One thing that has helped me throughout my entire career is my total willingness to reinvent myself. When I was the host of Celebration of Gospel for thirteen years, that was a complete 180-degree turn from being one of the original Kings of Comedy. I used my past experience of growing up in church to host Celebration of Gospel, which then propelled me into a broader space of people.
My willingness to reinvent myself yet again from being a solo act to being part of a touring act with a group of men opened the door for the film The Original Kings of Comedy, which then propelled me onto a national level as never before. Next, at the request of HarperCollins, I had an offer to write my first book. I had never set out to become an author, but I released myself from that fear, and the resulting book went on to be a great success. The popularity of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man led to Fremantle-Media coming to me and saying, “You are very popular among women. We have a game show we’d like you to look at.” Thus came the birth of my hosting Family Feud.
I always wanted to do a late-night talk show, but after my success with Family Feud, NBC and Endemol approached me with, “We have a daytime project for you.” I lost my fear of daytime television and launched into doing my own show. My constant willingness to reinvent myself has helped me not to get stuck on stale, meaning desiring one thing my entire life.
Change comes in every person’s life. You can either react to it or you can participate in it. I choose to participate in all the changes in my life. If you live your life reacting to change, you are then behind the eight ball. My choice is to be proactive and to participate in the change. I truly believe that that’s been a huge part of my success. The more willing you are to accept change and to be a part of change, the more successful you will become.
Diversifying your gifts also means knowing how to use other experiences in your life. Most of us really only have one talent. My talent is to take information and to immediately transfer it onto other kinds of platforms. I know how to take information and transform it into comedy, inspiration, motivation, or guidance. At one time, I thought my only talent was transforming information into comedy. As I have gotten older, though, my experiences have shown me that I can take that information and transform it in many ways, and by doing so, I become an inspiring, sharing, and motivating person.
If you are a hairdresser, your gifts may lead to teaching or leading seminars at a hair school or creating hair products or hosting your own hair TV show. You never know. You just have to stay open to diversifying your gift.
Let me break it down using my friend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Magic is one of the greatest basketball players the world has ever seen. But I don’t believe that his gift is playing basketball. I believe that his gift is connecting with people in a way that few can. Basketball was a talent. What Magic has done off the court is his gift—strengthening communities with resources and commerce by convincing the right people to believe in his vision. His talent put him in the position of exercising his gift. Watching Magic Johnson navigate a post-basketball career, you realize that this man can talk to anyone, from any background, and make them believe their idea is possible. That is his real gift, and the kinds of business and personal relationships he has been able to create with that gift have far eclipsed his basketball prowess. When you commit yourself to excellence, even a talent can take you to amazing places.
Sinbad was a guy I really looked up to back when I started in comedy. I remember him telling me one evening that he was able to pull in $50,000 per week at some of the clubs where he performed. At the time I thought I was doing all right just making $500 a week, but when I heard about the kind of money that Sinbad could command, I made it my goal to earn that kind of money and then some. My inability to work all types of crowds wasn’t going to get me any closer to that $50,000 paycheck. I had to step up my game, study my craft, and truly learn what was going on in the world so I could create the kind of jokes that would allow me to share my gift with a broader range of audiences.
You are not a sellout if you expand your gifts and talents for wider appeal among a broader audience or a bigger arena. The more open you are, the faster you will realize your dreams. An expansive vision is necessary when reaching for your life’s possibilities. We cannot allow small-mindedness to interfere with our rewards. Step outside your comfort zone and try something new, something adventuresome, when utilizing your gift.
The Bible says, “I’ve come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Nowhere in that Scripture does it say, “I’ve come that you might have a comfortable, safe, boxed-in life that makes everybody happy.”
Diversifying your gift presents you with the opportunity to reach people whom you wouldn’t have been able to connect with previously. There are windows of blessings that God has just for you if you have the faith to take your gift to the next level.
When I first wrote Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man in 2009, I was diversifying my gift. We have to learn to dream bigger than our past and current circumstances to create a bigger picture that will inspire us to move forward.
One group of musicians that I’m really proud of right now is the Roots. If you’re not watching the new Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, you are missing out on the chance to see one of the baddest bands in the land do their thing every night. What I love about the Roots is that this is a band that started out as a live hip-hop group in Philadelphia. But when you tune in to The Tonight Show, they’re playing with everybody, from Nas to U2 to Steven Tyler to Willie Nelson. The Roots is a band that is clearly steeped in hip-hop and the traditions of soul music, but these guys are not stuck there. This band clearly appreciates their roots (pun intended), but the band members haven’t allowed their past to keep them stuck in one vision for the future of their career.
By all means, I don’t want you to throw any of the traditions, legacies, and skills that came along with your gift out of the window. This unique set of traits is what makes your gift different from everyone else’s. While you should take the time to accentuate your gift in all the rich techniques and tricks of the trades you have learned over the years, don’t get stuck there. I don’t want you to fall in the trap of only knowing how to bake a wedding cake the way your mother taught you when you first joined her shop in 1985. I know you play a mean guitar with your band on Saturday night, but don’t miss out on the opportunity of learning how to play an acoustic guitar for a retirement party during the week. Who knows? That retirement party might be more live than your Saturday night gig if you pick the right song.
I love the late comedian Richard Pryor. I can probably quote most of the sets from his popular comedy albums, but getting stuck on Pryor is not the kind of comedic skill that would get me invited to host Celebration of Gospel. Doing something that makes a church mother laugh is different from rocking a crowd in a comedy club on a Friday night.
When I did my comedy special Don’t Trip . . . He Ain’t Through with Me Yet! in 2006, it was one of the first shows where I played to a predominantly Christian audience. I prayed to God that I wouldn’t slip up and cuss in front of these good people. He blessed me with rich, humorous material that was well suited for that audience and beyond. My roots didn’t change, just my material.
Don’t let your background become a limitation. The smartest folks in business take the best of what they have learned from their parents, mentors, colleagues, and bosses, and use it to build from there. You will never hear an innovator such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or Oprah Winfrey say, “We are doing it this way because that’s how it’s always been done.” Successful people appreciate where they have come from, but they don’t let their past set the tone for their future. Successful people are innovators.
Take a moment to write down in your journal all the skills and talents that come along with your gift. It could be as small as knowing how to create an agenda for a meeting or as large as organizing a Labor Day picnic for your office.
List ways that you can diversify or expand your gift to a wider audience or a bigger arena. Don’t be afraid to think BIG here. How can you really take your gifts to the next level?