I think anyone reading this has more and less on the line than they think.
More:
Every decision that you make is going to affect several choices after it, as the second, third, fourth, etc. order effects will change the trajectory of your life.
Whoa.
Less:
The things that are stressing you now probably won’t matter.
Oh.
A weird life we lead, especially if you can hold those two ideas in your head at the same time.
Kelly McGonigal speaking @ the 99U Conference. I was there 🙂 Check out my followup here.
Last night I got the chance to perform with two great comedians – Liz Miele and Alonzo Bodden at Carolines on Broadway.
I have had some trouble lately with comedy. It started to feel routine and so did everything around it. Doing the same places and being around the same people got annoying. Last night was the first time in a while I got a chance to have a test. Well, I built it up like a test and gave myself parameters to designate success. I knew I got in front of two more experienced comedians and could get frank and honest feedback. Although I done shows with both several times, I made this a huge test. I turned on the scarcity and I tunneled.
2 lessons from that experience.
Stress – The buildup can turn you on or off. The mindset matters. As I turned this into a test,my anxiety went through the roof. I didn’t eat much. This only hampered me. As the show got closer, I started to remember some of the tips I picked up reading The Upside of Stress (highly recommended). It didn’t happen fully, but I was able to turn most of that fear into excitement. I realized that I felt alive as opposed to bored.
Tunneling – I went there and performed. Took no chances and got the jokes going. Got off stage and when asking for feedback, instead of the good job I expected, I got a reminder that showing proficiency is not enough. A professional, has to commit and be open to failure. You never know you have wings until you take that leap. It stopped me in my tracks and it served as a strong wake up call. I needed to hear that. By focusing so much on perfecting what I said and did, I left the humanity out of the art. I didn’t take the chance to grow.
Growth doesn’t happen in a straight line, it ebbs and flows. You have to risk the leap. Also, don’t buildup to failure, see the buildup and the stress as a tool. By getting in front stress isn’t a price, but a benefit.
I often go to talks, and most are boring. I don’t like sitting through anything boring, and I feel even worse if it doesn’t give me anything at the end. The 99U conference is completely different. It features 2 days of talks and workshops , and I can’t think of a bad talk for the 2 years I have gone. The talk above, by Kelly McGonigal, may change your mind about stress. Stress is often thought of as evil, however, stress is the key to learning what is important. This talk is a great intro to the book, The Stress Mindsets, which is one of the best books I have read this year.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 