There's a great video on YouTube, that just consists of almost 4 hours of Ari Shaffir talking to young comics at The Comedy Store. (Check it out below, if you have 1/2 a workday to kill).....
The video has a bunch of great advice in it, but one part in particular really hits home with me. Ari talks about how it might seem like being an opening comic sucks; the pay is shit, sometimes headliners can be peckerheads, you get bumped from shows all the time, stuff like that. But these are some of the best times you'll ever have as a comic. I get what he's saying now.
It's like when you were in school, and you hated it and you couldn't wait to graduate and get a job and have money. And then you get into the real world, and realize that you still don't have any money, and now you can't just spend all day fucking around with your friends like you could in High School. Lots of headlining comics still don't have any money, and now there's a lot of extra pressure that didn't exist when you were an opener. When you're an opening comic, it's just fun. The only real pressure is making your new joke work, and you get to spend your nights at open mics with your buddies.
Some of my favourite memories as a comedian so far have been the nights at mics, and road trips with my friends. It doesn't feel like a job yet, it's just fun. I just got back from a show in Grande Prairie with my buddy Brent, where we co-headlined. It was a really good time. But on our way up to GP, we ran into a little car trouble, and ended up having to kill an afternoon in Whitecourt waiting for some repairs to be finished. We went for lunch and just chatted comedy for a couple hours, and that's where I had the inspiration for this post. It was fun just hanging out with my friend, talking jokes and about what we might achieve down the road. There's no pressure yet. It doesn't feel like a job.
Don't get me wrong, I have every intention of becoming a headliner in the future. I want to have a successful career in comedy, and frankly, I want to make some more money. I'm just not in a huge hurry to get there. I feel like I'm still in High School, and now I know what life after school is like. And it can wait a little bit longer.
I have to go host a show at Chicago Joe's here in Edmonton. Game 5 of the Caps/Knights just started. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, I can blog about how much fun Joe's was, and how good Ovechkin looked with the Cup over his head.
One of the best pieces of advice I've ever seen, and that applies to almost any goal you have, is to "put your blinders on".
I don't remember when I first heard it, but basically it means to ignore what everyone else is doing, and just look straight ahead. Make sure you goal is directly in front of you, and just keep moving toward it. I struggle with applying that advice everyday, but I wake up intending to.
I know what I want to accomplish, both professionally and personally. I want to be a headlining comedian, and I want to finish writing a book. I want to get into better shape. I have financial goals in mind. But above all else, I want to reach a point in my life where I just enjoy each day. No more Monday blues, or dreading Sunday night, or hump days. I want each day to be fun. Like when you're a kid, and it's Summer holidays, and half the time you don't even know what day of the week it is. That was the best feeling in the world. That's the life I want, so that's what I stare at with my blinders on.
And I've pretty well achieved that last one. I'm pretty happy most days. I'm of the mindset that that should be everyone's primary goal; achieve happiness. But I don't know what drives other people, and who am I to post on here telling other people how to live their lives? That said, I do think that the happiest people are the ones that have goals and aspirations, and work toward them. Going to bed at night, knowing that you made progress toward something that day is a great feeling. Waking up motivated makes it easier to get out of bed. It changes your outlook on life.
Some of the unhappiest people I know are people that don't seem to have any direction. They just go into a job they don't like, go through the motions, and live for Saturday. They don't have their blinders on. I used to be like that, years ago. I had a sales job that was paying the best money I had ever made. But all I did was drive around selling construction supplies. (I called myself a "nail salesman"). And I had no point of focus, no goals; just aimlessly walking in whatever direction my feet decided to take me in that day. And I wasn't nearly as happy as I am now. I didn't go to bed feeling fulfilled or like I accomplished something that day. It was just another day gone, 24 hours closer to Saturday. Once I decided something needed the change, literally every aspect of my life started to improve. I had a focus.
I don't intend for this blog to be an advice column or anything. If nobody was reading it, I'd still be coming up with entries each day. It's just a way for me to get the stuff in my head out in front of me. It helps me get the blinders on every morning.
