I love doing stand-up because I love telling embarrassing stories to strangers. Some times I’m afraid I’ve run out of stories but then I’ll remember something I did as a kid and physically cringe at the memory and that’s when I know I need to share it on stage.
When I perform I always share a message on confession and importance of vulnerability. I hope people don’t think I’m just slapping that on at the end as a separate after thought. The whole show is a part of that message. The embarrassing stories are a way to introduce it. “Look! I shared some of my most humiliating stories and I’m still standing. It didn’t destroy me for me to say it out loud. It’s possible to talk about the things in our life that scare us in such a way that they don’t feel as heavy and daunting. You might one day be able to laugh about it. But it starts with a willingness to wrap words around it.” That’s what I’m trying to say in my material.
Hopefully that comes through.