An Introduction

I can’t deny it. I enjoyed being a stand-up comic. The audience always gave me energy. I loved to hear the laughter and the applause. My wife never actually said I was funny though, she would say I was really “entertaining.” I thought I was funny.

 I also can’t lie about it; I never really got that far. Stand-up comedy requires a lot of time on stage and I never really put that time in. My friends that have seen some success in “the biz” have devoted their lives to developing a “killer” 45 minute routine. They hone every aspect of their story until it comes off with the timing and precision of a space landing; and they do it all without a ground crew. I, on the other hand, got tired of hearing my own routine. If I had to hear  “. . . and then the Doctor said: “Does obesity run in your family? Doc; nobody runs in my family.” come out of my mouth with that over exaggerated “Long Island” accent; one more time . . I was gonna puke.

I lost my stand-up thunder right around the time I discovered the art of “Improv.” If you have ever seen the show “Whose line is it anyway?,” that; is Improv. The actors make up an entire show from what the audience says and does. I took to it like a duck to water. I never got tired of doing it. It required me to think on my feet. I needed to be part of the creation of the audience’s story. It required all my energy and it also required that I trust the people who were making up the story with me. As the story progressed, it was an ultimate give and take. In the end; the story was a gift to the audience. More often, good or bad, they loved it because it was theirs. The only real rule of this game is to accept everyone and every thing as they came.

            At the very end of this book is my story. It is interesting enough, I suppose. Your basic boy is fat, boy loses weight, boy gains weight, boy gains more weight, man loses weight, man gains weight . . . . yada, yada;  man changes whole life kinda thing. Frankly, I am a bit sick of hearing it. Read it if you want. It may help the words in this book to have more value for you. If you think knowing my story will help you; great. Read it! I won’t be offended if you don’t.

I have to be honest, though this book did start with my story. When I first envisioned writing it, it was my story. That’s all it was. It wasn’t going to help anyone. It may have been “entertaining,” but not helpful. Even if I thought it was. In the end it would have been my gift to myself. But the gift would have been an empty box. I am sure I would have gotten tired of “playing” with it in a very short time. It would have gone about as far as my ill fated career as a stand-up comic. I am glad I found Improv.

            This book is about your story, the one we are going to create together. It is my gift to you. No matter what, you are going to love it because it will be yours. All you have to do is trust the other actors, think on your feet, devote your energy and; above all accept everyone and everything as it comes. The curtain is going up now . . . . and you are going to be fine.

Acknowledgements - Thank You - Everybody - No, Really

It has been amazing but absolutely everyone I have come into contact with since I have started this book has contributed in some way. Dr. Wayne Dyer once said: "Everyone is my teacher." As it so happens, if you allow yourself to see the world that way, you end up learning a whole lot. The more you "look" for teachers; the more teachers you find. The more teachers you find, the more you learn.

Of course, there are the biggies. My wife puts up with a lot of crap from me as a rule. I tend to be "a little intense." This book has put me into intensity overload. As I push to get this book out of my head, I have been going to my "special writing place" (Panera Bread) 40 hours a week. That's 40 hours after work. She has not seen too much of me. She just walked in. It's my 41st birthday and my friends are now gathering here at the Panera bread. I am still writing. Boy, do I have good friends.

My children have totally understood as well. I can't believe how adult they are. They have been supportive beyond belief.

Ann, my writing coach, has been there in person, on the phone and by email. She has put up with the fact that I have "my own way" and I have been learning to "give into the process." She has an awesome system. When I finally let that system work for me, a book came out!!

This book is as much about telling good stories as it is about weight loss. Writing a book is a glorious and often painful process.  It is the delicate and hopefully elegant telling of a story. In the case of this book, it is the telling of many stories. The telling of a good story requires a detailed understanding of the material, clarity in thought, organization and  most of all it requires that you treat the subject honestly. In every regard, the most important aspect to the telling of a good, honest story is the good counsel of those you trust. Nothing takes the place of good editing and coaching. The professionals you entrust keep your story honest. They provide you the benefit of a clear, well informed perspective.  In essence this book is about changing your life. It is a guide on how to make the story of your life better. If you look in the mirror and do not like the person you see; what you need to do is write yourself a better story. Like writing a book, it is a glorious and often painful process. It requires an understanding of the subject (you), clarity in thought, organization and most of all it requires that you treat the subject (again, you) honestly. Most importantly, it requires that you seek the eyes of the people best equipped to make your story the best it can be. Remember, no one ever writes their story alone. The creation of a great story is a truly magical process. As you create your story it is constantly evolving and changing. Such is the journey of life.  When you begin writing your new “life story”, remember  it does not have to be perfect. Allow for spelling errors, grammatical faux pas, and major changes in the plot line. You have your whole life to edit it. What I have come to understand is that writing the story is easy; re-writing the story is hard.