Journal of Nursing Jocularity

In every experience you face, there is always a moment when all problems start out as merely seed possibilities. It is your responsibility to make sure that they don’t blossom into emotional havoc. Every spiritually evolved person that I have read about alludes to a principle that states that there is always a peaceful part of us that we can turn to and react from when times are tough. Buddha, Confucius, Gandhi, Jesus, and many others have embraced this philosophy. Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek.”

What does it mean to “turn the other cheek?” Well, first of all it doesn’t mean that we should lie down and allow people who have offended us to continue to walk all over us. It doesn’t mean that we should give life’s circumstances permission to repeatedly take advantage of us. Whenever we find ourselves in turmoil over a situation or something someone has said or done, our turmoil is an indication that we have been in the wrong state of consciousness. When we react to whatever upsets us in the same state of mind we only compound the problem. “Turning the other cheek” is an opportunity for you to shift perspective and respond from the Higher part of yourself – the other side of you. (more…)

We’re living in a world that’s moving incredibly fast. On top of our personal problems and everyday pressures, we read the newspapers and watch the evening newscasts to learn that corporations are being forced to downsize and massive technological advancements in the workplace are causing people to drastically change their lives. Cell phones, Blackberry’s, e-mails, text messages, and even micro-communication applications like Twitter are clogging our minds with an overwhelming amount of information, leaving us with little or no time to relax, unwind, and focus our attention on the big picture.

To compound this, political unrest, crime, disease, prejudice, and violence are running rampant, as they have done for decades on end. The divorce rate is at an all time high and war seems to be the only answer to remedy differences between nations. It’s really no wonder why so many of us have to be medicated in some way or another in order to cope with the madness we have created! (more…)

Years ago; I was waiting for what I considered to be a very important phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before stating that three shows that had been booked were now canceled, and a television special I was in the running for, now looked bleak.

I immediately called him the next morning. His secretary said he was in a meeting. She assured me he would call me as soon as the meeting was over. Three hours went by, and still no call. I decided to call again. This time his secretary said he was out to lunch. I hung up the phone. I was very angry. All kinds of negative thoughts were going through my head. When thoughts go through my head – negative or positive – I have a tendency to repeat them out loud as I pace back and forth.
A few more hours went by and I had actually convinced myself that my agent didn’t care about my needs or my career. (more…)

Quite often people come up to me and say, Steve (because that’s my name), what’s one of the main characteristics that separates a comedian from everyone else? I simply respond, that it’s the way a comedian looks at life. A comedian views life and all of its obstacles, absurdities, tragedies, mistakes, incomprehensibility’s, and embarrassing moments from a humorous perspective. When comedians look at life this way, they’re not negating the seriousness of the subject matter, they’re just looking at life from a different perspective – it’s a healthier perspective – it’s the humor perspective.

Let me share with you how I discovered the power of my Humor Being, which was one of the key factors that motivated me to leave stand-up comedy and move on to the speaking forum.  Following a comedy performance I would feel this surge of positive energy flow through my body. This energy surge gave me the confidence that I could achieve and accomplish anything I set my mind to do. Sometimes I would go back to my hotel room and write in my journal or write new material. It seemed that my creative juices flowed from me, into the pen, and onto the paper. Other times I would go out with a group of people, have wonderful conversations, laugh and have fun. The point is, whatever I did I was totally void of all negative thoughts. My problems – whatever they were at the time – somehow seemed manageable. I was living in the moment and enjoying every minute of it. (more…)

Steve Rizzo: The Attitude Adjuster

One Saturday night, years ago, I was performing at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. I was backstage conversing with a fellow comedian named Steve. We were discussing what a trip it was to make people laugh and better yet, get paid for it. We agreed that the power of laughter has many medicinal purposes. I suggested that since we were responsible for making people laugh that would make us “Humor Healing Technicians”.

The conversation took on a more serious tone when Steve told me he was HIV positive. I asked how he was dealing with it. He said, “Watch me. I’m going on before you.  Watch my set.” (more…)

Once voted least likely to succeed, Steve Rizzo, has enjoyed a multi-faceted career. Steve has had his own Showtime Comedy special, consults with Oprah Winfrey, an inductee to the Speaker Hall of fame. Yet there’s one designation he’s particularly proud of — his PhB.

Steve sat down with the JNJ team to talk about the PhB designation, and why every nurse needs one!

JNJ: So we’re talking about the PhB — the Professional Humor Being. Tell us: What does it mean to be a Professional Humor Being? (more…)