My wife got me stand-up comedy classes for Christmas. The final test is performing on stage in front of 100 people. This is real stand-up comedy, not improv.
My first thought was fear, “I don’t want to do this.” About 30 seconds later I reframed the challenge with enthusiasm, “I can’t wait to do this!” That hesitation is normal when contemplating change, leaning into unfamiliar territory. Something hard.
I’ve done Toastmasters before. One time, my friend was scared to go up the Eiffel Tower. I told her, “If you go up, I’ll do something that scares me too.” I had already jumped out of a plane, so I picked public speaking. Improv is like Toastmasters, but on steroids.
The classes have been awesome. There are 18 other brave people in the class. I say brave because if you’re introverted, like a lot of appraisers, standup is way outside your comfort zone.
I’ve learned a lot already. How to walk on stage. How to interact with the host. How to use the mic. How to write jokes. How to memorize them. There’s way more to it than I expected.
Next week, we do one minute on stage. Then two minutes. Then more each week. The final test is five full minutes on stage in front of strangers, plus friends and family.
The upside is huge. People laugh at something you wrote. The downside is bombing. Silence. Crickets. Jokes that don’t land.
The live feedback is weird. One joke gets a few laughs. The next joke gets laughs from different people. The lights are bright, so you can’t really see the crowd. It feels like flying without a safety net. Despite the “butterflies” I feel confident I can do this.
It made me think about how I react to hard things. My first reaction was to push back. But deep down, I knew this was something I wanted. Fear almost talked me out of it. So I chose to ignore that voice.
The goal? Turn fear into excitement.
Excitement to change.
Excitement to improve.
Excitement about what’s possible.
What if we brought that attitude into the valuation industry? What could we do together?
Will you take the stage with me?
Don’t be afraid.
Grab the mic.