Hi everyone. I’m Lenny Ravich Humorist, Inspiration Keynote Speaker in London, and author of the bestselling book “Everlasting Optimism.”

I hope to have my 87th birthday this July, and some people ask me if I am afraid of death. My answer is: “Of course not. I’m too old to die”.

In my last article I spoke about the highest speaking echelon called “The Joker is Wild.” But I promised to reveal the secret of an even higher stratum: The Master Speaker! I would like to talk about my journey, if I may.

Mastery can be achieved in any field or subject, but it required my determination and willingness to identify my core passion and signature strength, which eventually became my mission and purpose in life. 

Mastery is not really a goal but rather a process or a journey. It is not reserved for the super-talented. It is available to anyone who is willing to get on the path and stay on it, regardless of age, sex or previous experience. Achieving immediate gratification and instant success is out of the question. To be a master is to be a learner. To be a learner, I’ve got to be willing to be a fool.

“Stay foolish” …Steve Jobs.

It started with baby steps. I worked and I learned…slowly. I found myself becoming impatient. And then after some time, a light went on. I made progress. Then I reached a plateau and didn’t seem to budge. I realized that going for mastery wasn’t going to bring me the quick rewards I had hoped for.

 There was a seemingly endless road ahead of me with numerous setbacks along the way, and plenty of time on the plateau where long hours of diligent practice gained me no apparent progress at all. It was not a pleasure for someone like me who is highly goal-oriented. 

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

I realized that I had to make a decision at some point along the expedition. I was tempted to drop everything and look for something easier or I could stay on the long…extremely time-consuming and painful road to mastery. I chose to stay. I couldn’t envision my life without being a master-speaker-comic. I felt the fear and did it anyway.

I’m a workhorse, not a genius.  “I will get to my goal in life, but slowly and with much anguish”. This was my path. It would take me twenty years to become an overnight success. 

I took the route in becoming a master in the field of humor and laughter. I was committed to enjoying the ride. I read any book I could find on the subjects, attended congresses, workshops and courses all over the world and sought out the best teachers, gurus and guides who could help me to learn how to serve others through discovering my own expertise and eloquence.

I found that passion may lead me to the platform, but mastery would sustain me. I knew instinctively that practice would afford me the opportunity to reach greater heights.

The Challenges

I even received many invitations to give talks at events taking place in restaurants. Some speechmakers I know personally have vowed never to appear during a dinner due to the super, poor conditions.

One time I presented in a bistro which was divided into two rooms. If one-half of the audience saw and heard me, the other half couldn’t. I spent the entire presentation running from room to room laughing out loud. It was the theater of the absurd. Why didn’t I refuse to present under those pitiable circumstances? Because this was one more step in becoming a master that I found hard to refuse. “Bring it on, baby.”   

There is no such thing as making a vow, starting out to accomplish a goal and not being confronted the opportunities to overcome trials. Conflicts were my good friends since they tested my strength. Many times I agreed to continue my talks even though the room was so dark you couldn’t even see me and the soun….soun…sound was fla-w-ed to the po-oi-nt of farcicality. I didn’t walk off stage as many performers do. Oh, no. My higher spirits would tell me, “Deal with it, kid. This is just grist for the mill.”

Added Value

In order to be number one in my field of choice meant going the extra mile in giving my audiences added value. I would not only be funny and hear the laughter, but I would also promise them that if they took out an hour of their valuable time to listen to me that I would get them to feel better about themselves, plus they would be given skills on how to perceive life in a lighter and enhanced way.

 I would always ask myself: “What can I do to raise the value of my service to my audiences and the meeting planners who have shown me the trust by inviting me to speak?” 

I was committed to being a master speaker, making strides to better the world and myself with each presentation and blessing these challenges that afforded me in reaching a higher level.  THE WIZARD! I will write about this character in my next article.

If you would like to book a comical, inspirational speaker for your next event, or would like one on one sessions, contact www.lennyravich.org 

Be well.