A friends teenage son laughs all the time.

Hes the most cheerful, and possibly the goofiest young person Ive encountered, but his mom is concerned.

Hes not serious enough, she complains.

Serious enough for whom? I ask.

For adults, she replies.

Well, hes only 15, so apart from his teachers, who does he have to impress with his seriousness?

Good point.

Of course, mom is thinking about his future. Who will hire him if he seems so utterly simple, affable, and unrealistically upbeat?

A smart sales manager will!

Apart from being in comedy, selling is one of the only occupations that comes to mind where you can laugh your head off all day long and be paid handsomely for it. A good friend of mine, who used to sell in the cubicle next to me at a leasing company, was actually trying to break into comedy, and I was his foil and audience.

I cant tell you how fast the days passed by, with him doing impressions while I was trying to have serious discussions over the phone. He did well, as a salesman, and no matter what came down the pike, in terms of management edicts, new policies, or competition, Alan was jubilant, because there was a joke in it.

So, to bend a song title from Willie Nelson--Mamas, do let your babies grow up to be salesmen--especially if they have a great sense of humor!