I don't really feel like writing this today. When I set a goal of 100 blogs in 100 days, I knew I'd have days where I didn't feel particularly inspired to write about anything. Today is certainly one of them.
That said, part of the reason I set out to write 100 blogs was because I feel like it keeps me sharp as a writer. But a bigger reason is to force myself to be more accountable with my time. As I wade into the world of "self-employment", I know I have to do things to keep myself focused. It's great not having a boss looking over your shoulder, but it's harder to stay on point instead of just playing video games and sneaking in naps. (Well, at least it is for me anyway.) And I have a girlfriend that has all the faith in me in the world, and supports me more than I could ask for. I feel like I owe it to her to make this comedy thing work.
So I'll be damned if I'm not going to force myself to sit down and churn out a blog. Even if it is just a blog about how I don't feel like blogging. I spent most of the morning writing and organizing my jokes as well, which I usually don't look at until the afternoon, and that might be part of my problem. My buddy Brent and I head out to Grande Prairie tomorrow (if you're in Grande Prairie, PLEASE come say hi! Great Northern Casino at 8!), and we're doing our second set of co-headlines together. So we'll each be doing 45 minutes, which is the longest I've been on stage so far. It makes me a little nervous, but so did the jump to 10 minutes, and 20, and 30. I've done 45 a couple times before, so I know I'm capable, but it's still a challenge at this point.
But the challenge is part of why it's fun. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself is how you grow. When you start doing longer sets as a comedian, you have more time to slow down and mess with the crowd. Sprinkle a few newer bits in and see how they fit into your established set. It's a double edged sword, because when you're bombing, a long set can feel like days. But when you're doing well and having fun, time flies on stage. When you're an MC or an opener on a show, your longest sets are usually 30 minutes. And I've had my share of sets where I've been having a blast, and glanced down at my watch to disappointingly find out I only have a couple minutes left. Hopefully tomorrow night is one of those good nights, and I can just enjoy it and have fun.
(I just that last paragraph back, and I realized that I haven't had a really bad night on stage in a long time. I've had lots of bombs, especially at open mics working on new stuff, but I've reached a comfort level on stage where I don't really care. I still have fun. I think maybe that's love....)
Anyways, that's my quota for the day. I'll probably throw one of these blogs up tomorrow after we get to the hotel in GP.
I've decided to dedicate a few of these blogs to personal heroes of mine, and people I look up to. First up? Former pro wrestler, and current MMA fighter, CM Punk.
And no, if you don't know anything about wrestling, CM Punk isn't his real name. Although with some of the names parents give their kids these days, it's probably not the worst option out there....
CM Punk is a former pro wrestler. He wrestled for years before he made it onto TV, but I didn't know anything about him until he made it to WWE. And even after he was in the big leagues, it took a few years before he evolved into the "Voice of the Voiceless/Best in the World" persona that he found his biggest success with.
When Punk came into WWE, his "gimmick" was pushing being straight edge (someone that doesn't do drugs, smoke, drink alcohol, etc) on people, and telling them why it made him better than them. He was fun to watch wrestle, but I didn't connect with the character at all. Then one night, he cut a promo that has come to be known as The Pipe Bomb. He basically sat on the entrance ramp, and just vented all his frustrations with the company. He laid into the management, the McMahon family, the fans, his co-workers. It was awesome. (If you're a wrasslin' fan, you're probably nodding in agreement right now). That was the night Punk started becoming one of my favourite wrestlers of all time. He went from Mr. Straight Edge, to calling himself "The Voice of the Voiceless". He would say what he wanted, when he wanted. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind.
I wouldn't have classified him as a hero of mine at that point. I was a huge fan, (frankly, he was the only real part of WWE worth watching at the time), but the buck stopped there. At the end of the day, he was an athlete that also played a character on TV. I don't have any issue with people looking up to fictional characters, I do *cough* Spider-Man *cough*, but CM Punk didn't connect with me like that. I just enjoyed his work.
