5 Things I Want to Do More of in Improv Next Year

Season's greetings to all of you who are reading this. I hope you have a happy and joyous holiday.
As we come to the end of another year, I always like to take some time to come up with a list of 5 things I would like to do more of in improv in the coming year. I feel that when I can write out my goals of what I would like to work on and share those goals with others, I have a better chance of accomplishing them.

As you read my list, I hope you can join me and come up with a list of your own and leave it in the comments below.

So without further ado, here are the 5 things I’d like to do more of in improv next year.

1. Initiate more scenes
   I have been improvising for over 30 years, and I am still afraid to initiate scenes, for various reasons, including fear of being wrong or screwing up my partner. What I have found that when I do initiate scenes, usually my scene partner appreciates it, and it goes better than I thought. So, 2025 I would like to initiate more.
   
2. Do more new characters
   I don’t know about you, but I often use the same stock characters and the same stock emotional responses, which is why lately I feel stuck. So this year, I want to try to do more new characters. I know it's in me. Now I need to get out of the way.
   
3. Commit more to the process
   When I focus on the creative process and on learning from others instead of competing, my improv gets better. This year, I have found myself comparing myself to others and worrying about stuff that had nothing to do with the process, which doesn’t help my improv at all. So this year I am going to commit more to the process and worry less about how I stack up to other people.
   
4. Say yes more
   As an improv teacher, I often notice my students hesitating in a scene, rather than committing with a strong “yes,” which blocks the scene from going forward. And if I can see it in my students, I can see it myself. When I have the opportunity to say “yes,” I too will hesitate and stall instead of jumping right into it. But when I do say yes more immediately, I let go of control (in a good way), and those are the moments in the show where I have the most fun.
   
5. Have less performance shame after the show
   This always make the list in one form or another. This last month of doing improv and stand up, I have left every show filled with shame that I could have done better, or I have compared myself to other people’s performances. As someone said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and if that is true, I have been ripping myself off for an entire year. This year, I want to have more compassion for my progress and less shame.

Want to take your improv to the next level in 2025? Don't miss Jimmy's Long Form Tune-Up on Jan. 11!