ONE MORE STEP

A crisp Florida morning has the sun rising over the palm trees and dew melting away. The smell of coffee envelopes around me as I warm my hands with the cup. Listening to the birds sing, I sit to take it all in. While the rest of the country is blanketed in snow and cold, here I sit in the coolness of my own little piece of paradise. Another day has begun full of hope, full of promise and full of activity. On today’s agenda, in addition to the regular stuff on the ole to do list. I have meat to put on the smoker and stuff to get ready for the meeting I have at the end of the week. Just another day in paradise.

As I look at this morning with all there is to do I begin thinking about this meeting I have coming up with the TV executives in Nashville. It is one more step toward my dream of success. Each step brings me one more closer to the goals I have set in my life and my career as an entertainer. One more step down the road toward a better life. One more step up on the proverbial ladder of success. Strange thing about one more step is that it’s a step. A simple step. Just a step. However, one step can make all the difference especially when it follows a whole series of them and proceeds a bunch more.

The funny thing about a step is, you have to take it. No one will take it for you or give it to you it’s something you have do for yourself. It’s your decision and it’s your step. When I was a kid, my whole life was one more step. That one more step over the hill led me to a new fishing pond. One more step took me into the woods where I found a tiny cave. One more step found me a lot more of adventures. Now with each of those steps came briers, cuts, sore feet and worn out shoes but I wouldn't trade any of those “one steps” for new and unused shoes.

Each step took effort, energy and most of all it took a desire for adventure. As a kid I knew it was just one more step until I found what I was looking for, whether it was a new place to fish, camp or that little cave. I’ve got the scratches and scars as reminders of a lot of those steps and more importantly, the victories. Every step wasn’t without its trials, its challenges and on some occasions, a little pain. But all in all each step was worth it, even if it was a lesson on where not to step next time. However, each step belonged to me and me alone. I had to be willing to take the first one and then everyone after that. They say the first step is the hardest and they are right but so is the one more step. Just when you feel like stopping, quitting, or just turning back, that one more step can be just as hard as the first one.

Just like the first one, that one more step can make all the difference. The difference between regret or adventure, disappointment or satisfaction, failure or success. If the first step is the most important, then the one more step is a close second on the importance scale. It’s that step that turns to dreams into reality.

So when you think about turning back and giving up just take one more step because it can make all the difference.

2014: The Year of Knowledge!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I know some of you reading this are saying to yourself, “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself.” Funny...never heard that before. But I really have been doing a lot of thinking on the subject of, “Thinking.” Well, not just that really, as much as I have been focusing on the subject of developing of the brain powers we all posses. In church, the preacher has been talking about the renewing of your mind, knowledge and all around intellectual growth. This has me thinking about how much time I put into my own personal development. Am I doing what I can to carve some time out in my day to develop myself or do I spend it all trying to promote myself? I think I am too heavy on the self-promotion side and too light on the self-development side.

I was told, by a friend whom I greatly respect, I was in the self-promotion business more so than anything else and he is right. Everything I do, all my work, joke writing and marketing is to promote myself up that entertainment ladder but once I get there will I be ready? So this is where the self-development comes in I think. I need to prepare now for what lies ahead so my decisions are clear and well thought out. When issues are presented to me in this business world will I know how to handle it or be able to sort through it?

I think when you are in a profession, i.e. comedy, you focus a lot of time developing that one area of knowledge and other areas connected to it are overlooked. I know when I started out in this business I had lots of questions about it but no one seemed to have a clear answer. I even attended a “boot camp” where I thought I would find answers but to my dismay I was still out to learn it on my own, although I was greatly energized by it, I still was at a loss. No strategy, no plan of action, no great secret, nothing was given other than, “You can do it, today!” Thanks for that but I wanted to KNOW how I could do it “today.” My only course of action was to learn it on my own and I still am. So, I am learning business, marketing, self-promotion, relaxation and lots of other skills to become a success.

As a result, from time to time, I am going to share with you what I have learned and will hopefully, develop into a book, maybe call it, “Answers to the Questions I had but no one ever told me.” What do you think? The Apostle Peter told the lame dude at the Temple, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but what I do have I give to you. Get up and start walking.” I am going to operate on the same premise as I further develop what I’ve learned so for those that come behind me they will have that head start of living out their dreams and becoming a success. You can do the same to develop your mind and give that gift to those coming behind you.

I have now declared 2014: The Year of Knowledge.

2014! Welcome to the Party!

On December 31 parties were ramping up all over the country in preparation for the New Year. Homes turned into night clubs and night clubs turned the party meter up to 11. On this night everyone gets in on the action of ringing in a new year with a party, from casinos to churches to neighborhoods to comedy clubs. The biggest block party of them all is Time Square where people come from all over the world just to welcome the New Year. Bringing in the New Year with a party goes together like bacon & eggs, biscuits & gravy, and well, like Dick Clark & New Year’s Eve. But what about the rest of the year, where’s its party?

When we leave the party, we are wearing a smile, anticipating dreams coming true and oftentimes forgetting when we wake there is a hangover waiting. It’s almost a foretelling, for too many it seems, that the hangover we are nursing is a precursor of what is to come for the year. Real life replaces the dreams and anticipation with pain, hurt, depression, just plain being sick and tired. The New Year with all its hope and promise at the celebration on December 31, even on January 1, seems to get short changed as the days roll by.

January 2^nd and following receives no party, no celebration because this is when the work really begins. The exercise, the planning and the rest of the new dreams from December 31^st now have to be put into action. It’s now when the rubber meets the road. This goes against today’s popular notion of instant success, glamorous riches and a life of ease. But ask anyone who has achieved those “dreams come true” experiences and they will tell you there was nothing easy about it.

There is something to be said about perseverance, goals, determination and hard work because each of those words are what it takes to achieve your new year’s resolutions. That’s when the real party begins, what happens on December 31^st should really be the first of many that occurs throughout the New Year.

I heard recently January 6^th tops the list of the most frustrating, angry and discouraging days of the year. The reason is that is how long it takes us to totally forget and give up on our dreams. Just 6 days is all. No wonder there are no more parties during the year, what is there to celebrate?

I have decided this year it will be different. 2014 will be the year of the party. No matter how large or small, every victory keeps me focused on my goal and strengthens my resolve to succeed, so it’s worth the year long party. With this renewed determination I have already seen small victories worthy of a party. I have already scored a meeting with a television executive, in talks with a national headliner about co-headlining some shows and various other events have validated my journey toward my dreams. As each of you win your own personal victories you can join me in making 2014 the year of the party.

So I say, “2014, Welcome to the party!”