Life lessons from improvisational theatre that you can apply to your life right away!
Like positivity, spotting opportunities, shared control and so much more. And other Monday Morning thoughts on Gmail productivity tips and a great visual on progress.
Lights on. Props ready.
Open the curtain in 3 - 2 - 1…
🎭 Life lessons from playing improvisational theatre (improv)
I mentioned improv already in a couple of newsletters but always wanted to do a bigger post on the advantages and how it changed my view on life. Here they are:
🥳 Positivity
I believe positive thinking is the biggest advantage. While there are no official rules in improv theatre, starting with positivity is kind of a big thing. There are multiple reasons for it. People don’t want to watch a show on a Friday night full of negative scenes, so you might lose engagement with the audience. But even more importantly, positivity, saying yes, leads to opportunities.
It’s hard though! It’s much easier to start a scene by yelling, crying or being frustrated. We’ve been trained and habituated to negativity. Think about it… How do you react when you send someone a text and they don’t text you back? Chances are big the inner voice in your head does something like this:
He/she doesn’t like me…
I probably sent something to upset them…
I should send apologies…
I really shouldn’t have said that…
…
Our brain is a master at creating stories instantly. If you have a negative default, the stories will be negative.
Let’s take another example. You are driving peacefully around in your car and suddenly you get into a car accident. Which stories your brain will create?
That guy is an asshole!
F*ck, I’m going to have to pay for this
My insurance rate will increase
I’m going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life
…
30 seconds later you’ll have to communicate with the other person. None of these thoughts will bring any good to this communication. What if you would switch it to something more neutral or positive? Something like…
Okay… I’m in a car accident. How I can handle this in a way that I will be proud of it? I’m just going to get out, act calm and be nice to the other person.
It really helps to have a positive mindset in life. Less complaining and less suspicious.
🌈 Opportunities
In improv, there is this great concept of “Yes, and..”. When somebody says something to us, we tend to answer very fast with “yes, but…” or “no, that’s not going to work because…”. Did you ever see a scene of 2 people blocking each other’s ideas? Spoiler alert: it’s not going to be fun.
Instead of blocking what the other person just said, we try to say “yes and” and add something amazing afterwards. It’s a great way to build a good story. The opportunities are countless and the story almost builds itself. It’s the same thing in real life: not constantly shutting down ideas, saying yes and figuring out a way to make ideas workable creates opportunities in life.
Want some inspiration? Go check out the movie “Yes Man” with Jim Carrey or the Yes Theory Youtube channel.
“There are people who prefer to say 'yes' and there are people who prefer to say 'no'. Those who say 'yes' are rewarded by the adventures they have. Those who say 'no' are rewarded by the safety they attain.” Keith Johnstone
🤝 Shared control
While playing improv, one moment you can come on stage and start acting like a troll carrying a dead body and the other moment your partner can reply with
“ahhh Julia, I’m so happy you’re here. Sit down darling, I’ll start with your nails immediately. You wanted something colourful, right sweetie?”.
Replying with
“I’m not Julia, I’m a badass troll”
would result in a very short and bad scene. As good improvising actors as we are, we accept what is happening, adapt to the new situation and build on the idea of the second actor.
“Yes, Giovanni! Make it your masterwork! As a way of inspiration, I brought a big bag full of stuff that reminds me of my childhood. Can you make a nail design based on that?”
We don’t block ideas, we accept and co-create. Both partners share control of what is happening on stage. You literally train yourself to adapt.
Similarly, you can have a plan for life, but life also has an input for you. We have to adapt all the time. The more comfortable you are at this, the better.
⚡ Other advantages
Okay, I see I can go on and on. A newsletter is not the best way of communicating all of the advantages. I might do a video or podcast on the topic later on. Here is a summary of some of the other life improvements:
It makes you a better listener: in improv, all you have is what the other person is saying, so you have to be a good listener
It makes you more empathetic: you have to see the new reality from their perspective. It teaches you to accept more than you would in real life. A lot of that moves into your real life.
It makes you more curious in life. It makes you ask more questions: instead of “okay sounds cool'“, you shift your way of asking questions to “I don’t know anything about that. Tell me everything”
You learn to face risk. You learn to handle failure. You learn to step out of your comfort zone
It creates great friendships. You’re learning something new while being very vulnerable
You become better at tuning in with your emotions. By labelling and playing fake emotions.
You upgrade your presentation and communication skills
You get high on energy after a great class or a fantastic show
It’s definitely a boost for your confidence!
😍 My Favorite Things of last week
📝 This post with some great tips on using Gmail more productively and getting more out of the tool (you have to actually open the post and swipe to see the tips)
✍ I did a writing workshop with Bowie Redman. Next to a very cool visualisation exercise, writing a Pantoum poem and a free writing exercise, she also dived into the world of subconscious writing. I definitely recommend it.
🗨 Quote of the week
“My worry can’t change the future. My regret can’t change the past.”
✏ Visual of the week
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