Born Standing Up
A peak behind the curtain of success.
Comedian Steve Martin, in his book Born Standing Up, says, “I did stand up comedy for eighteen years. Ten of those years were spent learning, 4 years were spent refining and 4 years of wild success.”
Steve was one of the biggest names in comedy, ever. He started in a humble way. Going to night clubs to perform. Regardless if there were people there. He simply tried. Ultimately he improved and received recognition and success.
The takeaway here is only four years of the eighteen is what Steve Martin considers a success. Meanwhile fourteen years were spent learning, experimenting and in most cases failing.
That is precisely why I write and release a daily blog. I am putting in my time learning and refining.
More importantly, these writings are filled with stories of real people, much more interesting and well-known than I am. So that as I read their story, it helps me move the needle in my life where I need to. As a result of learning from them, I take those lessons and transpose them to you. So that you too can move the needle in your life, wherever that may be.
Wisdom learned from the life of one person, condensed in bite size form for you. The decision is yours on how you apply it all and how you read between the lines.
Take Steve’s career doing stand up as an example. Go try the thing you want. Most important of all, don’t quit. Especially when you feel you want to. When nothing seems to be going right. When all you do is fail…keep going. You are almost there. The next level is around the corner. It could be the next pop-up shop, the next show, the next gig, that gets your momentum going.
When all you want is to stop, or quit, you’re on the right path. Exactly where you need to be. This may not apply to all situations. Yet, how do you know unless you hang on and keep going.
Thought Provoking Question 1 : What amount of time are you dedicating to learning, refining and experimenting?
Dan Roman is a Husband, Father, and writer that releases a daily blog. A quick read on sharing wisdom and asking though-provoking questions.
What are your thoughts on this piece? Comment below…
