The Art of Silliness

What ever happened to the Art of Silliness? And yes, I say art because silliness provides the way to see possibilities without limiting ourselves, to learn without fear of failure, and to not take ourselves or our surroundings too seriously. Silliness allows us to detach from life’s stresses, laugh, and be creative. Aren’t these the exact qualities companies are trying to foster in their staffs? And yet they try to do this and be serious about it at the same time. How silly!

Even though I like to joke and laugh, I often take myself too seriously. I have often worried about what others may think if I didn’t do something perfectly. I have fretted over whether a letter looked better in Times New Roman or Arial font. And God forbid somebody notices the fact I often end a sentence with a preposition! My goodness, they may think I am stupid, or a heathen, or worse…incompetent! I need to be more silly, not necessarily while doing some specific office task, but in life in general so that I remember to laugh when the seemingly serious stuff pops up. So I dressed up for Halloween for the first time in a long time this year to break my serious rut. And you know, it was kind of fun. I walked and talked like a robot down the street with my 3 year old daughter, and it was a lot of fun (especially just to hear Natalie laugh hysterically.) While journaling, I decided to try an experiment where I would make up a fictitious, silly life for myself and write about it as if it had happened. And that just cracked me up. In fact, it was so much fun, I am keeping it up because it forces me to think outside the box, to dissolve my beliefs about what is possible, and to think about things that would be funny or just plain fun. It’s also far more exciting to have George Clooney chat with me at daycare when I drop off the kids, than just drop off the kids. It’s far more titillating to shop for Ferraris with my husband in Fiji, than to go to the grocery store. You get the idea? Now try it. Stop thinking of silly reasons not to.

And guess what? Sillyness (I like this spelling better because it’s sillier) is not something you have to learn. It is something you have to remember. One only needs to look to young children to know this art form is innate. In fact, when we really think about it, we all were masters of this art form until it was beaten out of us by serious adults. “Don’t be silly.” “Sit in your desk and be quiet.” “Stop acting silly; what will people think.” “When the bell rings, be still and serious. (when it’s recess then you can have 15 minutes to be silly – but not too silly.) ” And we all know young children are sponges when it comes to learning. Want to be a sponge? Then reclaim this lost art form and quit denying what is inherent within! And then, not only will you be more fun, filled with more laughter, and far more creative; you will also be more productive, energetic, healthier, and happier!

I will close with my 3 year old’s favourite silly joke (she made it up herself):
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To have poop come out of its bum!
(If this joke doesn’t summon at least a smirk, you definitely take life too seriously and require an injection of sillyness - stat!)

And that’s my perspective…