Recently, I’ve been to two shows by two different comedians.
The first show was sold out in a large event hall with 1500 seats. The second show sold only 50 tickets in a hall that can easily seat 500.
What a heart crushing moment that must have been for the second comedian. The hall was basically empty – it seems like no-one was really interested, right?
And yet, that’s not how she acted. She delivered as if the hall was full. She delivered a terrific show, interacted intensely with the people who were there and got standing ovations at the end.
The first comedian, the one in the large hall delivered, too. He performed brilliantly and he, too, got standing ovations.
Two things that are easily overlooked:
First, big acts usually start small, too. The sold-out comedian had his smaller shows in front of tiny crowds several years in the past.
Second, and maybe more importantly: great performers perform regardless. They don’t care whether one person shows up or a thousand. The ones who do show up deserve their best performance. And so they deliver their best performance.
The thing is this: Although it felt like no-one was interested due to the nearly empty hall, that’s not true. 50 people were interested. They might come back – and bring some friends.