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Remember Life Must Be Lived Forward
It’s liberating to be able to allow myself to let go of the past and simply be in the moment.
This year I’ve done a lot of new things. One of them is taking improv classes. For those of you who don’t know what improv is, it is a form of theatre that is performed unscripted, completely made up by the performers on the spot. It’s a great way to improve communication skills and confidence.
It’s now week three for me. I’ve gone through many techniques and done countless scenes with my coursemates. It’s been pretty amazing. I find myself more daring, more comfortable expressing myself, less self-conscious, and all-around more communicative.
However, as a newbie and also someone who isn’t a comedian, there were many times I felt awkward about my responses, i.e. I thought they weren’t funny or brilliant or didn’t help continue the scene. Usually, I would’ve dwelled on those instances and beaten myself up.
But because in improv, the scenes are often short and go by really fast while you have to be completely engaged to support your partners, you don’t really have time to think back and process what you just did. You have to be in the moment and just go with it. And it’s all okay. It’s fun regardless.
