Growth and magical experiences live outside our comfort zone

There is no better way to push yourself out of your comfort zone than on a stand-up comedy course, writes Sam Thomas.

I am not averse to standing up in front of a large group of people and hosting events. I still get nervous but, after many years of running events, it doesn’t faze me as much.

However, standing up on a stage with an audience’s expectation ‘that you need to make them laugh’, well, that is a different experience altogether. I was certainly well out of my comfort zone, but putting ourselves out there, facing our fears and vulnerabilities, is where true growth and learning comes from.

I’m very much a ‘Yes Man’. Someone will ask me to do something or present an opportunity and my go-to answer is usually ‘Yes, I can do that’. This can sometimes have its own issues as I may sometimes not always know how I’m going to fit that into an already hectic schedule. But I’m a strong believer that life is an opportunity and, by saying yes to opportunities, we can have amazing experiences and create some magical memories. If we want to do something, we can find the time to do it.

Being a parent, husband and running multiple businesses, time is a rare commodity. Having young children, it can be tough in a marriage to find time for each other; you end up doing things as a family or doing things separately whilst the other one looks after the kids. It’s especially challenging when you run your own business, or both have ambitious careers. The ‘date night’ often becomes bottom of the list, unfortunately. 

After 25 years together, during the last eight years,  since our twins were born, my wife Kelly and I have certainly not prioritised this. However, this year we wanted to make it a bit more of a priority. Kelly has always loved stand-up comedy, so rather than organise a weekly meal or drink together we decided to sign up to Louise Stevenson’s amazing Brighton Comedy Course and, wow, I am so glad we did. 

The course runs over eight weeks and from week one you learn so much. Louise has a wealth of knowledge. She has been there, done it and bought the T-shirt. She has written a fantastic book on stand-up comedy and she immediately puts you at ease. During the course, you learn about different styles of comedy – one liners, storytelling, observational – and Louise helps you to find your style. You’ll learn how to write your own material and how to develop that material as well as get great advice on how to deliver it to an audience. 

In the eighth week, you have the opportunity to stand up in front of an audience for a graduation gig and, as daunting as that sounds, I can honestly say it is an amazing experience – one which, a month after our gig at Wagner Hall in front of 150 people,  I am still on a high from. 

I’ve certainly learnt so much from this experience that I can take into my business and events, speaking engagements, but most importantly it was wonderful to do this as a couple. We got to meet some amazing people on the journey – Kate Thomas Steve Fisher, Alistair, Lucia and Emma and I can not recommend the course highly enough, whether you are an individual just looking to try something different, someone who  wants to improve their public speaking or add a little humour to your presenting style, or a couple looking to share an element of vulnerability together and just do something fun, then this is the course for you.

Massive thanks to the brilliant Louise Stevenson for this amazing experience and to everyone that came to support us on the night. 

So next time someone asks you to do something out of your comfort zone why not say ‘Yes, I can do that’? Who knows where that opportunity will go.

For more information on Comedy Courses contact Louise on: louise@brightoncomedycourse.com

+44 075 3344 0506

https://brightonstandupcomedy.co.uk

For Public Speaking information for teams or 121, go to
https://www.speakeasycoach.co.uk/