Happy Accidents

8 How to Transform Your Labor of Love Into a Masterpiece

When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you can’t hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that’s just the time and place that the tide’ll turn.

– Harriett Beecher Stowe

The United States Congress. Are you kidding? Not one of us could have ever dreamed we would give a keynote address to Congress, the elected representatives of the people of the free world. The ones who stand in the shadows of greatness like Alexander Hamilton and Barbara Jordan.

No, we couldn’t have imagined this would be our reality when we sat in our dark apartment nearly 14 years earlier. Remember, back then we had no prospects on the horizon and no electricity either. But for some reason, it happened. WE performed for the most powerful legislative body in the world. Back then, there was so much uncertainty for us, and quite frankly, so much pervasive fear running through us. None of us could have ever dreamed this even if we tried. We had now reached a career apex, and you know what? The view was pretty damn wonderful, even though the hike up was an unforgiving slog at times.

One thing we all have come to understand over the years is that we may not be the most talented people in the country – let’s keep this revelation between us – let alone the most talented or even funniest people in the theater when we perform. Yet, the one trait we all share is dogged persistence. We simply weren’t going to ...