Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone into something completely new? Here's my story of embracing comedy on stage.
My brother, Jake, is a comedian. It’s the only career he’s pursued since high school. In third grade, he had to write about the kind of work he wanted to do when he grew up. At the top of the paper, he wrote, “Comedy Man.” I've always wanted to introduce him on stage, but instead, he told me to do a 10-minute set. My wife and kids bought tickets to the show. My youngest was worried about my first comedy performance, despite my frequent use of humor when I speak at events and Sales Kickoffs.
The emcee introduced me by telling the audience it was my first time doing comedy. He was unaware that I've been speaking on stages since I was 15 and have traveled the world to make presentations, sometimes to thousands of people.
There were four of us performing over a couple of hours. The other comedians’ routines were explicit, filled with references to sex and drugs. I avoided these topics, limiting myself to just one bad word in my 10 minutes. Instead, I talked about dogs and cats, my resistance to the vaccine, my A+ blood type and fear of needing blood, vampires, and my new venture selling my “pure blood” like a drug dealer—which, naturally, would require a pager. I believe it’s more challenging to work clean than to work blue.
It was a friendly audience, and many people shared kind words about my brief set. After the show ended, I asked Jake if I could do a 20-minute set the next time he headlines the Funny Bone. He agreed to let me come back and open for him.
This is how you stretch yourself. You commit, you practice, and then you do it.
