Have you ever thought about which personality trait might be the most favorable in yourself or another? While compassion and empathy rank high on the scale, I believe in day-to-day life, the ability to laugh at oneself comes in most handy.  

The ability to laugh at our own fallible natures — or the fact that we all make mistakes — is healthy.  It doesn’t make us weak; to the contrary, it may even strengthen immunity as laughter reduces stress hormones.

There was a time in my teens and twenties when I was far more defensive and I recall finding it difficult to laugh at myself. I think I was afraid that if I laughed at my mistakes, others would laugh AT me and I’d feel ashamed of my core essence— instead of simply incorrect in my action of the moment. 

This was faulty thinking. As I learned to accept that I wasn’t going to always “do” everything perfectly, my life got better. My sense of fear declined, and my success rate went up in a variety of areas. With my entire sense of being less vested in my ego, others became more helpful. By laughing at my “misses”— I realized others weren’t laughing “at” me — but rather laughing “with” me… or inspired that I was laughing by the circumstances, period.  

More interestingly to me is the side-effect of having the ability to laugh at our foibles:  We become more compassionate and empathetic to ourselves and others in the process. So this trait becomes the foundation for a win-win-win.

Now, let’s get serious. Who looks better?! 😉

I’m @DianGriesel aka a perception analyst & strategist; creative attitude disrupter & adjuster; author of The Silver Disobedience Playbook & TurboCharged: The Silver Disobedience Edition; and the blogger & model known as @SilverDisobedience  More info on my websites (search my name) and at Wilhelmina Models. Silver Disobedience® is a Registered Trademark.