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Enjoy Your Stories Developing

Have you ever noticed that something tough you once lived through, perhaps endured with some hardship, can much later become an amusing story, even a funny one?

It reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite people, a famous story teller, entertainer, musician, and comedian - Steve Allen. He said:

Tragedy plus time equals comedy.

 (the quote has often been attribute to other people, but I'm on a bit of a mission to clarify attribution whenever possible and I'm fairly certain Mr. Allen was the first to say it. Here's the whole account, from an excellent source for clarifying attribution):


When I explained to a friend recently that the subject matter of most comedy is tragic (drunkenness, overweight, financial problems, accidents, etc.) he said, “Do you mean to tell me that the dreadful events of the day are a fit subject for humorous comment? The answer is “No, but they will be pretty soon.”
Man jokes about the things that depress him, but he usually waits till a certain amount of time has passed. It must have been a tragedy when Judge Crater disappeared, but everybody jokes about it now. I guess you can make a mathematical formula out of it. Tragedy plus time equals comedy.


Retrieved 8 August 2015 from:
Quote Investigator, http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/06/25/comedy-plus/

I find Mr. Allen's insight extremely useful as a leader because often we find ourselves navigating adventures that just don't seem much fun at the time. We're trying to bring about cultural change, and people are resisting. We're relocating a business and loose ends keep tying us up. We're developing relationships and they hit on rocky interactions that leave our heads spinning. But if we keep in mind that not only will we make it thru the challenge,  but it will likely be a rich source for a future story - maybe even a humorous one, we can enjoy the journey more.

Keeping that in mind we can enjoy the journey a bit more, knowing that we can enjoy our stories developing, even as they discomfort us in their birth.

Today's problems can become tomorrow's rich stories.

Why not enjoy the writing as well as the telling?

-- Doug Smith

Front Range Leadership: High Performance Leadership Training 

doug smith training: how to achieve your goals


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  1. David SpiegelAugust 12, 2015 at 11:44 AM

    Agreed......post the immediate "tragic" experience, the humor in the situation as well as our reactions to them in that moment, can be incredibly humorous...it's life....lighten up!

    ReplyDelete

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