What inspires you?  

What makes you get out of bed every morning and go “…Ok fine, fuck it. I’m up!” and get your day going? 

  For me, it’s hard work.  Not even my own hard work.  OTHER people’s hard work.  My mom is retiring this year from her position as a Staff Specialist for the American Hospital Association, and I cannot help but think of her every time I’m having a “bad” day.  I could not do what she did.  Well, I could if I had to, I think? I don’t know…I don’t wanna know lol  What I do know is…

Story Time: I once met this 20yr old performer in a bar after my show on a cruise ship. He had six-pack abs. They were busting through his shirt. He wasn't showing off, it was just how the guy was built honestly. He was an aerialist. All aerialists are muscles with eyebrows.  Great kid too!  But he wasn't confident around women. He told me in confidence that he just "felt awkward and never knew what to say to girls."

I smirked, pointed to his stomach and said "Worry about having a personality when those go…

  A New Year.  A new day to be your best self.  But what if I told you there is no such thing as self? Would you stick around to hear what I have to say? Or would you dismiss my words based on their close resemblance to Hippie Rhetoric? Well let me end that now: I'm not a hippie. I'm black. Maybe one day I'll explain why black people can never truly be hippies in this country, but I feel like race can often take readers off track if it's not what we're talking about...or are we talking about it?...Maybe…

Sucky people know they suck. No need to remind them unless you just like hearing your own voice.   

Appreciate people who appreciate you. Don't search for the approval of an asshole. Someone probably made you do that when you were little, you don't remember who, and now your brain has been screwed for decades. So ask yourself, has anyone ever changed because you sought approval from them?...Exactly. Focus on the good people.   

Time is limited. You are not.   

There are fulfilling comedy careers…

  The best advice I ever received was from a woman I loved who I had no future with. She said, simply: "Don't look back. What we had was what we had, and we should both try to move on."  

  She was SO right. But years of habit mixed with bruised ego told me a different story in my mind. All I had to do to avoid the subsequent years of future pain, regret and self sabotage was listen for a few precious seconds.  

  And yet...It was all those awful moments I put myself through during the time after our…