Standing Tall

My friends, Sizzle Bok and Rachael, invited me and some friends to their house for dinner.   The food and the company were awesome.   Something was off, though.   Sizzle heard that I did stand-up comedy for the first time this past week and that became a topic of discussion.

I could tell that he was a little sore at me for not inviting him. In fact, after announcing that I completed one of my life’s biggest milestones by performing my first comedy routine (something I’ve dreamed about doing for years), I received backlash from many friends and family.   They were mostly sad that they weren’t invited to see my first performance.  As a young performer, this news can be difficult to take.  The disappointment my friends and family expressed about missing my first show reminds me of two things.

The first is that I’m reassured that people care about me and what I’m doing.   This is very uplifting considering the nerves I battle every time I think about going on stage.   My performances may bomb doing any night of stand up comedy, but the people I love will always want to be apart of my life.   I appreciate that more than anything.

The second thing that I’m reminded of when I hear disappointment from family and friends is that I’m new at this.  I’m brand spanking new.   Knowing that I have support from my nearest and dearest will help keep me going for the long run.   Their expectations and faith in my abilities keep me accountable for fulfilling my dreams.  As a result of their encouragement, there will be plenty of opportunity for them to see my shtick.  Just like any skill, comedy takes a ton of practice and time to get good at, let alone master.   If they keep me focused, they will be handsomely rewarded with jokes.

After all this, I still felt bad for not inviting all of my friends to my first gig.   Even though I tried to be proactive and showcase my routines on this site, they were still missing the feeling of being involved.  As a consolation, I performed my act at Sizzle’s house and you know what?  I got heckled! At my friend’s house!  It made me really nervous and I performed worse than ever before.  It was unbelievable but good practice all the same. I’m just going to have to get better for next time.