A self-deprecating joke lands once. Told every day, it starts sounding true to you too.
REFLECTION
WHAT THIS MEANS
Jokes at your own expense buy a quick laugh and then quietly turn into a description. Say it often enough and two things happen: the people around you begin accepting the label, since you supplied it, and you start hearing it as a fact rather than a bit. The audience moves on and the sentence stays behind in your head.
Retire your main one for a week and see what you say instead. If you need a joke, aim it at the situation rather than at yourself.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Which joke about yourself have you told too many times?
MORE IN MINDSET & IDENTITY
- A customer yelling at you about a coupon usually isn’t about you. Bad days get handed down the line.
- If you check a post every five minutes, it isn’t a post anymore. It’s an exam you gave yourself.
- Being the oldest means you’re the first draft of everything in your house. Be kind to yourself about the edits.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.