A big congratulations to my brother-in-law and his comedy group on their successful Kickstarter and the resulting theatre they will be opening soon!
Himself and I were lucky enough to be able to donate a little something to the fund and also attend the celebration show. Which made me re-realize just how much fun improv comedy is, how challenging it is, and how much the philosophy of successful improv can apply to life in general.
One of the foundations of improv is the idea of "yes and". At its essence, the "yes and" idea is one of acceptance, validation, and cooperation. In improv it simply means accepting your fellow actor's idea and then building on it. A simple concept in theory but often quite difficult to actually execute. However, it is the struggle of merging two different ideas, two different minds, that is half of where the comedy comes from and witnessing the effort and being in awe of it that brings such great entertainment to the audience. Yes is always more difficult than no but the rewards are so much deeper and more meaningful because of the challenge and because is brings people with you side by side.
Life is no different. Doing is always more difficult than not doing, accepting is always more difficult than denying. Yes is so much harder than no. But no blocks forward movement. When you say no, when you invalidate someone's idea or offer, you block progression; progression of yourself, progression of the relationship, progression of . . . everything. No kills growth.
"Yes" allows for endless possibilities. By saying yes you are saying that this idea, this action, is important, valid, acceptable, and appreciated. This feeling extends to the person themselves and gives them all of those feelings: importance, validation, acceptance, and appreciation. These feelings strengthen the bonds between people, allowing relationships to strengthen and grow. And this all allows for further ideas to be exchanged without fear of rejection.
"Yes and" takes the joys of yes and builds on them further. It shows cooperation, that you are willing to expose yourself as much as they, that you are willing to take the same risks, to put yourself on the line as much as everyone else. This helps break the fear of failure. "Yes and" means that no one is alone, no one is exposed or at risk because they have someone with them who will accept them for who they are and trust them.
Yes and. It's simple in concept, difficult in execution, but quite possibly the answer to so many problems in our lives and in society. Take the time to stop and think about how you interact with people and events and add a little "yes and" into your life and see if things change.
