The Intersection of Life and Improv
I started a podcast! I’ll be talking with fellow improvisers about how they’ve used improv in their lives. Improv has changed my life so dramatically, and I’m interested in hearing and sharing stories from other people who might have also used improv in their personal or professional lives.
The first 2 episodes are up! Please check it out and let me know what you think. Stay tuned for more episodes!
Have you ever felt pressured to live your life a certain way? That you need to follow steps A, B, then C?
I have.
For a long time I thought there was a specific way and order to live life. You go to college, get a job, get married, then you buy a house, then you have kids, you work for the rest of your life at a job you love, you retire, and then you have all this free time to enjoy life.
Being locked into that mindset created stress about whether I was doing the right things in the right order. It caused me to focus on obtaining these things instead of aspiring for the things that would bring me happiness. It prevented me from enjoying the process.
The path of life for everyone looks different. There is no right or wrong way to live.
This is something that took many years for me to realize.
We have the freedom to create whatever type of life we want to live and to make our own decisions. The life path I create for myself is going to be different than the life path you create; but neither one is wrong or right.
It’s impossible to have the exact same path that someone else has, or the one society says we need. We’re all going to experience life through our own perceptions, attitudes, opinions, etc.
There’s no defined path in life, just the path you define.
Sometimes, we just need to start and figure it out as we go. No two paths that are the same. By being on your own path, you’re going to encounter failures or moments when things feel like they’re not going your way.
It’s OK to make mistakes.
This is undoubtedly why I feel the need to know everything before I start; why I’m compelled to accumulate information before allowing myself to have any real world experience. I’m scared of the unknown and making mistakes
There is no training like real world experience.
Be OK with not having everything figured out before you start living. That is part of the process. It is what allows us to figure out what works and what doesn’t..
In improv we act, then react. We build the scene together, but we have to be open to new possibilities within the scene. Be flexible. If you hand your scene partner an imaginary pen and they say thanks for the ⅜” box wrench, you have to accept that it is now a ⅜” box wrench. Clinging to your idea that it is still a pen will send the scene off course.
In real life, it’s OK to walk into a conversation with a topic in mind, but if the topic changes, you have to go with it or you risk the person losing interest. Don’t become a conversation narcissist. Don’t be so set on one path that you miss an opportunity for another.
Be in the now moment. Be open to other paths.
“Fall, then figure out what you’re doing on the way down.” – Del Close
Have you ever felt pressure to live a certain way?