Conscious Living: 10 Years & Counting

This morning I read an article by psychotherapist Bonnie KatzĀ about the emotional roller coaster ride Actors are subject to throughout their careersĀ – especially those of us auditioning for that break-out role – and what it takes to be The Conscious Actor.

RichTola2007Whether or not your life’sĀ calling takes you on that rather lonely path of emotionalĀ ups and downsĀ filled with countlessĀ auditions resulting inĀ countlessĀ silent rejections (which I more colorfully addressĀ in my memoir), then take Bonnie’s advice when she says,Ā “Be your own best friend and take care of your emotional life. Stay away from people who are negative and not supportive of you. Be around people who lift you up, not pull you down.” No doubt.

Most importantly – at least I think so and something I’ve been blogging about since I started this website 6 years ago – andĀ as BonnieĀ says, “Keep yourself in top mental and physical shape.”

Interestingly enough, this week marks my 10 year anniversary of practicing the “Conscious Living” ArtĀ of Yoga. Talk about keeping you in excellent mental and physical shape…not to mention spiritual, Yoga is an amazing way to level offĀ those emotional ups and downs no matter what path you’re on. For the past 9 years, I’ve taught more than 20,000 students and there’s no question that every single one of them has benefited from taking at least one class.

Positivity not negativity. Strong body and a clear mind. Believe you can and sit tall in the saddle. Never judge yourself, just do the best you possibly can and delete excuses from your repertoire. All things I recommend no matter what you do in life. And workout every single day whileĀ incorporating the principles of Yoga into your everyday life.

It’s worked for me and it willĀ certainly work for you. Peace – R

Practice Makes Perfect…Otherwise Hit the Gym

Another show under my belt and another reason to go back to the drawing board. Because practice makes perfect, or at the very least, gives you the opportunity to evolve whatever you’re doing. If that’s not working, then hit the gym and get your workout in…that always helps!

Rich Tola at Flappers Comedy Club
Rich Tola at Flappers Comedy Club – May ’15

This past weekend Ā I performed again atĀ Flappers Comedy ClubĀ in Burbank, CA and triedĀ all new material that was funnier than my previous show – that’s a good thing! Because with stand-up comedy it’s all about delivering your jokes with as few words as possible and with as much attitude as possible, then refining them soon thereafter toĀ get them to work. And for thoseĀ jokes that are already working, i.e., everyone’s laughing hysterically, then don’t change a thing. So they say…whoever “they” is.

Either way the key is to keep improvingĀ your stand-up comedy act to one that flows seamlessly and effortlessly while you’re simply having a conversation with the audience. Something I’m progressing with, a task much easier said then done.

Hope to see you at my next Flappers show on Father’s Day, June 21st in the Main Room. Ā – R

Stand-up in the East Village NYC & next show in LA

eastvillecomedy clubHappy Cinco de Mayo everyone…hope you’re having an awesome day!

I’m looking forward to returning to NYC next week and will be performingĀ at the EastVille Comedy Club on 85 E. 4th StreetĀ next Tuesday, May 12th starting at 6p. Ā My next LA show will be at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Saturday, May 23rd from 7:30-9p in the YooHoo Room.

Good stuff all around as I continue to write new Stand-up material andĀ learnĀ that just becauseĀ you have a greatĀ Topic and aĀ Premise, doesn’t mean you’ll have a greatĀ joke. Thus the need toĀ keep re-working your material again and again, once you’ve tried it in public.

Like I did at my recent Flappers show on April 24th. It’s always a rush when you get whenĀ you get up on stage, plus you learn a lot about what jokes are working as well as get accustomed to both hot and cold audiences. Quite a journey, and one that gets better with each performance.

Keep believing you can & sit tall in the saddle. And don’t forget your daily workout! Peace – R

Tola Talks Dakota Johnson’s SNL skit & Will Smith’s Focus

Tola Talks about the luckiest man alive who survived free falling unconscious at 4,000 feet, plus all the furor over SNL’s skit with Dakota Johnson heading off to join ISIS and a RIP tribute to Leonard Nimoy, aka Mr. Spock. It’s also Movie Monday so check-out my review of Will Smith’s new film, Focus…withĀ some talk about my return to stand-up comedy tomorrow night in LA.

Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks