Playful. Silly. Totally Unscripted.

I know in the past I’ve mentioned how much I love improv. The more classes and shows I have, the more I come to find improv as a life philosophy. Don’t worry, I’ll explain my reasoning.

Yes and…

Improv’s biggest rule is to yes and whatever your scene partner has created. Not only do you acknowledge the reality established, but you then add information and context (hence the AND).

In life, I think people should do more yes and-ing. Let’s say your boyfriend is all like hey I want to run a marathon. You would respond with something like baby that’s awesome. Let’s get you a pair of running shoes and a training schedule. I think yes and-ing is a great thing for parents as well. It shows complete support and enthusiasm for their children's ideas.

Playfulness

Improv at its best is essentially adults playing. Letting your repressed imagination have fun and act out all it can. It’s one of the most therapeutic ways to release tension and elevate your mood to pure joy.

As adults, we have to follow the professional code of conduct set by our jobs and common day society. How boring is it to not be able to have a little fun and crack a joke in the workplace? Being playful is a refreshing moment in an otherwise straight-laced work environment. Being playful let’s your mind relax and have fun. This can only lead to creative and innovated ideas, strategies and tactics.

Being playful is our way of never letting go of who we were when we were five. It’s as easy as being like “hey we’re waffles swimming in chocolate.” Yup. You betcha we are and it’s going to be deliciously entertaining.

Trust

The best improv is when your teammates have a solid sense of trust with each other. Never will you have to worry again on stage. No one gets hung out to dry. No one gets humiliated. No one fails. It’s a beautiful thing.

Imagine the sense of security unwavering trust brings. If you had this kind of trust in your daily life, you would be more confident and take more risks knowing someone has your back. Knowing you’re not alone is the first step to enormous success.

Letting go of Control

Trying to control the outcome of an improv scene is the dumbest thing you can do. You can’t have a plot already worked out in your head because improv scenes never go as planned. Wanting to control a scene is just a high five of disaster waiting to happen.

In reality, trying to control the outcome of any situation or event will only lead to unmet expectations and disappointment. Life is more fun when the outcome is up in the air. Don’t expect anything and you get endless possible outcomes. Don’t limit yourself just to one result. 

And the best thing about improv? Creating masterpieces out of nothing. It's the magic of knowing everything beautiful and worthwhile is already in your mind, it's just waiting for you to acknowledge it.