.org. Use the same address if you are ready to brainstorm with me personally.

Good Luck

The post You Don’t Have to Be Funny Unless You Want to Get Paid appeared first on Lenny Ravich.

When I went for my angioplasty procedure last year, I gave the cardiologist a copy of my book. “I would like to autograph it for you,” I smiled. “After the surgery,” he calmly replied. “If there IS an afterword,” I joked. He smiled with surprise, “So you’re the famous optimist?”

Where is the Humor?

If you look for the humor in everyday things, you’ll cause a lot of people to be happy. As a result, they’ll want to be around you.

I believe that seeing the funny stuff in life keeps us smiling and is a powerful survival mechanism. Too many people focus on the negative, and ouch! That can hurt.  Negative thoughts attack every cell in your body. On the other hand, positive thoughts have a healing effect.

 Another Shitty Day in Paradise

One day my wife came into my computer room to tell me of all the catastrophes that are happening in our lives. “They’re building those cellular antennas that cause cancer right next to our window, the washing machine doesn’t work, my brother hasn’t worked in six months, etc.”

Then she says, “Why don’t you react? I’m talking to you! See, you don’t listen!” I did react by telling her not to forget to add to her list that the filling in my tooth had also fallen out the day before.

Usually, when a person plugs my ear with all their woes and all the anguish and suffering of the world, I have a mechanism that blocks out and selects what material to let in lest I get poisoned.  This time, for whatever reason, I forgot to put up my firewall, bullshit detector and I got the maximum shot of venom. It felt awful, like I had swallowed a bottle of engine oil.

Thank You for the Poison

Later that afternoon we went out for our daily walk and I thanked her. “For what?” she asked. “For giving me the opportunity to allow toxins into my system,” I responded sincerely. “I can now appreciate how most of the people in this world live on a daily basis.”

If we start concentrating on what’s amusing in our lives, we would probably smile and laugh more, feel better and healthier, plus it would give us something to amuse our family and friends.

If we could create, from frustrating circumstances comical ones, we may actually lower tension. In other words, we have the power to shift our mood and influence our health. All we have to do is remember to “find the funny”.

Howie Mandel earns lots of dollars poking fun at his obsessive-compulsive disorder and hair loss. See, if you get good enough at it you could build a fortune by creating shitty days in paradise and marketing them.

 Creating a Funny Response

Just the other day I hailed a taxi in Tel Aviv. I got in, sat down and asked the driver to take me to Ben Yehuda Street. The driver, without hesitation said, “I was not thinking of going that way.”

Now this is a moment I couldn’t resist, so I responded, “Where would you like to go?” He said that he lives in Ramat Gann and was on his way home and had hoped that I would request that he take me in that direction. “Okay”, I responded, “take me to Ramat Gann.”  He stared at me wide-eyed in the mirror and inquired, “What are you going to do in Ramat Gann?” I answered, “I don’t know yet, but that’s where you want to go, right?”

I told him that this was the first time in my life that I had gotten into a cab and the driver told me where he wanted to go rather than the other way around. We both had a good laugh and he drove me to Ben Yehuda.

Can you imagine what might have proceeded had I been looking for the negative? “What chutzpah! A driver telling me where he wanted to go rather than respecting me? On what planet are we living?”…etc. You get the point? More poison and another chance for a shitty day in paradise.

I was facilitating Humorous, optimistic keynotes in London and Hong Kong. I missed home, and I missed myself. (You can’t make this stuff up): I called home to leave myself a message (this was the era before cellular phones) telling me that I missed myself. I couldn’t wait to come home to listen to the message over and over again.

So look for the foolishness or make it up. It’s all there for you like low-hanging fruit. Or have another shitty day in paradise. Your call.

www.lennyravich.org

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The Actor as a Young, Young man

When I was in my early twenties I lived in Greenwich Village in New York City. I was a budding Shakespearean Actor. I needed to have a day job for when I wasn’t working in the theater, (which was all the time) and I noticed an ad from the New York City Board of Education seeking qualified substitute teachers for junior high and high schools. Since I had a BA in English Literature, I took a battery of tests and succeeded in receiving my substitute English teacher’s license. This gift came with a challenge: I was called to teach everything BUT English. I substituted for a sewing class, gym classes and even taught French. But this was a perfect gig since I could always refuse a request to substitute if I had an audition that day or, most unlikely, a rehearsal. On the days that I was free, well the pay was quite handsome.

Fake it till you make it

One day I was called and asked to sub for an 8th-grade math class. The regular teacher had broken her leg in a skiing accident and would be laid up for six weeks. I hadn’t the slightest idea how to teach math for even an hour, and here I went and committed to doing it for six weeks. Definition of “Chutzpah”, anyone?

I spent almost every day of those six weeks in a constant state of humiliation. If you’re going to fake it, be ready to face the consequences.

Life and the Art of Improvisation

No matter how you perceive it, life is one huge, ongoing improvisation.  None of us gets an orientation manual when we’re born. There is no one to direct us on how to handle every single situation that might cross our path throughout our lifetime. Therefore, we are all improvisational actors whether we want to be or not.

One of my students, William (bless his heart) caught me “faking it” for about the 22nd time. I immediately went into improve mode, handed him the chalk and challenged him to teach the class himself, “smarty pants!” To my astonishment, he agreed. He proceeded to give a fabulous math lesson. I understood nothing, but the kids were inspired. Before the closing bell, I asked if someone else might be interested in teaching the next day’s lesson. Over twenty hands flew up and I gave the assignment to another mini genius.

