The Latest from Brad Montgomery
1. Win A Free Book! (And get your questions answered to boot!)
2. Want to Be Happy? Ask a Government Employee For Help.
3. The Frasier Rule of Comedy. (And Niles too.)
4. Cool links that will make you laugh.
Win a Free Book!
Here’s your chance to:
1. Win a Free Book.
2. Get your questions answered.
3. Be famous!
As many of you know, I’m blogging more than ever. And I’m always eager to make sure that what I cover on my blog is exactly what you find valuable (or fun.) I’ll be answer a limited number of questions on the blog, and the questions I actually use will earn their “asker” (is that a word?) a free copy of one of my electronic books. (Valued at $15 or more, depending on what I send.)
We won’t limit the number of winners… but we’ll only select great questions, so make ’em good.
Send your questions about:
1. Speaking
2. Humor (and comedy) Techniques
3. Stress and humor
4. Humor and the workplace
5. Comedy and Comedians
6. Magic and magicians
7. The business of speaking, comedy, etc
8. Other speakers, entertainers, etc
…. Whatever! There is no wrong question…. and if we pick yours you win a free book!
Answers AND prizes? How Cool is That?!
Send your questions to: info@bradmontgomery.com and put “I want to Win a FREE BOOK” in the subject line.
Note: If you want us to post your questions anonymously, no sweat. Just let us know.
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Wanna Be Happy? Make your Choice!
Do you want a good attitude? Want to enjoy your job more? Feel like you would love to be more content at home with your family?
Then here’s the good news, Pork-chop…. you can be. And the first step to making that happen is deciding that you WILL make it happen.
That’s right…. the first step to being happy, satisfied and content is to DECIDE that you will be happy, satisfied and content. Sure, we are all subject to outside influences, stresses and inputs. But one of the main contributors to being happy is the choice we make whether or not we will be happy.
It’s so simple. It’s nearly cliche’. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
How about a real-life example? Glad you asked. I recently got my drivers’ license replaced at the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles. This horrible place is known for bad service, miserable state government employees. Long lines. And general misery. Basically, I’d rather put a fork in my eye than have to go there in person.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong. My experience was terrific, and most of it was due to a lovely woman named Margie. After a surprisingly short wait, I gave my money and my paperwork to Margie, and she cheerfully helped me, made conversation, smiled, and was an absolute delight.
I told her that she was breaking all of my preconceptions about what this office was SUPPOSED to be like. And that she didn’t fit the terrible stereotype of a horrible, lazy, grumpy government worker. I asked her what her secret is.
“Oh, the job is what you make it.”
I was stunned. So simple. So profound. So right-on-target. Forget Ghandi. Forget Mother Teresa. I’m telling you one of the great philosophers of our time works in The Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles.
My point (and Margie’s) point is that sometimes we have to CHOOSE to make ourselves happy. We “make” our jobs either good or not, and the first step towards a fun job is our choice to make our job fun.
Sure, I know that this simple idea is almost too simple; it’s borderline platitudinous. (Oh! What a big word!) This is also an idea that is very simple, but not always easy. But, as I said before, that doesn’t make it any less true.
Learn from Margie…. if you want to be happy, content, satisfied, and generally positive then decide to be that way. You ARE in charge of your own happiness… and you don’t even need a license.
Frasier Rule of Comedy
When I’m giving my seminars on how to be funny, the number one problem my students have with presenting humor is the fear of failure. And who can blame them? It’s horrible to try something you think is funny and then have a group of people stare at you as though you are an idiot.
Well Fun Seekers, I might have some good news for you: when they stare at you with that blank look they might still be loving you and your humor or comedy. It might be time to remind yourself of the Frasier Rule.
Here’s the deal: I love the TV show Frasier. I will go out of my way to watch re-runs. I think it is a terrific, well-written REALLY funny show. But when I watch it I make my wife crazy because I don’t laugh. I sit still. I stare. I am silent. I don’t even smile.
But how can that be? I just told you I think the show is hysterical?
The answer is that I’m in that mode. I’m loving it. I’m engaged. I’m impressed. I’m appreciative. But I’m silent.
What does this point have to do with you? My point is that next time your audience is silent and staring at you, you might very well be bombing. But there is a better chance that you are not bombing, and that you are interesting, engaging, and amusing. You might even be hysterical.
Your audience might be watching your presentation the same way I am watching Frasier. (Ok, if you’re working a comedy club, you probably need to step up the laughs-per-minute. But all the same, a couple of jokes that get a poor reaction might still be worth keeping in if you consider this Rule.)
There are a million reasons why they might not be laughing… but are still enjoying the presentation. Everything from the room set-up to the time of day to how tired they are to what came before you and what is coming after you. It might have nothing to do with you… they might just be in their watching-TV-mode.
So instead of freaking out, worrying, and considering yourself a total flop, consider the Frasier Rule.
Get over the fear of failure. You’ll never succeed at humor if you let this fear hang you up. And I’m convinced that this Frasier Rule might help you to worry less, take more chances, and be more funny.
For all of the details of the Frasier Rule and a ton of other humor-technique secrets revealed, click here.
Other Resources
Looking for some fun, new music? Check out OK GO and their home-made-ish video here. I like the music, but I love the video. (It’s impossible not to smile and tap your toes while you watch.)
But OK GO gets better, because of all the kids that sent in “reply” videos. Check out this fun video sent in from a bunch of High School aged girls. I don’t know what is funnier… the original or this answer.
Check out these online magic tricks, optical illusions, jokes, and some really funny photos.
Looking to Book a Speaker and need some Valuable Tips? Click Here.
Humor Resources
Would you like to hear what happens behinds the scenes from two working comics? Like to hear what comedians talk about when they are together?
Then you’ll enjoy this audio
It’s available for instant download from Brad Montgomery and his corporate comedian pal David Glickman.
Are you a believer in the power of levity and lightheartedness and its ability to help your organization get to where it deserves to be? Are you having trouble convincing the masses? Give us a call. We can help. |
