I’ve never been a funny person. Most of my life, people rolled their eyes when I said something “funny”. Now they roll their eyes when they find out I’m a comedian. “But you’re not funny”!
The remainder of this post is not intended to make anyone feel better, or make myself look good. It is a pragmatic look at my state of being.
Common sense says: “If you can make people laugh, you’re funny!” Not necessarily, but It’s hard-work for someone who’s not funny, to pull it off! I’ve always been able to write & I’ve always been able to perform. With enough prep-time, I can write and perform to bring the house down.
I’ve learned how to write and perform standup. I’ve gotten hundreds (maybe thousands) of compliments from audience members saying: “You are f#*%ing hilarious!” Those don’t count. They validate my performing-abilities, but don’t say anything about the “real me”.
I want to think like a comedian! I don’t want to take hours, or days, or weeks to formulate a comeback-line for a situation that might never happen again. I want to be funny in the moment!
Over recent years, I’ve developed mental exercises to reroute the neuro-pathways in my brain in order to think differently. I’ve considered mind-altering drugs to expedite the process, (I’m too chicken). I immerse myself in the world of standup in hopes it will rub off on me; it hasn’t. Well, I thought it hadn’t…
Last week, (after 7-years) I heard a group of comedians say that I should trust my instincts, and be more spontaneous because I’m FUNNY! That is the first time I’ve heard that and believed it was honest! They actually think I’m a funny PERSON!
This is a milestone! I don’t want to jynx it, but if it’s true, I have unlimited potential! No longer will failure be proof that I’m not worthy, nor will success mean I wrote a good joke; I’m fr*&kin funny, man! This is me! I’m not only a hilarious comedian; I’m a FUNNY person!!!