"What If..." Gets You Nowhere

Spoiler - I am going to invite you to my one-man show at the end of this article, but the main point is really about dealing with your own “what if’s” in life.

I will be telling my life story on stage in about seven weeks from now on Nov 6th.

I've spent my life on stage in various ways, but this show feels different.

It's 100% personal.

It's my story.

Nobody else's.

No safety net.

Just me and my trusty bentwood chair.

I will be telling some stories I've never told before in public. And while it is primarily a comedy show, there will be some more serious parts. I gave one of those previously untold stories a test run this week in my keynote at the NASA Kennedy Space Center.

I was surprised that I choked up a bit.

Don't worry, though.

I got it under control quickly...pretty sure they aren't used to weeping keynote speakers there.

It's a story that happened to me in 8th grade.

It's crazy how telling a story about being bullied for being a "nobody" when I was 13 years old can still make me wonder if I am worth anything as I quite literally speak to 500 NASA employees at age 51.

Preparing to tell my own story on stage unleashes all of the voices that aren't there when you are telling someone else's story.

Namely...

- What if my story isn't worth their time?

- What if people see this as me being conceited?

- What if my actual story isn't what people think it is?

- What if my emotions get the best of me?

- And of course, what if nobody shows up?

Do you ever get a case of the “what if’s?”

They are normally not there to serve you.

“What if” rarely leads to a fulfilling life.

It certainly doesn’t lead to greatness.

When the voices settle, I know why I am doing this show in seven weeks.

My story matters.

As does yours.

Beyond that, I'm a storyteller.

I have to do it.

It’s what I do.

I have something to say.

Something I wasn't ready to say until now.

Something unique to my lived experience.

Something, dare I say, some of you may need to hear.

I hope you'll join me if you can make it to Cincinnati on November 6th.

Tickets are available at https://www.memorialhallotr.com/cincinnati-shows/joe-boyd/

Or yearly paid subscribers at joeboyd.substack.com get 2 free VIP tickets! You save money and are invited to the post-show reception.

PS - despite all the melodrama above, I promise it's mostly a funny show. :)