But then, a few years later, Punk walked out of WWE. It wasn't a *sigh* "fake" storyline. He had had enough of being walked all over by his employers, and decided it wasn't worth it anymore. He walked out. A couple months after that, he appeared on a podcast and told his story. He explained to the fans, and the wrestling community as a whole, why he left. He was tired, broken down, fed up with the decisions the company was making, and most importantly, he was unhappy. So he cut his losses, walked away from the big paycheques, and moved on with his life. I came to the realization that the outspoken, "nobody tells me what to do" persona Punk portrayed on TV wasn't just an act; it was an extension of his personality.
This was a guy that had worked his entire life to achieve something. (Technically, his goal was to be in the main event of WrestleMania, which is the premier event in all of pro wrestling, and he was unable to achieve it, which played a role in his leaving the company. But whatever.). He had dedicated years and years of his life to his career, and then realized that he didn't enjoy it anymore. So he walked away. I think most people hit a point where they don't enjoy their job anymore. Maybe they never did. But it's substantially easier to stay at a job you hate and complain, than it is to walk away and start over. Punk did the latter. And he walked away from A LOT. He valued his happiness over money.
That's what made him one of my heroes.
He was a big part of my decision to walk away from a really good paying warehousing job to become a stand up comedian. Hearing someone I respect so much explain his thought process behind a decision like that changed my life. I couldn't agree more that money isn't everything. Life is about doing what makes you happy. What's the point of chasing fame and fortune if you're miserable all the time? Punk is no longer involved in pro wrestling. He's wrote some comic books, and he's currently preparing for his second fight in UFC. He lost (badly) in his first fight, but he gave a speech afterwards that I still watch to this day.
(Skip until 2:26 to see CM Punk's post fight promo)
This was what he had to say, moments after getting his ass kicked in front of the world. I love it.
CM Punk is one of my heroes. He has been one of my biggest influences in life. I respect the hell out of him. and his "do what you want, fuck what they say" mentality. The pro wrestling fan in me hopes that he comes back to pro wrestling someday. I want to watch him do what he does best again. But the CM Punk fan in me hopes he never goes back. I hope he just keeps on doing whatever he wants to do.
(For the record, if I ever get a chance to tell jokes in theatres or arenas or anything like that with regularity, this blog will become void)
I've been telling jokes for a couple years now, and I've had the opportunity to do shows in a bunch of different places. And while the club shows are fun, and the bar shows are great for learning, my favourite shows (by a MILE), are small town Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba shows. I don't even care what the venue is, as long as the audience is made up of people from small towns in the Prairies.
There's been shows in community centres and banquet halls, a couple small theatres, we did a show in a tent outside (that the audience had to get up from their seats and hold down so it didn't blow away while we were performing), and they've almost always been awesome. The people are so nice, and usually pretty drunk, haha. And they're just looking to have a good time. It's the best.
I haven't come across too many situations where you have to worry about being overly "PC" either, which adds to the fun. Admittedly, I don't take the biggest chances on stage in regards to my material and what I talk about, but it's just more fun when you can swear and make fun of the people or town without worrying about them complaining. Just last night, I was part of a show in Penhold, AB (thanks to Bradley Layden for the hook up!), and it was so much fun! 50-75 people in a bar, everyone is drinking and having a good time. Anyone that heckled had good intentions, and for the most part just wanted to be roasted in front of their friends. Shows like that are the funnest part of the job.
I don't know what it is about small towns. Maybe they have a stronger sense of community or something, but they're just the nicest people from the second you get to the venue. Offering you something to eat (usually INSISTING you have something to eat), handing you piles of drink tickets, everyone wants to talk to you afterwards. You feel like part of the community right away. I guess part of it is probably that there isn't much else to do, so they're excited for the night out, but I don't care if that's why they're so much fun to be around. I love it. I've stated before that I'm not looking to get rich or famous, and I stand by that. Give me a bunch of those shows in community centres and Legions, let me do them with a lineup of my friends, and I'm the happiest guy in the world.
