Life can have a mind of its own. One day you’re a law school graduate, and the next thing you know you are an up-and-coming stand-up comedian. That is exactly what happened to Saad Alessa. Like many of us, Saad began his life living logically, doing all the “right” things and what society expected of him. Until he realized, there is no true fulfillment in listening to society’s advice on what you should do, and instead realized that “success” is relative. Each person’s definition of success can be completely different. So, ultimately, who was society to define him as successful or not? Feeling lost, but at the same time hopeful, he moved abroad on a journey of self-discovery.

Upon completing his Bachelor’s degree in Los Angeles, Saad moved back to Kuwait in 2015, where he worked in the logistics and distribution field. Looking for purpose, he set off to start an ambitious automotive project in Kuwait, but did not receive the support he had hoped for within the Middle East. Feeling unsatisfied, he moved back to the States 9 months later in search of a new challenge and ended up pursuing another degree. In 2016, he enrolled in Pepperdine Law School for a Master’s degree in Dispute Resolution.

By the time he was done, Saad’s threshold for tolerating the trials and tribulations of the conventional route had been reached. It was time to try something new. Reading Robert Greene’s Mastery proved to be a pivotal moment. It had convinced him that the pursuit of happiness and success is a process that involves trial, error, and an immense amount of dedication.

“The most beautiful thing I did in my life was to quit my job, go to L.A. and start this idea I had for a docuseries… it opened new doors for me,” he says. Saad is referring to Legendiary, an online series where he interviews successful and noteworthy individuals who have exhibited the type of grit, desire, and ambition that could inspire others to chase their dreams. The show’s motto is “Legends Do”, a mantra which reflects Saad’s belief that to be motivated one should take action first, and embrace the oncoming barrage of challenges and opportunities. “Just waiting for things to happen won’t get you anywhere”.

So began his journey as a producer, interviewer and a graduate student. Legendiary was gaining momentum, his studies were going very well, but there was something still missing. As the year was rolling to an end at Pepperdine, a chance encounter with one of his professors helped ping him onto his current path. “I thought it was funny at the time, and I remember him going ‘Saad, if you’re not going into criminal law, I suggest you try out stand-up comedy, because you’re an entertainer at heart, and a natural public speaker’”. Needless to say, the seed was planted, and one day he decided to throw his name into the bucket and got a few minutes of stage time at the West Side Comedy Theatre in Santa Monica. He was initially surprised by how the crowd had received him, and how the stage had felt “right”. “They laughed at every punch line for three minutes… I had butterflies,” he expresses.

The wheels were firmly set in motion, and his desire to come back and do better grew after every set. Soon enough, it started becoming a habit; every Saturday Saad would go back to the stage to practice his material and cultivate his newfound passion for stand-up. He believes that passions are like emotions and nothing is set in stone. If you do not try something out, you won’t really know how you feel doing it. “Passions…they grow, they develop, they change and they shrink,” he shares with us.

Six months later, he decided to take it more seriously and moved closer to the comedy scene. This led him to his first booked show. The gig was at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, California which snowballed into more gigs, and soon enough Saad found what he describes as his true calling.

He was also quick to add that he enjoys studying other comics’ work. When asked about his comedic idols, “Hands down George Carlin, my ultimate favorite comedian. I listen to all his tapes, I study his mannerisms and how he speaks. Dave Chappelle, definitely. Anthony Jeselnik, whose writing I love and I think he is one of the best punch line writers in the industry. Chris Rock; I love how he controls the crowd.”

When asked if he received any backlash from society, he said he doesn’t really pay much attention to people who do not take his profession seriously, since they are acting out of fear (be it fear of failure, or fear of judgement) and their own narrow mindset. He never gives their backlash any magnitude. Overall, most people have been supportive and loving.

Saad was quite compassionate towards his naysayers. “First of all, I think it’s important to realize that this can come from love because sometimes we try to control the ones we love. However, I think we are so disconnected from pain and struggle and have access to things people would only dream of. We are so afraid to aim high, so we settle for goals that we know are attainable, yet challenging enough where we don’t lose sleep over them.. Bottom line is, we are defined by what we reject and I reject other people’s opinions on how I should live my truth. To me, real wealth is finding happiness and fulfillment, by accumulating experiences and not ‘things’.”

Despite running Legendiary and doing stand-up comedy, he still wanted a way to sharpen his speaking skills, and so the idea of The Saad Truth podcast was born. A platform to share his thoughts in a raw and unedited manner. When asked about his future, he says he does not like to set 5 or 10-year plans because he never knows where life may lead him. That being said, he plans to narrow his immediate focus on stand-up, and continue The Saad Truth and the works of Legendiary.

His motto is “dare to defy the common”. He explained that he came up with it when he was working on his automotive project. It has since been a source of inspiration for him in many ways, kindling his inner fire by dismissing the common path.

Saad has accomplished another major milestone recently, opening for Maz Jobrani during a show in Kuwait, where 2000 people showed up to support him (we were there!). The room was full of laughter, and even the ones who did not personally know him were in tears (the good kind, don’t worry!). He was creative, confident and openly challenged taboos and stuffy minds while up on stage.

When we asked him if he had any advice to aspiring comedians, he said “don’t be afraid to try, challenge yourself, work on finding your voice, and be open to criticism. There’s no magic recipe, but above all, perseverance breeds reward.”

For more information, follow Saad Alessa’s Instagram account @saadralessa.