What Does It Mean To Be Yourself? QTL | 027

This episode of Question This Life is a solo episode with your host. 

Part 1 | 00:00:00 - 00:29:04 | 

Part 2 | 00:29:04 - 00:54:32 | 

 

PART 1 

- The concept of 'being yourself'- what does it mean? In Lehman's terms. It's prevalence in the self help / motivation niche online. 

- The concept of 'being yourself' in the world of comedy. The idea of having long-term success and hitting new levels by 'finding yourself' on stage'. 

- The different 'schools of thought' and philosophies of what comedy is, and how 'being yoruself' plays a role in that. 

- Improvisation / communication with the audience / living in the moment on stage VS big performance/ material/joke-based events that are more 'monologue' in format. 

- Figuring out your own path in comedy - through trial and error, taking on wisdom from the greats - and creating your own 'self' on stage. 

- Covering the key parts of a fantastic conversation with a professional comedian who mainly improvises and lives 'in the moment' rather than focussing on material. 
 
- Never forgetting to 'call it like it is' in the room. 

- Having pre-conceptions of what you want to achieve from a comedy set - sometimes so much so that you are guarding yourself from what might actually happen in the moment.

- The idea that there is no such thing as 'crowd work' rather it's just a relationship and connection being built with the audience from the second you step on stage. 

 

PART 2 

- One of my favourite performances on stage in recent memory - after truly focussing on integrating the concept of 'being yourself' on stage, connecting with the audience personally, treating the performance as a conversation with the audience rather than a 1-way monologue. 

- A clear description of the way this principle materialised on stage - talking specifically about commenting on the energy in the room, how things felt in the moment, interacting with the audience like they are part of a conversation rather than simply 'audience' members. 

- Truly connecting with the audience - not just looking 'at' them. Being totally present - appreciating the moment for what it is. Feeling the feelings. 

- How a live performance can naturally evolve and grow if you risk failure by truly being in the moment. 

- The contrast of 'laughs' at material vs improvised comments and jokes. 

- How powerful it felt to truly be 'myself' on stage for what felt like one of the first times - and seeing a tiny glimpse of what this actually means. 

- The concept of integrating the 'being myself' part of comedy with the pre-written material / joke-first style. 

- The importance of extrapolating these insights regarding 'being yourself' in comedy - and using them to integrate into other areas of life - other passions, other endeavours. 

 

This is a completely free plug for an excellent book by a fantastic author - The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. This book changed the way I looked at my life, my career, my time - and is a big reason why I am doing the things I am doing today, living a life based in meaning and not wasting my time doing things I don't want to be doing. 
If you want to maximise your time and resources, and think about your life in a much more constructive, forward-thinking way, do yourself a favour and give this book a read!

https://fourhourworkweek.com/ 

 

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