I Believe in Having the Ability to Laugh At Yourself
Have you ever been so embarrassed that you just want to run as far away as possible? Well, I have, and do you know what solves this best? Laughter. I have always believed and always will believe that having the ability to laugh at yourself can help you get out of any embarrassing situation, whether it be your pants ripping in the middle of class, or someone making a sarcastic comment about you. When you laugh at yourself everyone sees that you’re okay with the joke, and it makes everything less awkward.
You see, I have always grown up with humor in my life. If you happed to walk in on one of my family’s gatherings, you will see many people being made fun of with the same bad joke over and over. But even if the joke is on me, I’ll just laugh along, because I know that this is my family and these jokes aren’t serious, so why should I take offense? If I never laughed at myself every time I got embarrassed, and instead took everything other people were saying personally, I would be overloaded with stress. Instead, I realize that everyone screws up and then look for the humor in the situation and laugh along with everyone else.
That’s what I think over and over in my head whenever I get humiliated, that everyone screws up. Just a few months ago I completely embarrassed myself in wellness class. I went to kick the soccer ball, but my foot slipped, and I fell right on my back. Boy did that hurt! But I knew it was hilarious and to show everyone I was okay I started laughing. At first my teacher was worried, because I fell hard, but when she saw me laughing she knew everything was okay. I was still embarrassed, but laughing along with everyone else did make me feel better.
Just as Elsa Maxwell said back in 1958, “Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.” Show them that you’re okay with what’s happening. It’ll make you feel much better about yourself and allow you to continue on your way, worry free. I laugh at myself all the time and believe that you should too. So, go ahead, laugh. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at a joke you heard on TV. Just laugh.