New Year, New Me?

Nah. I am the same as I was last year and I probably will be the same next year. Maybe better. Maybe worse. I am hoping this will be a big year to complete goals I had last year as well, including performing a set on a late night show, finding a manager, growing my social media presence for my stand up and my podcast and headlining more "A" rooms.

One thing I was to change is the amount of days I take off and to have goals with every set I perform. I did 398 shows this year. That's averaging just over a show a night. I need to take more days off. For the first time in my career, I experienced true burn out. I remember working with headliners early in my career and they would not take shows on weekdays so they can rest. I did not understand that. Now I do.

I can think of shows were I was only on stage to fulfill an obligation that I agreed to previously. It was only a handful of shows, but that is no way to perform. I used to look at nights off on my calendar, especially if it was two nights in a row, as holes that needed to be filled with shows and I now will use those days to refresh. And I think its also important with every show to grow and intentionally take chances or try something new to keep it fresh for you and the audience.

I recently did a show where the crowd was very tight and I was hesitant to do a new joke because I thought it would make them less likely to laugh. I did the new joke and it did better than the rest of my set. I think my enthusiasm shone through and the crowd felt it. I hope to keep taking chances like that on stage. New me, afterall. #standup #newyears #careermoves