Comedian James Mullinger discusses the role of personal values when making big decisions. Learn the importance of managing different opportunities to align with your priorities.
Today's story is about a beautiful human being, a marriage forged with love, belief and support, and choosing to make things happen versus watching and wondering what happened. It's a journey that so many of us can relate to, making a change to realize your dream.
James Mullinger (with his wife) had it all, living in London, England. They both had successful jobs, and a child with one on the way. James was the Comedy Editor for GQ magazine, but his passion was stand-up comedy. What started as a hobby became a dream and then a reality. He went from playing B venues to being one to watch and getting advice from people like Jerry Seinfeld.
Yet, the Mullingers gave it all up to move to New Brunswick, Canada, one of the most beautiful, yet relatively unknown, places in the world. They chose life balance and relationship over ego. This decision came without job prospects, as one can safely say that New Brunswick is as far away as you can get from the center of comedy.
Their story is about how The Mullingers found a way to have it all. They have found happiness and balance while creating opportunities for themselves. James has also navigated one of the most challenging gauntlets, making a living as a stand up comic and taking Canada (and the world) by storm.
Here are a handful of the lessons James imparts on this show:
Act like you are performing at a fringe festival, competing with dozens of acts. If you want to succeed, be willing to do whatever it takes.This might mean putting up flyers and sending out 100 emails a day looking for gigs, hoping to hear back from even one.
Scarcity versus ubiquity; focus on what you do best but always leave the stage with the audience wanting more.
And a final lesson from his interaction with Jerry Seinfeld, 'Do the opposite of what people expect of you.'
You can find James' memoir: Brit Happens - Living The Canadian Dream online or at your local bookstore.
Greg Sloan joins the show to provide some great insights on how RBC values more than payroll statements to help individuals and small business owners get to where they need and want to go. One of the key areas they look for is transferable skills, and one of the areas they feel they can the most value is providing ideas to help their clients start or grow a business network.
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