I Did Stand-Up Comedy: Here's 3 Things I Learned About Life

I was 6th in the line up. Behind Richard. And Richard is funny. He is a barber in real life - banter is his full time job. So yeah, he's not just funny. He's bring the house down funny. The guy in the front row spilling his drink funny.

And I'm up next.

My mind is racing. There has to be a way I can get out of this. For a moment I can't remember my opening line. Panic. Why did I sign up for this? Deep breath. There has to be a way I can get out of this. At the peak of anxiety the announcer booms over the mic: "Welcome Christian Hyatt to the Stage." This is it.

I walk on stage. I grab the mic. Look at the audience. And...

#1: Strong Accountability Partners and Support Systems Permit Risk Taking and Enable Growth

The more life I experience the more I realize you have to carefully curate the group of individuals you surround yourself. It is like a law of physics. You just can't overcome the gravity of the individuals in your closest circles.

Your support system is doing one of three things:

1. They are doing nothing. Thus, you are left to your own talents and energy to be successful, or
2. They are actively undermining you. They are cynical, they create fear and discourage risk taking, slow you down, sink you, or
3. They are lifting you up. They believe in you, hold you accountable, encourage you to take shots, help you dream big dreams, encourage you when you succeed, and give you a soft place to land when you fail.

Inventory Your Support System

For example, when I take a look around I realize that I am surrounded by an amazing set of individuals. In fact, any success I had through this whole comedy experience I can point back to a few key relationships:

For one, my wife, Lauren. Lauren supports and believes in me. She gives me the kind of confidence and grace that I do not deserve. Having someone on the home front that tells you to go for it - and genuinely believes you are going to succeed - is priceless. For example, during my sojourn as a comedian I had to attend a comedy workshop from 6pm - 10pm every Monday night for six weeks. Now that might not seem like a big deal - until you consider the fact that we have 3 children AND had a 4-week-old new born. My wife didn't just "permit" me to go - she actively encouraged it. That's one heck of a teammate.

Secondly, the folks at the comedy workshop turned out to be one of the most amazing groups of randomly assembled individuals I have every been a part. The youngest was 20. The oldest was 73. There were black folks. White folks. Republicans and democrats. But this group of diverse individuals rallied for each other. People opened their homes for practice sessions, reviewed each other's material between classes, and most importantly rooted for each other's success on show day. I think each of us admired the courage in one another to step on the stage. We lifted each other up.

Lastly, I need to give a shout out to my team at risk3sixty. They showed up and supported me on show night. And it's not just that they showed up. They authentically wanted me to succeed. That makes a big difference in your willingness to take risk and stretch yourself.

Applied to Business

That applies to business too, doesn't it? Isn't that why culture matters so much to the success of a team? It's not just about assembling a talented group of people. It's about assembling a group of people that lift each other up, that cheer each other on, that allow for the highest levels of performance.

So what do I recommend?

First, hold up a mirror. What type of person are you for your team members? If you don't like what you see that's okay. Have the courage to change your own behavior if you need to.

Second, take stock in your team. Is your team full of people willing to take risks, are they rapidly ascending the ranks, and encouraging each other? Or is your team full of cynics, people who quietly undermine, and laugh when someone takes a fall?

Boldly curate your closest circles accordingly.

#2: How Experts Get Started

When I was in high school I was on the wrestling team. Wrestling is a great sport because it is one of the best teachers of humility and confidence. You have to get in front of a crowd, in tights, and take complete ownership of the outcome of the match. Sometimes you win. And sometimes you are an awkward 14 year old that gets pinned by an 18 year old man in front of a whole auditorium of your schoolmates. If you stick with it, it builds character and grit.

My senior year I made it to the state finals in the 189lbs weight class. The match was on local TV, I was wrestling a 2x state champion, and I was nervous. One of my coaches gave me some great advice on confidence that has stuck with me.

"Act like you have been there before."

