![]() ![]() So I’ll go on with an inbox that’s a bit overgrown (sorry for not responding yet, Jack and James - I really appreciate both of you!) but rest in the knowledge that I’m doing hard, ambitious, and risky things, like the Leading Change group that just started today. After all, my most important tasks are, almost by definition, high stakes. That’s been a game-changer for me, not just because it helps me prioritize, but also because it helps me work through the fear that procrastination is often a cover for. I don’t do that, but I do take some time to reflect each week on what my most important work is. In some Buddhist traditions, monks spend the first moments of their day meditating on the inevitability of change and death in order to understand the importance of living in the moment every day. ![]() This can either become a debilitating thought that stifles our creativity, or it can be a powerful motivator for change and growth. Being good at plowing through my to-do list paradoxically increases the length of my list. When I reply to an email, I’m more likely to get an email back that I - again - have to reply to. But, those tasks often generate more work for us. We get a bit of a dopamine hit when we complete those. Paying bills, sending emails, making reservations. Our to-do lists tend to push us to focus on the minutiae in our lives. Someday we will look at our “To Do” list and have to accept that not everything will be crossed off in the end.Īnd it’s even starker than this as Oliver Burkeman writes in his delightful book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. We all have so many hopes and dreams that we hope to realize one day, but whether we think about it or not, we’ve got a finite time on this planet to accomplish our goals. But what caught my attention is the deep truth in the line: “death comes to us all.”ĭeath isn’t something most of us like to think about. I love a little awkwardness as much as (more than, perhaps?) the next person. You don’t want everyone else in, taking advantage of all the lovely little ice cubes that you created, so freeze it over again before you leave, so as you’re leaving just slide something under the fence like ‘death comes to us all’ or something like that.” “A lot of people tell you when you’re schmoozing to have a good icebreaker, but what they won’t tell you, yeah, is at the end of the conversation, unbreak the ice. To paraphrase the setup for the joke, Acaster says he was at a party where he was doing his best to start up a conversation: Anyway, I was watching his Netflix special, James Acaster: Repertoire, and one of his jokes sparked a thought for me. His absurdist British humor is just the right mix of silly and thoughtful that I love to watch and relax to after a long day. According to the Decider, ”Looking like a young Conan O’Brien, and sounding like a young John Oliver, Acaster exhibits parts of what makes all of those comedians great, from parts both whimsical and thought-provoking.I was watching a comedy special from James Acaster, one of my favorite comedians. In four parts, he addresses divorce and falling out of love, he talks about Pret A Manger and loopholes, the existential crisis of assigning a happiness rating to your smile, and the psychological distress of leading a conga line. In Reset, Acaster enters a witness protection program, as well as offering a bit of analysis on Brexit. Recognise is about a post-breakup identity crisis. Each section addresses genuine difficulties in his life. But his stand-up is also poignant and reveals deeper truths about humanity and makes the show quite somber. Acaster is the only comedian where I’ve watched him a second time and still laughed at the jokes. ![]() He then becomes an undercover cop who infiltrates a street gang and begins a podcast. He then has to go into witness protection, ends up on jury duty where he meets the worst person in existence. A story of a criminal who accidentally shouted out his entire postcode in an altercation with a rival street gang. You go on a roller coaster of emotions in one cohesive story. A throwaway gag in one part could be called back to in a different part with a delightful payoff. That’s why you should watch it all in one go. He utilizes callbacks in his routines, not as the ending of his special but to enhance an already hilarious joke. A story that you can follow if you watch all four episodes which I highly suggest you do. He talks about cheese graters, the annoyance of certain kinds of lamps, bananas, witness protection, and apricots, and somehow it all still fits a story. The special has a balance of style and substance. It somehow succeeds in having the classic “have you ever noticed this” schtick but updated it for a new group of comedy goers. His four-part Netflix special, Repertoire, is comedy gold. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m a huge fan of this comedian. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |