Reduce Stress
CSO Employees Reduce Stress Through Humor
By Tim Gard
Dec 19, 2006 - 9:56:31 AM

An ability to develop a comic vision is essential to reduce stress...

OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE - think fast and read it aloud. Now be truthful - did you read "opportunity is now here" or "opportunity is no where?" Or for those of you who live in Montana, did you read "opportunity - I snow here?"

According to humorist Tim Gard, life is how we choose to perceive it. Since we cannot change the past and we cannot control many events that happen to us, he is convinced an ability to develop a comic vision is essential to reduce stress. With an array of props lined up on tables stretching 20 feet (5.9 meters), Gard proceeded to use these items to share his comic vision at an all CSO employee meeting held in Golden, Colo., Oct. 17. He sported a pair of goofy glasses with big eyes to make his point about vision. He then passed out half a dozen pairs to Western employees anxious to share it.

A former Federal employee, Gard knows only too well the stress of government work. For example, he said when he worked for the Department of Agriculture, when upset customers asked to speak to his supervisor, it presented a problem since his supervisor was frequently in meetings or unavailable. Gard decided to solve the leadership role dilemma by using a crown to designate the leader. He presented Administrator J.M. Shafer with a crown to remind him that he is our leader and encouraged him to use it.

Gard acknowledged that government workers all too often forget that our customers expect quality service because they are convinced that, after all, we make "big bucks!" With that Gard ran up and down the aisle passing out giant, fake $5 bills.

Gard noted that fun doesn't happen unless you plan for it. He told an anecdote about his 5-year-old nephew, Morgan. He asked Morgan what he did at pre-school that morning. Morgan replied, "I had fun." He then asked, "What did you do next?" Morgan replied, "I ate lunch." And then what? Morgan responded, "I had more fun." The analogy Gard made is that a preschooler's day is very planned. Morgan's perception is that much of life is fun, but this doesn't happen by accident - it's planned. Gard reminded us that we need to think more like a 5-year-old; don't let the day's events stress you out but plan fun, even at work - every day!

The more you use humor, the more you draw on it in bad times, he said. For example, the first thing Gard did after his own divorce was replace a picture on his desk of his ex-wife with a picture of a bottle of Pride furniture polish and Joy dishwasher soap so he would still have a picture of his "Pride and Joy."

Gard is convinced that your attitude is what insulates you from the bad. "Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I deal with it," he shared.

He noted that we fail to effectively deal with mistakes. He suggested we treat mistakes not unlike the gymnast who falls off the balance beam and gets right back on. In the end, the gymnast makes her dismount and "sticks it." He suggested that the next time 10 pages of computer work is lost, rather than curse, we should stand as through we were that gymnast and "stick it," wave to the crowd and get back to work as though it never happened. Finally, Gard reminded us to use our sixth sense - humor!