It makes me smile to finish up this series with Z is for Zany. I believe at times we all need to let loose and be a little crazy and “out there.” It’s fun and can really lighten things up.
Personal Style
We all have a personal style. A weekly update from Oprah shared tips on how you can find your own style, here the example was for fashion. It was interesting and made me think about how my fashion (or lack of it) projects my personal style. I do believe we also have a personal style at work too. How might people describe yours? Maybe you’re someone who always gets people laughing or you’re the one that people can always count on. Or would you be pegged as the “negative Nelly” always complaining about something? We all bring a personal style to our work, whether we are conscious of it or not.
Professional Zaniness
Being a speaker and trainer, I’m very aware of the importance of having and living out our personal style. It’s our job to observe others and try out things to see if it fits our personal style. For example, we might observe others and often wish that we could be more eloquent with our words or better able to tell a story that really draws others in.
One of the ways that I would describe my style is zany – playful and lighthearted. So I’m not the one who might come totally dressed in clown outfit to make a presentation, but I’m one who will lighten the mood to make it fun and playful. This is zany for me and it works. I strive to connect with my participants in a comfortable way while stretching them to see things in a different way. I tend to do this in a playful way often using props or demonstrations. For example, in one of my trainings I have participants take off their glasses and give them to someone else to wear. We have fun with it as people are laughing at how “stylish” their new look is or how their new “vision” looks. I had one gentleman say while laughing, “you are really pushing us now.” I explain how this playful exercise really has an important point – how we all see the world through our own lens or glasses and how different the world looks when we see it through others.
Personal Zaniness
Our work is often carried over in our personal lives as well. Another example of how my zaniness is displayed is through the annual Valentine’s Day party that my husband and I host every year. This is our 10th annual party and here is a picture of me with the theme for the year, a slumber party.
What my husband and I have found that we more we get into it, the more others will also have fun getting into the mood. We decided many years ago that we didn’t want to have the ordinary party where people get together, most who don’t know each other, eat some, drink more and then go home. We decided that we would have themes, play games, have team and couple competitions. Now that we’ve been doing this for a while, our friends know what to expect and really get into it. We have a great time and it’s always memorable because of it zaniness. Our friends ask us months in advance about our theme.
Like Caribou Coffee says, “life is short, stay awake for it.” I would also add, “so why not get a little zany with it!”
Share with us, how you get a little zany!
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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.
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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.
Janae Bower of FindingIt is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant who helps others get to the heart of what matters most.
Linda Ferguson wrote the book "Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work" and has presented workshops around the country on aligning our gifts, passion and purpose.