“Operation Las Vegas comedy adventure” with Winnipeg’s Aisha Alfa
Aisha Alfa is a life coach by day and a comedian by night. She came out on top of Winnipeg’s Funniest Person with a Day Job contest and the prize was an 8 minute opening set at the Las Vegas Comedy Show in the Alexis Part Resort Hotel.
What happens in Vegas doesn’t neccesarily stay in Vegas, otherwise Aisha would have never agreed to send us this update.
Aisha Alfa, second from the left (unknown tourist)
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Day One
A cluster of lights in the dessert, Elvis in the airport, a showgirl walking down the strip. This is Las Vegas where the big wigs of performance come and here I was, an amateur Winnipeg comedian, rubbing elbows with Marilyn Monroe…well at least a great impersonator.
My prize for winning Winnipeg’s Funniest Person with a Day Job was an 8 minute opening set at the Las Vegas Comedy Show in the Alexis Part Resort Hotel . At the comedy club I went through the back to meet with Joe Lowers, the headliner and owner of the joint and noticed the room was empty.
Naturally I assumed that was because the hoards of crowds were being kept at bay behind a velvet rope. That was dashed when Joe said, “the show tonight will most likely be cancelled.” Lurch!!!
I felt disappointed until I sat down with Joe and Lou Maglowitz, the host of the show, to talk about comedy and it was an honest and helpful conversation that will surely progress my comedy career. In an empty room, we sat and discussed the comedy scene, our best and worst sets and (as comedians do) we razzed each other.
It was one of the best nights of comedy I have ever had–who knew an empty room could be so warm!
I gained something quite unique and valuable from the cancelation: Las Vegas is no different than any other city. There are more lights, and scantily clad women, but the performers work just as hard if not harder to impress an audience. Times can be tough, but the same remains–if you love what you do, you can do it anywhere!
Day 2
Got to the comedy club and went backstage to the “greenroom” where Joe was waiting with some other comedians. One comedian said he heard there was a Canadian performing and he came to see her!
Turns out all you have to do is be from somewhere other than America to gain a fan base! Success!
The MC introduced me as the winner of Winnipeg’s Funniest Person with a Day Job which got a huge laugh….okay this crowd is going to be generous! He mis-pronounced my name, even though he practiced it backstage with me 10 times, which was a brilliant lead into my first joke about the pronunciation of my name!
The set was wonderful, the crowd laughed often and I felt like an absolute star! My first comedy gig in Las Vegas is now under my belt and I’m ready for more! Here’s the video of my set, I got 10mins instead of 8 so the light and sound guy must have liked me!
5 ways to have more fun in your everyday life
Looking for fun?
Don’t put it off to that vacation you may never take or the ATV you can’t afford. You don’t need a special occasion to have fun, says Aisha Alfa, a certified life coach in Winnipeg. “We’re so much more productive, creative, loving and accepting when we are in a joyful state,” she points out. “If we could create that state more often, we could accomplish more, and we’d have a better self-image and perspective on life.”
It’s not hard to inject more fun in your day-to-day life. The first step is to forget the idea that it’s only for kids, and be open to adding enjoyment to your daily routines. Here are five ways you can have much more fun:
1. Go after laughter
If you suspect you’re laughing less as time goes on, you may be right. A researcher at University of Glamorgan in Wales concluded that as people age, they don’t laugh as often. But giggles are good for you: They lower stress levels, exercise your lungs, strengthen your immune system and may even protect you against heart disease. Plus, laughing is loads of fun. Make a point of watching a funny movie, TV show or stand-up comedy routine. Click on those hilarious videos your Facebook pals are passing around. Tell some jokes. Do a laughter exercise first thing in the morning by bending over, stretching and laughing your head off.
2. Switch up your same-old
Stuck in a rut? Now, that’s no fun. “In our routines, we tend to become less and less present and aware,” says Alfa. Try shaking things up a little. Take a different walk to work or school and admire the scenery. Do your weekly grocery shopping at a store you’re not used to. Who knows what new gourmet treats you may find? It doesn’t even have to be much of a change to make it fun. “What if you slept in your bed the opposite way? It gives you a giggle!” Alfa says.
3. Sign up with your social circle
If you’re planning to take an exercise class or evening course, get friends to go with you. Now you have a regular excuse to spend time with folks who make you feel good, and your leg lifts or study sessions will be a lot more fun. My weekly aqua fitness sessions were a hoot when my pal joined in and we cracked jokes throughout class. Experts at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research say that people are happier when they have a connection to their community. There’s even widespread evidence that physical activity—like the kind you get from a regular workout—improves your sense of well-being.
4. Do something you suck at
Yes, really! Whether it’s tackling a recipe for cheese soufflé, flying a kite with your neighbour’s kid or working on your swan dive, it can be fun to add activities to your everyday life that you haven’t mastered. We’re not talking about setting yourself up for frustration, but challenging yourself to a task you don’t yet know how to do. Without the pressure of having to be perfect, you’re free to laugh at your clumsy attempts, maybe learn something new and, most important of all, just enjoy yourself. The world won’t end if you fail, because nothing’s riding on your success, although Alfa notes: “You might succeed in ways you’re not expecting to, like changing your routine, networking with people or getting alone time. There’s success in everything.”
