One “little secret” magicians and mentalists sometimes don’t like to admit to is that performing for a roomful of fellow performers can be a bit intimidating. I guess we assume, maybe wrongly, maybe not, that the magicians in the audience are more interested in analyzing techniques than simply suspending disbelief and enjoying the illusion. I know I do that way too much when I’m watching another magician or mentalist. Even though I’m very comfortable with virtually any audience, performing for other magicians or mentalists has been, at the very least, a somewhat negative bias for me, founded or unfounded.
So, when I had the opportunity to not only attend Jeff McBride ‘s Master Class for Mentalism in Las Vegas but to also perform a showcase at which the instructors and fellow attendees would critique my performance, I was, shall we say, “challenged.”
The instructors are legends in their fields. Dr. Larry Haas, performer and celebrated author on the art of magic and Dean of McBride’s Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas. Ross Johnson, one of the most acclaimed mentalists in the world. And Jeff McBride, founder of the School and widely considered one of the top ten magicians of the past several decades. Being “examined” by these giants had me more than a bit petrified.
At the encouragement of a mentalist friend, I had signed up for the class and, somewhat reluctantly, the showcase where I was to perform one of the pieces from my show for the entire class and instructors. To be transparent, I tried to weasel out of the showcase. But then I put my big boy pants on and didn’t cancel after all.
The piece I performed that week is a favorite of my audiences. It’s the one I get the most jaw-dropping reactions from. The one that more people approach me about after a show and practically beg me to tell them how I do it. (I don’t.)
I bring three audience members to the stage and have them choose any one of three well known novels sitting on a table. Each thick book has anywhere from 500 to 750 pages and tens of thousands of words each. I invite each of them to open the freely chosen novel to any page, and each one of them to choose a word. Then I ask each of them to think about their past and how they may have experienced in their lives the word they freely chose. I then delve into the three spectators’ thoughts, revealing not only details about their personalities, but the words from the book they are merely thinking about. Jaws drop. Eyes widen like saucers. Gasps from the audience can often be heard. It is impactful and emotionally engaging.
As strong as that performance piece is and the excellent response I always received from my audiences, I knew I could take it to another level by performing it for the Magic and Mystery School and receive the input of giants in the field of magic and mentalism. But I won’t say I still wasn’t intimidated by the prospect.
I ended up being very thankful I didn’t bail. Here’s why.
Jeff, Ross, and Larry not only were very encouraging and complimentary, each of them offered excellent suggestions for taking my performance to the next level. The attendees wrote their suggestions on forms, all of which I read on the plane heading home. Several of the suggestions I implemented and use to this day. And, as a result, my performance has been enhanced. It has always played very well with my audiences, but since implementing some of the suggested changes it is even stronger.
What I thought would be an intimidating – possibly even humiliating – experience turned out to be wonderfully affirming and helpful. The prospect of performing for these giants in their respective fields had nearly paralyzed me with fear. But I knew that if I didn’t step out on faith I would always wonder what I might have missed. Once I stepped out – yes, well prepared and practiced – I found that the “mountain” was removed from my path and I was able to continue on my performance journey with greater confidence and armed with valuable “supplies” for the road ahead.
Sometimes what we conjure in our minds as terrifying scenarios are actually valuable growth opportunities offered to us if we are willing to push the envelope of our comfort zone.
This morning in church our pastor was teaching on dealing with challenges. He said something that was so good, I opened my texting app and sent it to myself:
“Sometimes we insult God because we give up on a dream He gave us.”
So, what dream have you been given? And what will you do in the coming days, weeks, and months to pursue that dream? Where is the edge of your comfort zone envelope and what will you do to push its limits in order to grow toward that dream? You will very likely find that what has seemed intimidating isn’t so intimidating after all. And that you’ve expanded your comfort zone envelope in the pursuit of your dream.
Rod Robison is a mentalist, magician, and author of The Magic of Cultivating Positive Emotions and co-author of Unmasking the Masquerade: Three Magicians Investigate Deception, Fear, and the Supernatural. Available at www.TucsonMagician.com/books. For more information about Rod’s shows, sales training programs, and inspiring seminars, all of which feature his mind-blowing mentalism and magic, visit www.TucsonMentalist.com
