How Telling Jokes to Drunk Philadelphians Changed My Life

My comedy journey began in the fall semester of 1989 at thee University of Scranton.  Professor Taylor marched in on day one and declared that rather than taking role, she would ask us to come up in front of the room in groups of three to

talk about ourselves for one to two minutes.

“I got this!”  I thought to myself.  After all, I was just voted class comedian in my high school class of over 150 students so I strategically placed myself third so I would be the headliner and march off to uproarious applause.

First guy up, “I’m from New Jersey.  We have great tomatoes and they pump our gas for us and blah, blah, blah.”  When the young lady next to me began to speak, something strange started to happen.

I broke out into this deep, dark Irish tan.  I turned completely red and my leg started to shake uncontrollably.  My only recollection from that mini-speech was that I was wearing Docksiders (fashionable footwear from the 80s that went so well with pinstripe jeans) because I stared at my foot for a full two minutes!  I got off to a very bad start.

I needed a comeback. Fortunately Professor Taylor gave us another intriguing assignment a few weeks later.  This time she challenged us to go out of our comfort zone and come back and give a speech about it.

Now I was a broke college kid living in Scranton. Skydiving was out of the question.  I was reading the Philadelphia Inquirer and saw an ad for a comedy open mic at Comedy Works in Center City Philadelphia.  This was going to be my redemption!

I hopped into my luxurious brown Ford Tempo and drove three hours from Scranton to Philadelphia and waited in line with about 30 other aspiring comics.  Finally my number got called and I climbed up on that big stage and stared into those big, bright lights.  And for five minutes I told jokes to drunk Philadelphians.  The worst kind!

And I got laughs!  I was so fired up I don’t think the tires of the Tempo touched the Turnpike the whole way home.  A few days later, I shared this adventure in a speech to my class.  The professor was floored because no one had ever tied in public speaking to the assignment and I got an A!

More importantly than earning an A, I grew as a result of this assignment.  First, I figured out how to drive from Scranton to Center City and need I remind you that this was pre-GPS days!

And even though I would take a 30+ year hiatus from stand-up after this initial foray, I always looked back on this as a source of strength, an “I can do this moment.”

Throughout my career in corporate America I had to give many talks from large sales teams that reported into me, all the way up to senior leaders such as VPs and company Presidents.  And it occurred to me, if I could sling jokes to drunk Philadelphians for five minutes, I could handle this situation too!

There were many other instances in my life where I found myself in that difficult situation of making that first step out of my comfort zone.  Scenarios such as changing companies, applying for promotions, joining groups at my church, and my decision to start practicing yoga about 20 years ago.

Looking back, each of these decisions and many more offered a certain level of uneasiness or even fear in some cases, but each of them contributed to my personal and professional growth in some way shape or form.

In many cases these were steps I knew I needed to take but my foot was firmly planted in my comfort zone which can feel like an extremely strong magnet or even concrete at times.  What’s that one step that you know you need to take or want to take?  That step that can help you grow as an individual?

Today I encourage you to take the step because if you don’t you won’t grow and you may find that you are missing out on some rich and rewarding life experiences.

I must admit that taking that step onto that big stage in 1989 was a scary one.  But it was one of the best steps I’ve ever taken as it’s led to a very rewarding career in stand-up comedy and professional speaking.  What will your next step be?