Blinkist

Dear Girls – The Path to Success

Level: Easy 93
The Path to Success
  The path to “success” is a steep climb. 

No matter what anyone tells you, creating a career that you’re proud of takes (a)
______________________. When you’re first starting out in any profession, there’ll
be times when you have to do things that you dislike, work for people that you don’t
necessarily (b) __________, and offer your skills for next-to-no money. 

In her early days as a (c) __________________ and actress, there was no end to Ali’s
willingness to hustle to build a career. But this wasn’t easy. By 2012, she was
stretched incredibly thin – while working as a (d) _____________, she was also
touring as a stand-up comedian in circumstances that were far from ideal.

The tour involved (e) _____________, cheap hotels with lumpy beds, and generally
terrible food. It was also a huge amount of work; at a stop in St. Louis, Ali performed
nine stand-up sets over (f) ______ days, all in the same cramped, smoky basement
bar. On top of it all, she had to deal with the constant (g) _________ of never really
feeling comfortable – at work, she had to fend off male comics who were (h)
__________ for the sexual harassment to which they subjected their female
colleagues.

No matter how hard it got, simply being able to put herself out there and perform
made the whole thing worthwhile to Ali.

Despite the (i) ________________, she understood something important about

developing as a professional: no one can be great at something right away. If you
really care about getting good at something, you have to be willing to (j)
_____________________________that requires.

When Ali first started doing stand-up shows, there were lots of times when her jokes
didn’t go down well with the audience. She eventually learned that bombing in front
of strangers – getting zero laughs – was not something shameful but simply a part of
refining her craft and finding her (k) ________________________________.

By testing, (l) __________, and bringing something new to the table each time, Ali
gradually stopped bombing. She learned how to make her creative voice shine
through, crafting material from her (m) _____________________________. But as
Blinkist
Dear Girls – The Path to Success
Level: Easy 93
we’ll see in the next blink, connecting to her history didn’t just make for better jokes.
It also got her through some tough times.
Blinkist
Dear Girls – The Path to Success
Level: Easy 93
The Path to Success
  The path to “success” is a steep climb. 

No matter what anyone tells you, creating a career that you’re proud of takes hard
work and hustle. When you’re first starting out in any profession, there’ll be times
when you have to do things that you dislike, work for people that you don’t
necessarily admire, and offer your skills for next-to-no money. 

In her early days as a stand-up comedian and actress, there was no end to Ali’s
willingness to hustle to build a career. But this wasn’t easy. By 2012, she was
stretched incredibly thin – while working as a TV actor, she was also touring as a
stand-up comedian in circumstances that were far from ideal.

The tour involved endless travel, cheap hotels with lumpy beds, and generally terrible
food. It was also a huge amount of work; at a stop in St. Louis, Ali performed nine
stand-up sets over five days, all in the same cramped, smoky basement bar. On top of
it all, she had to deal with the constant stress of never really feeling comfortable – at
work, she had to fend off male comics who were notorious for the sexual harassment
to which they subjected their female colleagues.

No matter how hard it got, simply being able to put herself out there and perform
made the whole thing worthwhile to Ali.

Despite the tough circumstances, she understood something important about

developing as a professional: no one can be great at something right away. If you
really care about getting good at something, you have to be willing to dedicate
yourself to the hard work that requires.

When Ali first started doing stand-up shows, there were lots of times when her jokes
didn’t go down well with the audience. She eventually learned that bombing in front
of strangers – getting zero laughs – was not something shameful but simply a part of
refining her craft and finding her unique voice as a comedian. 

By testing, innovating, and bringing something new to the table each time, Ali
gradually stopped bombing. She learned how to make her creative voice shine
through, crafting material from her own experiences and family history. But as we’ll
see in the next blink, connecting to her history didn’t just make for better jokes. It also
got her through some tough times.