If you’ve been doing improv for a bit of time, think about it for a second:
Are you the same person as the one who signed up for a beginner course?
Probably not.
You first pushed through the discomfort of picking up a new activity as an adult, of showing up to a space filled with friendly - yet unfamiliar faces. Being a beginner again may feel unnatural and vulnerable to us as grown-ups. So that’s step 1 of the change: you faced your fear, whether it took the shape of discomfort, risk aversion, social anxiety or self-doubt.
Then you came back the next time. And the next. And again, until you’ve been doing improv for weeks or months. You’ve stuck with it. Soon enough, you’re dragging your friends to shows, traveling to another city for a workshop, casually dropping 'well, as an improviser...’ in a first-date conversation: you committed. You leaned in. Here’s step two for you.
Eventually, you start feeling things reshuffling inside you. You start saying ‘yes, mmm, sure, yes’, shaking your head, and actively engaging when people talk to you. You start making eye contact again. You listen actively and acutely to others - and yourself.
You jump into new situations with ease. You stop looking at your notes when doing a presentation. You stay to play with your kids a bit longer. You shake hands with the unknown. You’re improvising.
You’re an improviser. 🌻
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