This past February I performed comedy at a fundraiser for my high school alma mater, Ida Crown Jewish Academy, in Chicago. The food was fantastic, which is almost as important as getting laughs. Thankfully, I did get laughs, especially considering how internally terrified I was to perform five feet in front of my high school principal.
It was a full-circle moment because I had recently opened my yearbook from 12th grade and saw that for the section that guessed what everyone will be doing in 10 years, mine apparently said, “comedian.”
Having decided in 2023 to make the leap to do comedy full-time, it felt cool to see that more than 15 years ago, there was a hint of something that would eventually be my career. This is especially comforting since I don’t have any other real skills.
This time of year, it’s very easy to overly guilt ourselves into what we messed up on, instead of cutting ourselves some slack and focus on what we did right, how far we’ve come, and what we’ve accomplished. And while this isn’t as funny as I’d like it to be, it’s an important lesson to internalize.