trading talent for free crusie

[Cruising Caribbean]

@LukeJ I would absolutely love to attend! They would have to be virtual because we are miles and miles apart. Do you coach seasonally or year round? I'm sure you have children that still remember you fondly as a coach even if they aren't coached by you anymore. If you make that much of an impression, you deserve a promotion! Every parent should read this. Giving gifts to teachers/coaches is important and appreciated! Most coaches go under appreciated. Teachers are usually the ones that get all the gifts! Do you ever coach your children's teams? I would imagine it's such a great way to bond with your child. 

[LukeJ]

Then we shall arrange something. It is such a pleasing and heartwarming feeling when someone comes up to you and explains that they are grateful for everything you have done for them. Even if 95% of that time goes totally unappreciated, that small 5% is all worth it. 

I coach from August to May, with a few well deserved months off in between. It's challenging to coach, as repetition and patience is certainly the key to a successful team. But that proves hard if players aren't willing to buy in to anything and happy to let other players down .

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ Sign me up for those life seminars too! Life is too complex to do alone. It's meant to be done alongside good company. The wrong people can ruin it, but the right people make life worth living! At some point it becomes easier and easier to weed out those who aren't so great. Particularly as I age, I have become more direct and choose wisely who I interact with. I don't feel the need to impress others or be anything other than myself. I feel more grounded now that I am confident in who I am and don't seek other's approval like I once did in decades past. 

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas it all comes down to how you feel about yourself firstly. Work on you before working on others. I learnt that throughout life, if you feel confident in your mind and in your body, then that positivity will pass on to others. How we react as individuals will have a huge bearing on the people who wish to help. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I completely agree with that. You have to be the best version of yourself before trying to help others. That's actually life-giving! You really are a life coach. If you are confident enough, you won't let others drag you down when they are down. It's hard to get to that level of confidence though! I feel like when I cruise just me (or me and my immediate family) I get to recharge and focus on myself. I grow when I take the time to do that. On a day-to-day basis the non-stop actions of life typically don't give me any time to reflect and grow. I can't imagine taking advice from a life coach who hasn't figured those things out yet. You really have to reach a pinnacle of contentment and confidence to be in that line of work.

[LukeJ]

I always appreciate the motivational speakers that stand in front of a crowd. A really good one inspires people, and I always love not only their choice of words, but the confidence and the passion they get across to everyone. I only wish sometimes I could do that.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ Motivational speakers are excellent! I think you would do a great job at it. I can't imagine doing that for a career personally because of my public speaking fear. I do much better one on one or behind the scenes. My husband can take all of the public speaking glory. It's certainly not for me. If you could trade one of your talents for aa cruise what would it be? I could trade my running/exercise motivation for a free cruise. I would love to lead somme workout classes or head off a walking/running activity onboard. Stretching and aerobics instructor could be a fun one for me. I don't have the certifications for prove myself, but I have confidence I could successfully teach a crowd. I would truly want to do any service if I could get in with a luxury cruise liner. Right now, I'm used to cruising with the larger, more affordable lines, but I would totally put in some hard work to earn a luxury cruise experience! 

[LukeJ]

I have no problems about public speaking. And if I was passionate about the topic, I'd feel more confident. I did a little stand up comedy about 24 years ago a couple of times. It was nerve racking and I don't think I could do it again. However whenever there is a wedding, they always ask me to speak as they enjoy my stand up routine in that situation. I've been best man a couple of times, and I've been told that they were all looking forward to hearing my speech. So in response to your question, I would give that for my free cruise. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I love stand up comedy! What made you stop? Anyone who can do something like that is so impressive to me. It takes so much skill! My husband just actually surprised me with front row tickets to Kevin James. Have you seen this comedian before? It was the best show ever, and I was so surprised! I couldn't have thought of a better date. They were first row tickets! One of the reasons I love the actor/comedian Kevin James so much is because he never uses a single curse word. It's incredible. He's so talented and I don't have to hear any filler curse words while viewing him. You and I are opposites. In fact, I'm asked to speak at a friend's wedding and I opt out always. I avoid those situations at all costs.

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas it was more of an open mic night scenario. It was something that I'd always wanted to do, thought I could do it and gave it a go. It was the most nerve racking thing I've ever done. The room held only about 100 people, and I knew I'd spoken to a larger group than that in the past. But I remember the nerves sliding away when they laughed at my first gag. It was such a relief, and the more they laugh, you tend to get into a roll then and become a little more confident in your material and your delivery. I'm not sure I could manage it anymore, the older you get, the more wiser you become. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I'm so sure it was! I'm fearful of that just thinking about it makes me nervous. I think getting the crowds attention and getting it to last is really hard. This stand up stint sounded like a short lived situation. It clearly wasn't a longterm thing, but I value your bravery to try something new. Do some of your family/friends ask you to provide some comedic relief every now and again? This talent could go far on a cruise ship. I would rather watch a live stand up than karaoke any day. 

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas as it was open mic, I think the actual would only last 15 minutes, however it was the longest 15 of my life ha ha. I remember thinking I don't have much left to say, I forgot a few gags which I remembered after I finished, and wondered if the actual 15 minutes was up. I feared coming off stage for someone to say I only performed 4 minutes. But no it was all good. It was certainly short lived that's for sure. Even though I completed it and got the laughs, I felt it wasn't really for me going forward. My family still expect me to give speeches at weddings or special events. I don't mind them as much.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I'm so sure of that! So many eyes staring at you, relying on you for laughter has to be miserable. I think comedians deserve making good money with the amount of stress they are put under. It's no wonder why standup comedians are always so sweaty! I would be drenched in sweat from nerves. Some people with think your jokes are funny and others will think they aren't, but it's quite a bummer when the majority isn't laughing when they are supposed to. Well I'm sure you throw good humor into your wedding speeches. You must captivate an audience to have family request them from you. No one asks me. I will spare them the tragedy. I could write a good speech though! The execution i the hard part for me. 

