I cried in public (best night of my life)

Last weekend I filmed my first ever comedy special. I sold out all 3 shows. I did 2 shows on Friday night. They were the best shows I had ever done. The crowds, the material, the crowd work. Then I had one show on Saturday night. It was the best show of my life. I oversold the show so it was completely packed. About 25% of the crowd were friends of mine. People who live in Boise (where I live and filmed the special) and friends from all over the world who came out for the show. The crowd was the best I’ve ever performed for. (No offense to the Friday crowds. You were amazing too. For real.) My material and delivery was the best it’s ever been. (Although I forgot to do two of my best jokes on Saturday night. That’s why we did 3 shows haha.) At the end of the show the crowd gave me a standing ovation. It was overwhelming. I was fighting back tears just standing there taking it all in. Then I brought three people up on stage with me to thank them. My buddy Chris Brooks, who’s a hilarious comedian. He was at my first set I ever did when I was 24 years old. Without him I may have never gotten on stage. My buddy Garrett Gunderson. He’s a world class speaker and author…and a damn funny comedian. He and I went on tour together last year because of HIS hard work. This special wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good without him. And my director and comedy mentor Marcus Hardy. He’s one of the funniest people in the world and legit the best mentor I’ve ever had. He got 2nd place on Last Comic Standing and he’s helped me beyond anything I ever could’ve imagined. When I brought them on stage to thank them I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. Even just writing this is emotional. The floodgates opened and I couldn’t help but let the tears out in front of everyone. I had never been so grateful in my life. It was 9 years between my first set and my special. I knew after my first ever set that comedy is what I wanted to do for a living. To finally achieve that breakthrough moment of filming my first special was an intense moment. And to do in front of my best friends made it even more special. (No pun intended.) I never fully realized how hard I’d worked until it was over. I did 7 shows when I was 24 years old in San Diego. Then I pretty much stopped for 4 years when I moved to Austin because I focused on business and copywriting. And I didn’t enjoy the comedy scene there. When I was 28 years old I moved to LA to take comedy seriously. After about 8 months of being there, this thing called a pandemic happened. All comedy shut down. Cancel culture was at its peak. I really didn’t know if stand up comedy was ever gonna be a real thing again. (Which seems crazy to think now.) A few months into the pandemic I moved to Boise, ID. I doubled down on my business because the future of comedy as a whole was uncertain. Then last year I went on tour with Garrett and knew it was time to fully pursue my dreams. Then I finally booked the dates for my special.  I legit didn’t know if I’d sell any tickets. A month before the special I had only sold 30. I ended up selling out all 3 shows in advance. I couldn’t believe it. Then the shows ended up exceeding all my expectations. After the show I went in to the green room by myself to spend a few minutes alone. I sat there and teared up again. I let myself feel all the feelings. It was an odd moment because I realized right then that it was legit the best night of my life. I was aware of it WHILE it was happening. I don’t feel like that happens often. You don’t really know something was the best thing ever until later. It was surreal to realize it while it was going on. I’m sharing all of this for a few reasons… 1. I haven’t emailed my email list for 8 days. I think that’s the longest I’ve ever gone since I’ve owned this business. I wanted you to know why I was silent haha. I had a lot going on. (I also spoke at Russell Brunson’s event on Tuesday which is a story for another day.) 2. To tell you that you can do anything you want, you just might not be able to do it on the timeline you want. It may happen faster than expected, and it may take longer than expected. 3. To share a vulnerable moment that taught me a lot. See, I think as men we spend a lot of our lives trying to be tough and never cry. Yet as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that the best moments in our lives are often the ones where we’re so overcome with emotion that we can’t help but cry. Doing hard scary shit is one of the most rewarding things you can ever do. 4. To say thank you. This email list and my business are the reason I’ve been able to pursue my goals and dreams without worrying about time or money. (Filming a special with a crew that worked on the trailer for the Avengers wasn’t cheap haha.) Without you I don’t know where I’d be. If you’re wondering, I have no plans of quitting this business or anything like that. In fact, this whole thing has put into perspective just how grateful I am to have this business and my awesome customers and subscribers. I won’t be pulling back on my business. Over the next couple of months I plan on creating some of the best stuff I’ve ever created in the business world. It’s because of YOU that I’ve been so blessed in my life. So thank you again. I can’t wait to see what happens in 2024. Cheers, Ian "overwhelmed with gratitude" Stanley P.S. Here's a photo from the special... Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Almost Passive Income, 3000 Mountain Shadow Rd, Boise, ID 83702, United States