At this past weekend’s performance a couple developments.

The first is that I no longer feel like a beginner. I’m far from mastery, but I’m not sweating just to go on stage, nor struggling to work up the nerve to write, nor wondering what to work on.

You learn fast when everything is new, though it’s hardest then. I’m still at the stage of learning fast since I have so much to learn, but I see what I have to work on and see that I’ll have to work long and hard to learn the next stages.

Second, I met another guy practicing who told me how much he practiced to get where he is. He said, “I’m an engineer so I like to do things methodically and to count. I wanted to say I had done 1,000 performances, so I did.”

At roughly two performances a week, that’s 100 performances a year for ten years.

I’m not sure how far I’ll go with stand-up. I know the value of writing and performing in front of an audience so I expect I’ll keep practicing to develop skills, comfort, and professionalism for my public and corporate speaking. I’m tempted to say it doesn’t cost anything, but a four-minute presentation takes hours to prepare, so it’s expensive training. It’s valuable, though.

Anyway, I’ll stop recording each performance as if each is special. The next stage is the long haul before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s my sixth:

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