5. Practise peace, love and forgiveness
Naturally, life is less fun when you’re hung up on your neighbour’s noisy car muffler, your sister’s gossiping habit or even your own flabby thighs. When you make a point of extending goodwill and forgiveness—and yes, that includes a healthy dose of self-love—you can let go of what makes you grumpy. “It sounds corny,” says Alfa, “but the more we can accept ourselves and the people around us, the more we can push the boundaries, and experience joy and laughter in places we didn’t expect to have it.”
Article written by Lisa Bendall and appeared in Best Health Magazine
No Body Walks into a Closed Door on Purpose.
No Body Walks into a Closed Door on Purpose.
Over the last few weeks I have experienced a beautiful phenomenon. Call it the Law of Attraction, call it positive thinking, call it the universe aligning, call it pure luck, but whatever you call it, it has meant success, joy and excitement for me.
As you may or may not know, I do stand up comedy as well as acting along with my life coaching business Alfa Life Coaching. And lately I have been accepting opportunity after opportunity in my acting and comedy careers. It’s been amazing and I’ve been so appreciative.
But I realized more and more why these opportunities have been coming my way when I spoke with a client of mine who has been closing the door to opportunity throughout her life. She was convinced that opportunity didn’t exist for her simply because it hadn’t been there in the past.
In life we have the option to be open or closed, and we often don’t realize how our actions, beliefs, language and habits affect whether we are opening or closing that door to opportunity. Essentially we have the ability to change what we are capable of achieving by changing our beliefs, language, actions and habits.
Now answer me this….if you knew your beliefs, actions, and habits were the only things standing between you and what you truly wanted in your life would you change them? Of course you would!!
Our negative self beliefs stop us from experiencing love in relationships, our inefficient habits stop us from being successful at work, our lack of action based on fear is what is stopping us from finding financial freedom with ease. It’s time to take responsibility and open the door! No opportunity, possibility, no lucky chance will come into your life if your door is closed, locked and bolted!
If you live your life based on past failures, disappointments and doubts you will be continually closing the door to opportunity. If you live your life based on the possibility of the future, by being aware of how you are changing, in a state of being present you will open the door. Open yourself up to the possibilities and they will enter over and over again!
Trust me when I say opportunity will begin flooding in when you open your heart, mind and body to it! If you wouldn’t walk face first into a closed door, don’t expect that of opportunity! Open the doors, greet it with a smile and watch yourself fly to success today!
Stop Preparing and Just Start Doing Something BIG!
Stop Preparing and Just Start Doing Something BIG!
This morning I ran a ½ marathon (cue cheering crowds) and it was my very first. I decided that I would run a half marathon this year and then didn’t do much about it. Seriously, it was a bit pathetic. I got a friend to print me out a “Beginner’s Guide to Training for a Marathon” schedule. Complete with a calendar, suggested training activities, what to eat etc. It was thorough and great.
I marked in my calendar the days and what I would need to do to be totally prepared and ready to run the 13 mils on June 19th for the Manitoba Marathon. I committed myself to it mentally and to others which gave me some accountability with this goal and I was set!
I started with gusto and went to the gym a couple days that very week and ran for like 35-40 mins!!! I know that even at a professional runners pace 40 minutes does not 13 miles make, but hey….”a journey of 10,000 miles start with the first step” and all that stuff!
“I AM AMAZING” was the thought that went through my head over and over and over again after the first week. I have established a clear goal, created a clear schedule to get it done and committed to it! Then I sat back and waited.
I had all intentions of running every day, of getting all the necessary gear to run with ease, to register early to avoid the late fees. And then I got sick, and busy and lazy!
Who hasn’t had a goal that they’ve been gung ho about, started with great intentions and vigour and then let “things” get in the way. The kids’ schedule, work, funerals, weddings, getting sick, having no money, having no time…..the list could fill a hard drive!
I’ve heard every excuse in the book to not do something you have set a MUST DO goal, but here’s where I have a big ol’ something to say about it.
I fell into the category of “big intentions, small preparation” and had to make a decision….two days before the race, with a majorly under-trained body, doubts, an astronomical $120 fee (instead of the $65 it would have been had I registered a month previous) and a crazy busy schedule I did something that was a life/game changer…..
I SIGNED UP ANYWAY!!! And….I rocked it!
I ended up seeing a fabulous girlfriend on the course and running it all with her all the while chatting, laughing encouraging etc. I didn’t stop….not once…. not even to drink water (we basically tried to splash it into our mouths as we ran). I made it to the finish line in much less time than I expected and even sprinted the last 100m!!! I was a machine!!!
And when I crossed the line, received my medal and gave my girl Kathy a hug I felt like crying! I had accomplished a major goal in spite of my own sabotage!
I knew that it was something within my reach and went for it! Sometimes in life (in fact in most cases when we self sabotage) we talk ourselves out of doing brilliant things! We decide that we must have MUCH more experience before we apply for that job, write that article, join that club, start that business etc.
But you know what?!?! Sometimes you just have to DO IT!! Nike has it right! You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish when you allow yourself to reach your brilliant potential whether you’re 100% ready for it or not!
So my final thought is this, when in doubt GO FOR IT! You almost never regret making action oriented decisions in life!
Aisha Alfa ~ Alfa Life Coaching
Meet Aisha
