Pete Holmes and The Sklar Brothers: Performing, possibly failing - That's living the dream

"If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough"
- Unknown

Lose Yourself

Yesterday I had an interview to return to my old job. Despite the fact I was returning to familiar territory with familiar faces, I found myself having butterflies in my stomach. I don't recall having been this tense my entire year abroad.

After playing basketball socially all over Europe my hope was to continue playing at home which I rarely did prior to my trip. As I drove to my first game with ex-workmates, I felt a nervousness I never felt when I was playing with complete strangers on the other side of the world. I guess the familiar isn't quite in my comfort zone, a fascination with anonymity perhaps?

In preparation for the Ribeira jump with the Brazilian Safados

Everyone has a different definition for what they feel is "going out on a limb". I know for me that's when I feel most alive, when its time to perform. Comedians the Sklar Brother in conversation with Pete Holmes talk about the thrill of being on stage and the optics of living the dream:

You made it Weird with Pete Holmes - Sklar Brothers on living the dream

'You Made it Weird' with Pete Holmes: Episode 31 - The Sklar Brothers

SKLAR BROTHERS: (78m 40s) When you think about what performing is, whatever the scenario even if you're in front of the most friendly crowd ever. Performing is you taking yourself out of your comfort zone... especially if you're trying new material and literally saying "I could fail right now".

You're doing what 99% of people never do once in their day ever. Or in there life in a year. You are saying on a nightly basis, we're gonna put ourselves up and put ideas out there to be shit on in front of our very eyes

PETE HOLMES: Live.
SKLARS: In front of you.
HOLMES: I wanna see how this happens.

SKLARS: Respond. So you're taking yourself and literally living life to its fullest... We had to remind ourselves of that because its that scary.

HOLMES: Isn't that brilliant because living life to its fullest doesn't feel like you think it will and it takes so long to get comfortable with it. At first the greatest thing I've ever done used to make me vomit '8 Mile' style. I had to tell myself "I'm living the dream"

Find previous Pete Holmes podcast references below:
- Pete Holmes collection: Adjacent experiences
- Zach Cregger: Being a kid again and the power of "play"
- Matt Besser: Travel coincidences and Counting the serendipities
- Duncan Trussell: Traveling, living the dream and remembering it
- Kyle Kinane: Being excited everyday
- The Sklar Brothers: Performing, possibly failing - That's living the dream
- A question answered with a quote: Comedy Podcasts

<< crossposted on the '30 Home Games' blog