Growing up I learned that there’s a time and place for everything.
As an insecure adolescent, I tried to be “funny” all the time in order to gain acceptance and attention from my peers. But this continual attempt at trying to ease my insecurities, sometimes blurred the lines between when being “funny” was appropriate, and when it wasn’t.
I’m happy to say that as an adult, I’ve grown out of the need to be “funny” for acceptance. While I still consider myself a fairly humorous individual, I understand the importance of always remembering there’s a time and place to be funny.
But sadly I still see grown adults who can offer nothing more than a “funny” comment or reference in any situation – almost as though they’re incapable of carrying on a serious conversation. In the workplace this can often render you unprofessional and your input irrelevant – a position you never want to find yourself in during your 40 hour work week.
While humor certainly has its place in our lives (even at work), and a good laugh can often be the best medicine, we need to be cognizant of how, when and where we apply it.
For as I myself discovered growing up, a person who always tries to be “funny” in a group situation, eventually isn’t funny anymore.
