The Power of Acceptance.
How Learning to Practice Acceptance Can Change Our Lives
Wouldn’t it be fabulous if everyone around us behaved exactly as we wanted them to? Without our even needing to tell them what we expected of them?
And wouldn’t it be amazing — if, when the people around us didn’t meet our unspoken expectations — they just CHANGED to suit our personal needs when we told them what they needed to do in order for us to feel comfortable with them?
Sounds great, doesn’t it? But it’s a trap, for two reasons:
Trying to change others makes us look like we’re manipulators or extremists and…
Having others around us who think and act differently is essential for our emotional, social, and spiritual growth
I’m asked frequently some version of this question: “What’s the point of doing improv if I’m not a performer or actor?”
I respond with some version of this answer: “Learning how to play with others - especially those who aren’t like us - is a crucial life skill, no matter your path in the world.”
The practice of improv focuses participants on staying present and agreeing with the context of what’s currently happening. That’s a kind of meditation: it requires participants to make and then sustain connections with each other. That, in turn, requires acceptance of one another.
Put it all together and we arrive at this stunning conclusion: practicing improvisation not only helps create a stronger, more resilient community of humans, but it also helps to create a stronger, more resilient self.
Of course, that’s easier said than done.
We all bring our psychology, history, joys, and trauma wherever we go. That usually creates some amount of fear, hesitation, and resistance when we show up to play. I’m no different in that respect, believe me: when I was learning how to improvise, I came face to face both with my anger issues and my impulses to control the world around me. I didn't really want to face it. If I’m 100 percent honest, the prospect of losing that part of my personality scared me.
My job was to accept those parts of me and let them go. My colleagues’ job was to accept where I was and find a way to improvise successfully with me. And my teachers’ job was to accept my abilities while patiently helping me realize my goals.
Acceptance, acceptance, acceptance.
It’s the opposite of insisting that others (or we!) change. It’s powerful enough to change the world, and I believe that it’s what we all need to practice every single day.
So whether you’re looking to begin or refine your practice, I invite you to join us at the studio for the kind of play that’s connecting, accepting, and incredibly fun!
Executive Summary
How improvising in Portland & improvisation, in general, helped me learn acceptance as a life skill.
Practicing improvisation is practicing acceptance: it’s the opposite of needing to be in control. Improvising in Portland, improv comedy in Portland, and Portland corporate training must all teach - I believe - the role of acceptance in the training process. When you think of taking an adult improv class, you probably think of “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?!?” or the practice of “Yes, And…”. But it’s really neither of those things. Improv begins with acceptance of self, others, and the situation. If you're seeking Portland management training or Portland executive training or you're in Portland Human Resources consider improv workshops that are taught by folks who understand this vital skill and know how to teach it. Improv classes aren't just for actors, they're also for managers and executives.