Sometimes you just have to stand-up....

I'm a comedian, or ...at least...I try to be. I do improv comedy, which many would say is more difficult (everything is made up on the spot), but, with improv, you still have the excuse of it being "off the cuff" if it doesn't go well. With stand up, however, you have plotted and planned what you will say.... and if it flops and you land on your face....(proverbially or literally) ...Perhaps it simply means you aren't funny.
I do a lot of standing up in other ways. I am currently fighting for the legalization of marijuana in Arkansas. I am an advocate for organic and sustainable farming, and I believe that parents have a right to choose whether their children recieve vaccines. Even so, nothing makes me feel more exposed than either singing or stand up comedy: Raw and vulnerable. Picturing the audience in their underwear would do me no good, either....because I'm very self conscious, and I'd likely just feel overdressed.

I truly admire a dear freind of mine who is a professional stand up comedian. He makes it look so easy. However, If you are someone who, like me, tends to curl up in the fetal position when exposed to possible criticism, (because you ultimately care too much about what other people think)...then here is a list of memes from famous people who knew their stuff....Let them impart their culture and wisdom on you today...and any time  to help you suck-it-up, buttercup....because life is too short to hide from your dreams.

1. Albert Einstein
In addition to being one of the smartest men alive, Einstein was a dreamer and a visionary. Best of all, he believed in you.

2.Bono

Besides fronting the decade spanning band U2, Bono uses his powers for good, and spends his free time and money saving the planet and visiting troops overseas. He wants you to follow your convictions, as well.

3.Eleanor Roosevelt

As far as amazing ladies go, Eleanor Rossevelt stands out as the first First-lady to take the reigns and make a difference. She shared her simple but effective plan for helping you to do the same.

4. Marilyn Monroe

Everyone (for the most part) has either wanted her or wanted to be her. Marilyn lived her life in hyper speed moving forward, and here she lets you in on the secret to leaving your behind in your past...or vice versa.

5.Mark Twain

Mark Twain was the true beginning of wit and witticism...(and a personal favorite of mine). He saw the mighty Mississipi River as a metaphor for true freedom. Let him remind you to that regrets are harder to live with than mistakes.

6.Bill Cosby

Even if you beieve the rumors about the man, he was still the childhood hope of dad serving chocolate cake for breakfast... Cosby lays down some great advice for you.

7.Oscar Wilde

This famous author reminds us that to be extraordinary, we must simply push the envelope. 

8. Roald Dahl

This british novelist knew that life wasn't all just a "giant peach", and strived to live with passion. His inspiring words tell his story, but at the same time, urge us to make it ours. 

9. Robert Frost

The poet Frost is a constant resolve to explore the unknown.....I can also imagine him saying, "I'm never lost....I'm simply somewhere new to me." I want to live that way.

10.Winston Churchill

One of the greatest people of the 20th century, Churchill believed in taking life by the square pegs and forcing them into the round holes. Oh that we should glean a fraction of his drive. We'd be unstoppable. 

I hope these have inspired you to want to start this new year off with conviction and passion and fire and courage. Finally, I'd like to leave you with one more highly quoatable celebrity. I recently attended Walt Disney World for the first time as an adult....I am in awe of the drive and purpose of Walt Disney. He was an amzing man. Could it have been his outlook on life that took him as far as he went?! Maybe. I will live my life trying to test the theory....peace.