- Laugh.Rx
- Posts
- Don't quit before you succeed
Don't quit before you succeed
Discouragement is an inevitable side effect of trying
Kevin Hubschmann
August 27, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
This week’s newsletter feels like a diary entry to myself. Fall always gives me a second wind as summer wraps up, and I was inspired to write about resilience. In stand-up, trying and failing is a completely normal part of the process. It’s time we normalize it everywhere else.
LAUGHING & DEVELOPMENT
Stick It Out: Why Getting Good Takes Longer Than You Think
When I talk to people trying to crack social media, I hear the same frustration:
“I’ve been posting for six months and nothing’s happening.”
And it’s not like I have even figured it out - I have gone super hard at times, only to get discouraged and think it’s a waste of time.
Each time I get frustrated, I think back to stand-up. I didn’t even start finding my voice until I had been on stage for six years. Not six months. Not six gigs. Six years of trial, error, silence, and the occasional laugh that kept me coming back. Including the time I bombed as a mime.
As Jerry Seinfeld once said:
It takes a long time to become good at anything. If you’re not willing to be bad for a long time, you’ll never be good.
The Illusion of Quick Wins
We live in a culture of instant metrics - views, likes, impressions. It tricks us into thinking results should be immediate, especially when you see someone else posting similar content with way better results.
But comparison is the thief of joy, and figuring it out looks different for everyone.
Or as Gary Gulman likes to remind comics:
Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth calls this grit - sustained passion and perseverance over long stretches (Duckworth et al., 2007). Neuroscience adds that it’s the repetition over years, especially in tough conditions, that rewires the brain and makes us adaptable (Kolb & Gibb, 2011).
Translation: six months means you’re just getting started.
My Cycle for Compounding Growth
Whenever I get discouraged in anything I do, I reference a cycle I’ve created for myself based on past experiences:
Excitement – the rush of starting something new
Failure – reality doesn’t match the fantasy
Discouragement – the “maybe I should quit” phase
Adjustment – reflection, feedback, small tweaks
Persistence – showing up again anyway
Compounding – the quiet growth you don’t notice until years later
The first few laps around that cycle are brutal. But over time, you start to recognize it. You see discouragement not as an ending but as a checkpoint.
Chris Rock once said:
You learn more from a bad show than a good show. A good show is like junk food. A bad show is the broccoli - it’s what makes you better.
Just Outlast Everyone Else
I think of success as a war of attrition. Sometimes, the real competition isn’t talent - it’s endurance. Most people quit somewhere between six months and six years.
The secret to getting good?
Don’t stop.
Want a $1,000 Amazon Gift Card?
If you refer a friend to Laugh.Events and they book, we’ll send you an Amazon gift card as a thank-you. Depending on the event, you could earn up to $1,000 in Bezos Bucks.
Gift card amount is based on the event booked. Offer valid for referred clients who haven’t booked with us before. Amazon is not a sponsor of this promotion.
WORKPLACE MEME OF THE WEEK
Disclaimer: These are memes submitted by real attendees from Workday Update describing their year. If you relate to them, please take a lunch break (or a Laugh Break).
Here’s a friendly reminder for what the Tuesday after Labor Day Weekend might feel like:
TAKE A LAUGH BREAK
Disclaimer: No offense is ever meant—just a laugh I couldn’t keep to myself.
In honor of Travis + Taylor’s engagement, here’s a classic from Travis’ time hosting SNL:
See ya next week,
