A few years ago, a fellow creative told me she was taking a stand-up comedy class to help her become a better speaker, and more fearless in general. I remember that moment well and my whole body exclaimed, NEVER. Not me. No thanks! I couldn’t imagine ever doing that… seriously, never.

 

This person occasionally nudged me over the next two years, continuing to tell me how much performing comedy was helping her. I continued to say, "No, Never and No Way!" I shuttered at the idea of it.

 

In November, 2019, a very successful author whom I greatly respect, sent me an email asking if I would consider doing a podcast show with her. She wanted to include comedy. I had no idea why she might think I was funny, but I saw that as the second prompt to put myself out there in a humorous way. The answer was still no, and I put that opportunity off indefinitely. 

 

When my own speaking mentor told me she had signed up for a stand-up class and asked me to take it with her, I knew I was done running. If something crosses my path once, it might catch my attention. Two times, and it has my curiosity and attention, but I still may not act. Three times, though, and especially if it’s close enough together that I can’t miss the synchronicity of it? I take that as a serious call to attention.

 

I thought if I’m ever going to do this, I might as well do it with my speaking mentor. But to be honest, my biggest motivator was the fear itself. I couldn’t stand knowing something scared me that much. I don’t like to be controlled by anything, and certainly not fear.

 

I have bungee jumped from eighteen stories. I’ve been scuba-diving with sharks. I’ve jumped out of a plane. But stand-up comedy was terrifying me at a whole ‘nother level. 

 

Though my mentor had to back out for pandemic-related reasons, I still took the course. It ended up being online, so I got kind of an easy pass. They promised when things got back to normal, they would "let" us do our final performances live in a public showcase at the club. I put that possibility into the far corners of my mind and was hoping to have a really good excuse to say I couldn't do it when that day came.

 

I got a call about a month ago, announcing the date of our showcase had been set. Nooooo! I screamed silently, but I said yes, I would do it. I showed up and performed in the dress rehearsal, nerves raging. Total panic set in and I almost talked myself out of the final performance that night, telling myself I’d done enough, this was good enough. 

 

But I couldn’t stop short of the goal. I was so close to mastering all of the fear and I had already come this far. I didn’t want to be a quitter, so I showed up for the final performance.

 

In my mind, I nailed it. I was sufficiently prepared and did my very best. Just showing up and taking the stage for five minutes was my victory. Any audience laughter was the cherry on top. Now I know if I had to, I could do stand-up again with a fraction of the fear that originally gripped me. I’m so proud of myself! Yes, I would do it all over again to feel this elated about conquering a fear.

 

Now to make an even scarier move, I’m going to share my five minutes on stage with you. It was one thing to do it locally, knowing I would probably never see any of those people again. It's another thing to share it with friends and family, but I'm doing it anyway. There’s nothing anyone can say about this performance that can change my opinion of it, and of myself. I faced my fear and won. Period.  Click here.

 

What scares you?

 

In summoning the courage it takes to show up scared and do the things we fear anyway, little by little, we build unshakable self-esteem.

 

Each one of us has what it takes to rise up to life’s challenges and conquer our fears. There are some fears you have probably already mastered, and some you may still want to address. I’m standing in your corner and cheering you on.

 

And I have a secret for you...

 

When we can view life as a game, it’s easier to take a risk, make a move and advance our position. And the beautiful thing about life is that we can all win. 

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