Since my challenge to William turned out to be a blessing in disguise, I promised the class that I would continue this process on a daily basis as long as they behaved. Without a moment’s hesitation all the students agreed to abide by my terms. I even assigned the best achieving student to design, correct and grade the weekly quizzes.  I would sit in the back and try my best, to no avail, to decipher their explanations and formulas. They had no idea of my total bewilderment.

Whenever they got stuck and turned to me for help, my answer to them was a very confident, “I’m sorry, but if I help you I’m afraid you’ll become dependent on me. A good teacher challenges students and never offer answers.” That seemed to have worked because they became as busy as ants while sat down to resume reading my “MAD MAGAZINE” comic books.

My dear mentor Thiagi taught us this method which he labeled, “Have the inmates run the asylum.”

Gestalt therapists call this “creative adjustment.” Some people call it “lying and cheating”. I call it “the art of improvisation”.

I am always ready to invite someone from the audience to improvise with me during my Funny, Motivational Keynotes in Hong Kong and London.

Let’s begin living life in the here and now, without an agenda, while making others look good; just like the best improvisational artists do.

The ball is in your court. Smile and enjoy the show.

www. Lennyravich.org

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I would like to talk about the vital importance of humor and laughter in our daily lives. I actually have more questions than answers, so perhaps we might open a dialogue.  I would love to hear from you.

Educating the Heart as Well as the Mind

Unfortunately, in some cases, the moment children enter school they leave their joy, playfulness, curiosity and creativity at the door. Some schools rarely accept behavior they find hard to control. Laughing, joking and playing in class are usually considered disruptive. Rather than making educational changes to fit the child, some schools try to make the child fit the system. Is it possible that new illnesses have recently arisen in order to label children (ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) so that the authorities might drug students to keep them in line? I don’t have the answer.

Schools mainly teach to the intellect while neglecting the heart through games, creativity and play. Could this be the best way to learn? The body remembers what the mind has long ago forgotten.

Is it possible that as we move away from that part of ourselves where joy flows freely we witness the phenomenon in our societies such as depression, loneliness, drug overdoses and a suicide among our youth that has never known such high dimensions? Again, I can only ask.

The Inner Child

Once we take back the permission to play, sing, dance and laugh, creativity flows spontaneously. Childlike curiosity and a sense of wonder abounds. All we need as adults is the permission.  There must be a way to recapture this amazing gift that we were given at birth. Steve Jobs’ last words to the graduating class at Stanford University in 2005 were: “Stay Foolish.” Great advice from the genius of our century.

In my 86-year life journey I can, with confidence, say that humor, laughter and creativity have been a survival kit in my 56-year marriage, raising children and my career as a humorist motivational speaker in Hong Kong and London.

Find the Funny

I was fortunate enough to begin seeing life as entertainment and looking for she funny things and the paradoxes at a very early age. This has saved me and kept me relatively sane and healthy. Humor is an attitude that must be developed over time and practiced. Once we adapt this approach, the funny things start to appear. An example of this was when I entered a coffee shop, sat down, and a waitress approached me and exclaimed: “Sir, you can’t sit here. This table is reserved for the manager.” Having developed a light approach to life I answered with a smile, “So that means I’m the manager. You’re fired.” She laughed and took my order. This method is like a muscle that must be exercised on a daily basis. However, it is essential to keep our responses respectful and avoid offending.

Humor is Innate

Everyone has a sense of humor. Some are more developed than others. Humor and laughter are survival tools that we were born with. Some families and schools encourage it and some suppress it. But the good news is you can be retaught and given permission.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Humor and playfulness are double edged swords. They can be used to rebuild what is broken, and on the other hand, to shame and destroy. Many hospitals in the west use medical clowns together with conventional medicine as a healing device. In psychotherapy we label it “Compassionate Humor.” When used to connect during the right circumstances it can soothe and prompt empathy. Many therapists agree that when their clients begin to learn to laugh at themselves they just might be on their way to healing.

It is slowly becoming more familiar that doctors and mental health professionals reveal their human side. However, there are some who indulge in “Professionalism Signaling” and over seriousness which could be masks that evade authentic contact.

I was a Gestalt therapist for 28 years. I loved the relational aspects of it.  Gestalt therapy is experiential. Creativity, playfulness, laughter and humor are part of the investigation when the situation calls for it. It has aided me in becoming one of the best inpirational speakers in Hong Kong and London.

 Loss, Grief and Humor

Physical and emotional pain are the foreground while humor is in the background. Grief does not eliminate playfulness and laughter even during dark times. Crying and laughter are both alike as cathartic releases, although some people have been taught that laughter is unacceptable during moments of duress and crises. Nonsense! In some instances, it can help relieve our suffering, even momentarily.

The Price of Taking Ourselves Seriously

I studied Laughter Yoga with Steve Wilson of the “World Laughter Tour”. I also belong to an organization called Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor”.  I have facilitated workshops and given keynotes there as well as in Hong Kong and London.  Seriousness is a disease (DIS-EASE). The worse thing we can do is take ourselves seriously. (I used to take myself seriously until I realized that no one else did.) Healthy Humor breaks down barriers, promotes healing, emphasizes optimism and encourages vigorous contact

Everlasting Optimism

I was a terrible pupil in school. During 7^th 8^th grades I was placed in a special education class for being “Overly Joyous”. My mother was called to school almost on a weekly basis to discuss my behavior. When I brought home my atrocious report card, my mother took one look and said, “I deserve this report card. I’m in school more than you!” With that she released me from the bondage of a distorted world reality and instead, skilled me in the view that there are more important things in life: Humor, laughter, and finding the funny.

May I challenge you, dear reader, to step off the stage of your drama, take seat in the third row, order some popcorn and witness your life as showbiz? Enjoy the spectacle. And Smile.

Lenny.ravich.org

Lenny.ravich@gmail.com

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