The second time I received that same piece of advice was during the first class at Jeff Justice's comedy workshop. Jeff taught us the basics of how to get on stage, face the audience, smile, and take the mic out of the mic stand - all with confidence. We must have drilled it 20 times: Get on stage. Take mic out of the stand. Face the Audience. Smile. Opener. Repeat. Jeff explained that the audience doesn't know you are nervous. If you look like a pro, they believe you are a pro.

"Act like you have been there before."

And that's an important lesson in life isn't it? Whether it is a job interview, a board presentation, or a conference talk. You have to be prepared. You need to drill things a hundred times. But at the end of the day you have to be bold enough to step on stage.

And the thing is, once you get up there, once you have given it a shot, mustered the courage to do a few reps, heck maybe a few hundred reps...one day you get up there and it's not an act anymore.

That's how experts get started.

Experts muster the courage to get started in spite of their own doubts and fears. And if they are lucky that have a coach there to remind them that no on else knows how nervous they are. Take your shot. Get started. That is the first step to becoming an expert.

#3: Sustained Discipline Over Time

Before I stepped on stage at the comedy club, I did a 6-week comedy course. It was an amazing opportunity to be immersed in someone else's world for a time. To be a student and soak up the expertise of a master. It's like taking guitar lessons and coming to a more clear realization just how good Jimi Hendrix was. Beyond the entertainment, I learned to appreciate the discipline of comedy.

For example, I had the opportunity to listen to Ralphie May give a talk about getting started in comedy. He shared three insights that I found helped drive it home:

• The Discipline of Writing: With all great things in life, there are the things you see and the things you don't see. In the stand-up world, we get to see the Netflix and HBO specials. The culmination of a lifetime of work. But what we don't see is the habitual discipline of writing. For example, did you know that 5 minutes of comedy translates to about 2 pages of written material? And 2 pages of written material is about 20 pages of draft material. So an hour on stage is at least 100 written pages of jokes. Comedians get very little credit for their discipline with the pen.
• The Discipline of Practicing (and Failing) on Stage: Every joke can be delivered in a thousand different ways. You could impersonate a voice, change your volume, emphasize a certain word, slow your speech, or use pauses. Great comics work out their routines by trying (and failing) hundreds of times on stage. They try jokes, reorder their routine, tweak a few words, and adjust delivery literally thousands of times. And usually that requires the courage to fail in front of a live audience. For most of us, that is our worst nightmare. For the master, its just another day at the office.
• The Discipline of Paying Your Dues: Most comedians are in the game 10 years before you ever see them headlining a show. Before that they spent a decade opening for other comedians, selling tickets, traveling 300 days a year, working late nights, staying in motels, dealing with drunk crowds, and refining their craft. When I first started my career in cybersecurity consulting I was more concerned about salary, health insurance, and vacation days. But what if I had exercised the discipline to put in the kind of work that most successful comedians have?

Applied to Business

When I survey the business landscape I see the disciplined masters out there too. The start-ups 10 years in the making, the Warren Buffets of the world on a 50-year run of disciplined investing, the executives working their way up for 20 years, the parents out there showing patience to their kids everyday.

Respect.

From my experience the surest path to business success is doing the right thing, consistently, for a really long time. For at least a decade or two. Just like the best comedians do. It is just that most folks aren't willing to do something that long and that consistently. That is why endurance is the hard part about business.

That is also why it all but guarantees success if you do it.

So What Happened On Stage?

I walk on stage. I grab the mic. Look at the audience. And...

...my set turned out great. I did about 5 minutes of material. I followed most of the rules I learned in class. I kept it clean. I got laughs along the way and applause at the end. I think I even surprised a few people. Yes there is a recording. No I am not posting it. (Well Maybe.) And...No...I wasn't as funny as Richard. But who is?

Conclusion: Too Long Didn't Read

1. Surround Yourself with People of Quality: Strong accountability partners and support systems permit risk taking and enable growth. If you want to be your best self or build a great team - focus on people.
2. The Courage to Get Started: It requires courage to risk failure. To take that first shot. But to become an expert you have to get started. You will fail. You will take your lumps. But that is where greatness is created.
3. Sustained Discipline: The path to mastery is sustained and disciplined practice over time. Most people are not willing to stick with it. They quit. That's why it is the surest path to success.