The Secret to Staying Happy in Your Comedy Career

I've been performing stand up comedy for twenty-five years and this is long enough to see comedy careers go up and comedy careers go down. Simply checking out a comedian's timeline on Facebook will give a quick peek at the cycle of stardom and the toll it takes on a performing career.  The most desperate/depressing posts are generally by comedians who made it "big" at the start of their career and feel it will never get that good again.  They spend the rest of their life floundering as they try to regain that feeling of greatness achieved by way of a coveted television spot or sitcom.  Of course, there are also the comics who feel they've never really "made it" and traveled a misguided road only to be met with one disappointment after the another.

How is it possible to stay happy and focused without encountering a lifelong roller coaster ride of those ups and downs?  I can tell you that I see that answer with complete clarity.

First, ask yourself, "What is a comedian?"  The answer most people give is quite obvious. "A comedian is someone who makes people laugh."

It is not complicated.  A comedian is not described as a "star"; a comedian is not described as someone who has their own sitcom; a comedian is not described as someone who has the most YouTube hits or followers on Twitter.

A comedian is someone who makes people laugh.  If you take your own ego out of the equation and appreciate the fact that you were given the awesome gift of making people laugh and feel happy, you will learn to appreciate and love your craft regardless of ups and downs.  A comedian changes a person's life for the better.  How fortunate we are as comedians to be given this gift.  Comedy is about your audience.  They are the true stars of your own show.  If a comedian can appreciate this very basic concept, they will always feel successful and blessed and no longer be a victim of their endless internal struggle.

The sweetest sound to me are the words, "I haven't laughed this hard in years!"  That is truly the sound of success.

Female Clean Comedian - Sally Edwards
ComedyBySally.com