Relaxation is critical to effective goal setting... it's one of the paradoxes of success that when things are going your way, you can relax and focus despite (often intense) pressure.
Humor is a very effective tool for relaxing and finding focus. I rely heavily on self-deprecating humor when facilitating training and teambuilding sessions, and when speaking.
To integrate humor into goal setting, try these techniques to loosen up:
--Amplify. Take a goal to its extreme. (I want to make $500,000. $5M. I want all the money in the world.)
--Juxtapose. Pair your goal with something that's the opposite. (Once I get all the money in the world, I want to celebrate by splurging on a two scoop ice cream sundae.)
--Connect the dots. Pair any two items and invent a link between them. (Like your car and a spoon.)
--Find the story. Look at a person and make up a life story for the person.
Then, during the course of whatever game you're playing, insert something real, like a real goal or yourself. It's amazing how the ideas flow better sometimes like this.
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