Some people, like I did early in my career, spend too much time trying to be funny, or trying to be thought of as funny.
But thanks to the great Lee Abrams, I was able to get out of that ditch. Lee straightforwardly told me that when I tried to tell jokes, they fell a little flat. But if I was just myself funny things happened. He said “Don’t try to say funny things. Your strength is saying things funny.”
It totally changed my career, and I was able to tell Lee that years later. So…
Be genuine, instead of trying to be funny. Go for the Heart, and sharing an honest observation or feeling, instead of a punch line.
The odd thing is if you have the Heart, the humor comes anyway, naturally. But if you just try for Humor, it leaves the Heart out.
