Tonight Only....The Laugh Doctor (with Chris Rock)

In 1990, I was booked on the same bill with
Chris Rock at a black comedy club in
Chicago. If you've never seen my stand-up
comedy, I'm a middle-aged, white, physician
who is (according to The Wall Street
Journal) a "cross between Bill Cosby and Mr.
Rogers." The audience was kind to me, but I
was a fish out of water that night,
playing a tough room.

How Can a "Tough Room" Help You?

Comedians call unreceptive or unappreciative
audiences "tough rooms." But I've learned
that playing tough rooms brings out the
excellence in you, especially if you know
how to cultivate the experience. So much,
in fact, that I've created a new Fun
Commandment for it: Play the Tough Rooms Too.

Why does this Commandment work so well? When
you're out of your normal routine, your
comfort zone, you're forced to look anew at
your habits and techniques.

Remember, a piece of steel can only
become a gleaming sword by being
inserted into fire. While I don't want you
to get burned, playing a tough room can be
just as unsettling and almost always just
as transformational if you're willing
to take advantage of it.

How to Start Playing Tough Rooms Today

How do you play the tough rooms in your
everyday life? You don't necessarily need
to search out tough situations and throw
yourself into them, you start by simply
making a commitment to not shirk, or duck
out on, difficult people or situations.

I could've easily "called in sick" when I
found out about my booking at the comedy
club in Chicago, but then I would've missed
out on a tremendous learning
experience.

This type of commitment to play the tough
rooms, to deal with whatever is put on your
plate today, saves you from spiritual "flat
tires." A spiritual flat tire occurs when
you sidestep something that has been placed
in your path because you don't want to deal
with it.

You might duck into an empty storage closet,
for example, as you hear an obnoxious co-
worker coming down the hallway. (I've
done that!)

You Don't Want a Flat Tire, Do You?

These actions produce flat tires for one
reason - nothing in your life happens by
accident! Every situation is a learning
experience and, although you'd rather avoid
some of the lessons, you are destined to
grow and change from each one. So, choosing
to avoid the tough room and bowing out of a
difficult situation, cheats you out of a
life-lesson and gives you a flat tire.

That tough room in Chicago taught me to stop
trying to make audiences laugh and, instead,
have fun with them. An important lesson for
me, I can assure you!

Once you make a commitment and begin playing
the tough rooms too, you'll be so glad you
did because the freedom and growth are
tremendous! Accept the invitation to the
cocktail party where you'll feel a bit
uncomfortable or go out dancing to the
nightclub the "cool" people frequent. Play
the tough room this week and witness your
humor nature soar!

In two weeks, I'll give you some surefire
techniques to take full advantage of your
decision to play the tough rooms. Until
then, please let me know how it goes.

Your Attention Please!
Cori Young is a friend of ours; a member of
our Humor Being Network, Cori even has an
article published on our website (it's a
great article about science proving the
usefulness of love in child development). I'd
like you to visit Cori's website and
check out some really cool, fun stuff which
will help you be even healthier and happier than
you are now. Visit her today and take some
time to look into her great wallcharts - I
love 'em!

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