I'm exhausted (again) on a Saturday night

Woah, it's already 2:30am!? Technically it's Sunday already and I'm just exhausted! Today was a long day, I attended the Take Out Comedy Stand-up Workshop to help Jami Gong (the owner) out and also share my experiences and views regarding stand-up comedy. I then did a Chinese set to a small audience tonight but decided to take it easy for the English show and for the first time, I just watched and didn't perform. It's a totally different experience I must admit! Very relaxed and I could enjoy the show as an audience member :)

We then did the usual and hit Bhatti Bar afterwards where all the comedians hang out and people mingle. It was fun just chatting with people and stuff. I have to say, no ego involved, I am enjoying how people every now and then are recognizing me off the streets. Just today, as I entered the comedy club, I heard someone say "Hey, that's Vivek Mahbubani the comedian", I turned around, walked back out and said "Hey, did you just say my name?" and started talking to these 2 people, it was an awesome feeling and I'm glad people are enjoying my sense of humor :) People who know me, know that one thing that makes he a content person is seeing other people around me happy and what better way to do it than through stand-up comedy!?

There's a lot every morning I wake up and I'm thankful about, one of them is the opportunity I've had to do stand-up comedy and not just that, but to do it successfully here in Hong Kong! Every step I'm taking in my stand-up comedy career is already a bonus and a dream to me so I'm enjoying the whole ride! Just to let you know, I've never been to Macao in my life and I've been invited to go perform at the Venitian Hotel in Macao! Well I'm opening for Paul Ogata (killer comedian!) but OMFG I'm going to Macao!!! Wahoo!! Who knows what's next man!

So you see what I'm thankful for everyday? A lot of good stuff is happening and some might say "oh, you're such a lucky person." OK, I have to stop you there, I'm not a big believer in luck, yes it exists, but I'm not one of those people to say you get places through luck. No comedian is ever lucky, it's all hard, honest work. I'm not trying to boast here but more like let you know that you shouldn't be sitting there saying "oh he's so lucky he could go do this"... no, that's a wrong attitude I tell you. Anthony Robbins once said, the best way to succeed is to imitate successful people. This is true, I'm not telling you to go out and hack other comics and perform, I'm saying learn their creative process, realize what they went through before they got to where they are, and understand that it's through all that effort put together that they made it to where they got in the end. I keep telling my Uncle how we were both joking in October 2007 about me doing stand-up comedy and how it'll be cool if I joined the competition. 4 months later look at where it's taken me! It's not luck, it's honest work and effort on my part!! You might say "oh, that's also because you've got a gimmick, you're a foreigner who speaks Cantonese"... hey stop right there, do you think I was born with the ability to speak the language? You have no idea how many hours I sacrificed as a kid to learn this language! While my friends were watching cartoons at home or playing video games, I was stuck in a tutorial center trying to perfect my Cantonese abilities!! I hated every bit of it back then, but today, I reap my reward and I thank my parents all the time for keeping at it and forcing me to learn when I was younger! Today, everyone I meet regrets taking the easier road and not learning the language!

So I really just wanted to share another example of heart and effort combined equals results you want. When you have the honest passion for something and you put in genuine effort, you're going to reap the rewards because that's the only outcome! You don't expect to sow a seed, water it and hope for nothing to grow, it's only nature for something to sprout from the soil! This is a recipe for success! Of course, easier said than done but once you do it and realize it's possible, you grow a certain level of faith in your abilities and anything is attainable.

So, yes, um good luck and I'm freaking sleepy. Goodnight!