I’ll be the first one to tell you improv isn’t all about comedy and making people laugh. However, my introduction to improv was a result of finding and using comedy as a coping mechanism to deal with a number of challenges life threw my way.

I’ve never truly fit in. Being adopted, I tended to feel that way. I was a Greek American living in Lexington, Kentucky, in the 1960s and 1970s. We celebrate Easter at a different time than other people each year – that’s kind of hard for a kid to explain to his friends. When I was in a fraternity in college, I told the others that I wouldn’t be moving back into the house the next year because I was going to work on my grades. They told me they would kick me out if I did that, and they did. I was always different.

What I realized though was the power of comedy and laughter. I found I was able to make people laugh, and that brought me great satisfaction. I don’t think this is an uncommon feeling amongst comedians – they somehow feel “different” than everyone else in some way and humor is a good way to bridge the gap. Even though I would become an accountant, I eventually realized that I could perhaps marry the two worlds. As a result, I have shared the power improvisation can have in all aspects of life, including business.

A major lesson that I got from improv is that it’s okay to make mistakes, learn from them, be myself and just keep moving forward. I have written a number of blogs that speak to specific improv techniques, but ultimately integrating improvisation into our lives fosters the following:

• Communication
• Awareness
• Adaptability
• Calm in Chaos
• Positive Attitude
• Humor

How can you go wrong with those attributes? Learn more about how improv principles can improve your career by tuning into my new podcast series Improv is No Joke!, available on iTunes and my website.