[LukeJ]

I've always admired comedians, even before I gave it a go myself. There are some that I simply do not find funny, but someone likes them. I watched a documentary once about a comedian in the UK called Lee Evans. He is absolutely superb. Very funny. But he explained before they make it, they have to try all these different clubs and perform to a crowd that may not like his style of comedy. The people that go to his shows when he's famous are people that want to go to see him, but in the club scene, he has to try out his material maybe at a crowd that don't like his style. And he had a fire extinguisher thrown at him on stage in one place. Stories like that I find more interesting and funny because I can imagine them going through it.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I'm going to need to watch Lee Evans online. I wonder if I can find him on Youtube or Netflix. I really like when the comedy is more family friendly. I don't mind adult humor but I prefer less fowl language. It ruins the skit and I end up focusing on the filler words instead of the important context. Can you imagine having a fire extinguisher being thrown at you? That's horrible. I would not perform at that club again. It sounds like maybe it attracts a fowl crowd. 

[LukeJ]

Ys he's on netflix. He's just bonkers. Very hyperactive, rubber faced comedian. He's one of the most popular in the UK that's for sure. But I guess it's the same with everyone that goes through the business. You have to make it through the clubs to get recognition. And that takes a lot of grit, thick skin, determination and belief. That is something that I lack and would be mortified if a fire extinguisher was thrown at me. I would take that as a sign to give up.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I will give it a shot! I'm going to have a season of show watching coming up so this will totally keep me entertained. The reason why I haven't heard of this person is likely because I don't live in the UK. Our sense of humor has to be similar nonetheless. I guess the clubs are just fowl! I love comedy, but I don't support the idea of fowl play. It sounds a bit raunchy, like an underground fight club for comedians. I can't say for certain, but it the heat of the moment, if that was done to me, I may have sprayed them with it. If you throw something at someone, you can't expect that to end well! 

[LukeJ]

@Kendall James-Vargas there are a good number of funny comedians in the UK. Some are really good but use foul language. There are some that are dry, sarcastic and popular too. I guess it all depends on your sense of humour. I'm aware that UK and US comedies differ, but if someone is funny, then it shouldn't matter where you are from I guess. It all depends on what type of topic they are talking about is whether you understand the gag.

[PaulB]

I quite like Russel Kane as a comedian from the UK. He's hyperactive too, and I find his material really funny. There is also Mickey Flanagan, however I find him hilarious, I don't think the US market would find him funny as he's very much a UK led comedian through his comedy. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I definitely prefer lighter comedy versus the dry stuff. I also prefer when there is little to none foul language which is seemingly hard to find. It's pretty awesome when cruise ships offer family-friendly comedy at sea. I typically am not able to/interested to go to the adult show anyhow. When I can bring my family along to see the show, I love it so much more. The humor is great, no foul language, and the topics are fun and relatable for everyone. Sometimes there are special guests comedians that hop onboard some itineraries. I love when specialty guests make appearances and surprise everyone onboard with a unique show experience they weren't planning on. It makes cruising on the same ship twice even better because the entertainment onboard is unique and diversified each time! I will have to look into Russell Kane too! Thanks for that recommendation. 

[LukeJ]

I agree it is pretty hard to find any comedians today that doesn't use foul language. It can be so off putting. Profanity doesn't bother me at all, and has no effect, however there are occasions where I think is there any need to swear so much. It's as if they are using the language just to get a reaction rather than allowing it be part of their vocabulary. And I admit when that happens, I don't tend to like it. I feel like sometimes they could have easily told that gag or story with out any bad language at all. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I don't necessarily mind profanity either, but I do get bothered when it's in every sentence. It becomes a nonsense filler word, and I find it mind numbing. It makes me think the comedian really isn't that great because bad words are spoken to bridge the gap while they are thinking of their next line. Here and there is another thing, but usually comedians that curse, curse lots. On cruises there are usually better family geared acts that can essentially omit all of the profanity entirely. Yes, the topics aren't always as funny, but I really prefer those family shows. I happen to enjoy comedy shows over the singing/dancing performances. How about you?

[LukeJ]

I personally hate singing/dancing performances. I'm not much for music as it is, and I don't mind the odd act while I relax but I'd pick another variety over dancing any day of the week. Comedians are good if they are good ha ha. You must trust a comedian and usually you can tell within the first minute if they are going to be any good or not. I always feel a little more relaxed if they are funny, and not dying excruciatingly on stage 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@LukeJ I had such a great experience on my last cruise. The ship offered a nightly variety show, and it was by far the best entertainment. It was in a lounge onboard so the atmosphere was perfect and I didn't have to sit in the large theatre. The amount of entertainment was perfect too; it was about 8pm-11pm every evening. You could come and go at your leisure, and the bar tenders would come around to get your drinks unlike the time I spend in the theatre. There were some comedic acts during the variety show. My favorite was this hilarious juggler that switched up his act nightly. There was no rhyme of reason to the performances, but the diversity made it exciting every evening. I like that I could just go up at any time instead of rushing to the theatre at a certain hour. I wish there were more acts like that offered on other ships.

[PaulB]

I like the entertainment they have on board, and are better than you expect. I was always waiting for a typical low produced performance from a budding singer or an amateur dramatic society theatre show, but the high quality always amazes me. Comedians onboard I'm still not keen on, but each to their own.