Just in the past couple months, I went to Pierceland with Mike Dambra and Brent Ayton, Drayton Valley with Will Hannigan and Andrew Albert, and like I mentioned, last night in Penhold with Miklos Blackshaw, Brad Semotiuk and Bradley Layden. All of them were awesome, and we all had a really good time. When you get a good audience like we had at these shows, I legitimately think the comedians have as much fun as the crowd does. That's my favourite part.
You wouldn't think writing a blog would be painful, but.......
Ugh.
I'm hungover. Last night I went to an Edmonton Prospects (baseball, for you non-sports nerds) with some friends, and the beers were cold and plentiful. Very, very, plentiful..... I'm hurting this morning, but it was worth it.
Since I got really serious about comedy, my social life has taken a pounding. Which is a good thing for the most part, because it means I'm getting work. It just makes the nights I get to see my friends or family mean a little more, because they aren't as common as they used to be. We went to the ball game, beaked the FUCK out of Okotoks (until they started laying into Edmonton. It's hard to chirp a team that's winning 9-1). Then we turned our attention to the home plate umpire. Which for my money, might be the worst job in sports. Especially with drunk morons behind you all night :)
I don't drink too much anymore. I probably get after it once a month these days? I don't know exactly when my body decided I could go fuck myself, but as I get older, I pay a steeper and steeper price for a night of booze. Remember the days where you could drink all night, sneak in a 2 hour power nap, and then drag your ass through work the next day? Me too. Barely.....haha.
It's too god damned expensive, too. Call me old and lame, but I feel shitty when I wake up the next morning, and realize through my headache that I'm out a couple hundred dollars from the night before. And then add in that I'm a terrible drinker. I'm a happy drunk, but I get really sick really fast once I hit my breaking point. I'm the worst.
I guess I look at drinking like I look at donairs now. I know I'm gonna feel like shit when I'm done, so I make sure to spread out the nights I indulge, and I enjoy the hell out of it when I do.
This is an awful blog. But I'm trying to write 100, and I'll be damned if I'll let a hangover stop me. That's good enough. I'm going for a nap.
I put off trying stand up comedy for about 15 years after I graduated High School. And for no good reason.
Part of it, as I've mentioned in this blog before, was because I wanted to keep the fantasy of doing stand up in my pocket. It was something I could daydream about while I was at work, but I didn't actually have to do the work or take a risk. Part of it was laziness. And part of it was thinking that I couldn't do it, so why try?
After trying it, I discovered I could do. And it motivated me to start trying other things I wanted to do but never got around to doing. And it made me realize that if you step back, and honestly ask yourself why you haven't tried something you want to try, you probably can't come up with a very good reason. Because chances are, there isn't one.
This clip is my favourite video on the internet. (Except maybe the one of the squirrel that turns and looks at you while the dramatic music plays). Kevin Smith seems like a good dude, and his message here really hits home with me. Be a "why not?" There's just no reason not to try something you want to try. Maybe you can't do it at the highest level right away, but you have to start somewhere. I love the old adage, "If someone else has done it, you can do it."
You want to lose 100 pounds? Lots of people have done that. You just have to start. Watch what you eat and exercise! Want to start a business? The internet makes it as easy as ever to work from home in your spare time! You've always wanted to learn a second language? You can buy courses online and start it in minutes without leaving your house! It doesn't matter what it is, there's a way to do it. And there's just no reason not to. It doesn't matter what road block you use for an excuse, there's a way to get around it if you look hard enough.
I think the problem most people have (I know I did with comedy, and still do with other projects), is that the first steps you have to take are the hardest ones. You don't know what you're doing, you're out of your comfort zone, and maybe you're afraid of looking stupid. You know who looks stupider than someone trying to better themselves? Someone that isn't doing anything except sitting around and complaining about where they are in life.
I know it sucks, and it's hard, and you'll want to quit. But don't quit. If you take a day off or a step in the wrong direction, shake it off and keep moving. Before you know it, you'll look back, and you'll be amazed at how many steps you've taken. And suddenly whatever you're trying to do isn't uncomfortable; it's the most exciting part of your day. It can, and will, change your life.
