"Make Bad Decisions"

I recently wished a dear friend a happy birthday and jokingly said to “Go out and make bad decisions tonight”. He darkly responded that he felt like all the decisions he made in his life have been bad. I was worried because he seemingly has the perfect life. A wife, kids and a job that pays him an annual salary more than I will ever see in a lifetime, let alone a year (and remember I was a lawyer once!). His tangible success in his personal life and career makes people in his community admire him from near and far. We have plans to talk in in person more about this.

It made me pause. First, you truly never know what people are dealing with internally. With social media especially, we all have a portrayed image that is not real or sustainable. Second, I worried that what I am pursuing in comedy may not be as enjoyable as what I am doing right now. It made me want to "smell the roses” more and be present more, instead of just focusing on the next goals in my career. I get to make people laugh and hang out with the funniest people in the world on a regular basis AND get paid for it.

While that “being present” hippie high probably will likely not last for me, I did enjoy this week at my shows. I was able to take big chances on stage with some new jokes and really had fun with crowd work for the first time in a while.  Just being present. I hope to ride this high into the weekend with shows in Arizona and Los Angeles, then later this month in Chicago, Nashville and Bowling Green! Tag your friends if you have them in either city! #standup #formerlawyer #smelltheroses