The Practice Behind the Performance

One night years ago, I went to a local comedy club in NYC. The host came out and said, “We don’t allow recordings, you never know who might show up.”

Then she said: “Ladies and gentlemen, Jerry Seinfeld.”

Jerry walked out, unfolded a small yellow paper, and placed it on the stool. That paper? New material he was still testing. Decades into his career, and still practicing. Still working. Still learning.

That moment came back to me while watching Being Eddie, Netflix’s new documentary on Eddie Murphy.

The film gives us a polished portrait, but underneath it all is something real: Eddie Murphy succeeded through quiet focus and steady craft.

Not perfection.

Not PR.

Practice.

I didn’t need the documentary to convince me he was funny and smart. What stayed with me was his reflection: “At the root of it all, I love myself.”

Hearing him say that hit something in my heart.

Because in a world that often values attention over intention, the lasting work, the work that matters, comes from care, from commitment, and from craft.

So I’m curious:

What’s something you’re still practicing, even after years of doing it?

What keeps you going when the world only sees the finished product?

Let’s talk about the work behind the scenes, the practice behind the performance.

Date: November 20, 2025