Note: The post tonight is part 2 of a 2 part series, and is a fictional story set four years in the future. My Fall represents a worse-case scenario of my weaknesses getting the best of me. My Rise is a best-case scenario where my strengths lead to greatness. Again, both cases are fictional, and are meant merely as a creative writing exercise and possibly as lessons for me to remember in the future.
MY RISE
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao-Tzu
Fresh off a move to New York City, a year of excellent ratings at work, and some strong stand-up performances, I was feeling on top of the world. 2007 had been a very productive year, but things were about to get even better.
The confidence I gained from surpassing most of my goals, and the support I received from others, helped 2008 become my springboard into success. A product of The 8th Floor, and my new belief that “You can’t escape the 8” should have told me ’08 was going to be my year. If I only knew…
Just living in the Big Apple was exhilarating for me. I was in the same city, on the same streets, doing some of the same things as people like Seinfeld, Jay Z, and too many countless others. I saw the same comedy clubs Chris Rock worked on his material in, I was on the same streets as Notorious BIG, I passed the same buildings that appeared in so many films. The energy of the city was enough for anyone to become inspired.
After spending some time settling in and getting adjusted, I started to focus. The corporate job was the first area to take off. Having just achieved some “Big Wins” in my last few days in my last assignment, I was determined to show a new set of co-workers the type of work I was capable of.
I had been fortunate in my first role to have things that I could do well and people that were strong advocates for me. But the move to a new city, with a different culture, and a separate required skill set meant I had to start all over again.
It started with the help of some peers, helping me to quickly get up to speed on the current environment. Through a number of one-on-one discussion I learned what I needed to know and got the lay of the land. This knowledge, plus some creative thinking, landed me strong supporters right from the get-go.
In addition to executing with excellence on my key initiatives, the fear of losing some of the exposure gained in my first year at work pushed me to step up my commitment to becoming the Corporate Humorist.
In addition to blog posts about how and why to bring humor into the workplace, I started creating humorous podcasts that began to spread within the company. My eagerness to stay involved in some big ideas, even while not in Cincinnati, allowed me to explore comedy even further and reach more people. Before long, the self-proclaimed “Corporate Humorist” title was becoming my moniker across the company.
As is often the case, the success in one area of my life lead to successes elsewhere.
With a stronger focus, available training via Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and a ginormous number of opportunities to perform at open mics, my comedic skill grew exponentially. Long, efficient days at work were followed by late night hours at the comedy clubs.
Spending few hours at home other than to sleep, I was wishing for more hours in the day just to spend on my various projects. Weekends were my time to re-energize, and were plenty enough given the passion and excitement that grew with each success. Even minor setbacks turned into greater opportunities and learning experiences.
With ever growing confidence, and just a hint of cockiness, I couldn’t help but become more socially adept. Luckily good friends and renewed connections helped to keep me grounded, and the success of other 8th Floor members pushed me to match them achievement for achievement.
In a sense, it became a competition to see who could “make it” first.
Connections at work turned into a strong starting group of friends. As did my fellow classmates at UCB and others on the comedy circuit. Friday and Saturday nights quickly became booked with adventures exploring the city, great parties, and of course, good comedy.
Lunch dates were the norm, as I learned to “never eat alone,” save when I wanted a bit of time for reflection. The weekend afternoons became great times to work on my comedic projects – videos, games, the website, and general podcasts.
With the weeks filled with hard work, loads of fun, and personal records in productivity, the first year in NYC flew by. As Christmas ’08 approached, I achieved my biggest goal of the year and Featured at a comedy club back in Cincinnati. Friends and family alike were impressed with the improvement I had gained from so many open mics while I was gone.
2009 started much the same as 2008. After such a chock-full year, I gave myself the month of January off from most of the extracurricular activities. During that time I caught up on shows that I missed and books that I hadn’t gotten a chance to read.
I also spent more time with a girl I had been casually dating and a full relationship bloomed. Luckily she was also into comedy, and her encouragement only lead to a spectacular return that February.
A group of fellow UCB graduates and comedians started working with me on short, comedic movies. Our videos were soon getting 100,000’s of views on YouTube and traffic at our group’s website sky-rocketed.
Through the help of some great friends and connections, stand-up opportunities started popping up in various places on the East coast and Mid-West. Before long, all vacation from work was used to travel doing comedy- a welcomed circumstance.
The corporate job continued to get better as well. With a year of understanding my role under my belt, producing results became easier and almost second nature. Several smaller projects I started in 2008 started kicking into gear in 2009, including some ideas that spread globally across the company.
The end of 2009 brought a difficult decision. As my 2 year assignment in NYC began to reach it’s end, and with a promotion offer on the table, I had to make a choice. Comedy was beginning to present more and more opportunities, and work provided a number of options that certainly seemed interesting.
A decision I had been avoiding since starting with the company in 2006 was now right in my face.
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.†– Gary Player
Ultimately one of the many acquaintances I had made through various networking opportunities saved the day. I took a part-time, location-free role that allowed me to work anywhere I had an Internet connection and phone line. The work, though still challenging and exciting, was limited to 20-30 hours per work. The rest of the time I could spend on comedy, in whatever city I chose.
Maintaining my home-base in NYC, I started doing more and more comedy shows across the country. UCB afforded the opportunity to continue performing improv, while stand-up began taking off with more and more Feature performances.
As 2010 quickly approached on the horizon, a few good friends made the leap from Chicago to NYC, ready to take over Saturday Night Live.
In the Spring of 2010, a number of former 8th Floor members were reunited while all living in New York. Their arrival brought a renewed sense of dedication to comedy. My work role turned from one of a project manager to that of consultant, specializing in revitalizing how ideas were delivered and best being described as a Humor Consultant.
Thanks to a growing fan-base, a number of advocates in the comedy industry, and the encouragement of my friends, headlining opportunities started popping up- the first was in a hometown club where great turnouts helped kick off more jobs.
2011 brought forth the realization of a long-time dream of many of The 8th Floor Alum. Some fresh off the stage at SNL, others from the mainstage of Second City, and myself performing stand-up, united together and created an 8th Floor Comedy tour.
A mash-up of improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy, the tour gained national recognition traveling throughout the states. The last date of the tour was November 18, 2011. The location – the Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH – Ohio State main campus.
The sold-out show proved to be the best of all of our shows to date. Afterwards, as people left for the after-party to mingle with fans, friends, and family, I took a seat on the now-empty stage, in the now-empty arena. Looking into the thousands of empty seats that were filled just moments before, I thought back to how it all began. I thought about my alma mater’s catchphrase – “Do Something Great.”
I smirked to myself, feeling like one part of that had been accomplished.
“I … will … not … lose … … ever …” – Jay Z
I didn’t know what lied ahead of me or what was next. Continued stand-up? An attempt into TV? A return to the corporate world? A focus on starting a family? I wasn’t sure, but I knew one thing, I’d be successful.
By now I had learned the ingredients as to what made me tick. I had become obsessed with finishing what I started, delivering with excellence. My social network was my greatest asset, as they challenged me constantly, provided me support, and birthed new opportunities.
If I ever started getting complacent, I’d remind myself that nothing was guaranteed, and nothing was owed to me. Regardless of how I faired compared to others, better or worse, I could always improve. I couldn’t control what other people did, or what would happen around me, but I could always strive to be a better me.
Every day I had taken steps to get better. Every day I achieved small successes, always moving forward to a new goal. As people around me got caught up in details, or spent time wishing for things to happen, I took action.
I thought back again to that catchphrase. If only people knew the real secret: “Do something great? Hell, just do something.â€
