A few weeks ago I was having a particularly challenging, stressful day. That evening I was scheduled to perform and speak at an internationally renowned health and wellness resort. My topic was The Magic of Cultivating Positive Emotions. And, frankly, I wasn’t feeling very positive. Even a bit of imposter syndrome was creeping in. I thought, Of all people, why should I be teaching positivity?
So, as best as I could, I sucked it up and decided I’d better put to work the very things I was about to teach. I misdirected my thoughts and emotions from the negatives I was feeling to the positives I actually had; not the least of which was the fact that I was going to have the privilege of presenting my show and seminar that evening.
Misdirection is a technique that every good magician and mentalist uses to redirect not only the audience’s eyes, but their thoughts as well. Misdirection of thoughts is one of the strategies I teach in my presentation. I demonstrate a couple of magical misdirections, then I teach how important it is for all of us to practice daily misdirection of our thoughts from the negative to the positive. And I talk about some of the science behind it, which is fascinating. In brief, practicing regular misdirection from the negative to the positive literally rewires our brains toward the positive. We were created to operate most optimally in a state of positivity, so the more you do it, the healthier state your brain will operate in.
When you feel yourself drifting negative in your thoughts, capture that thought, reject it, and replace it with something in your life that’s positive. Not always an easy task, but with consistent practice, it gets easier over time.
We all have blessings to draw our attention to, so, as the Bible says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
That day, as I was heading to the resort, I knew I had to practice what I was about to teach. I thought about some of the people I was about to perform for and hopefully help.That thought was a blessing itself. When I got there I threw myself into my presentation. And something, well, magical happened.
My audiences are always very engaged, but that night was exceptional. And the written comments left by audience members only served to confirm that something very special had happened.
“Thank you! Always great to be reminded of the power of positivity and how we can make an impact for each other through suggesting positive things.”
“This seminar was by far the most powerful one I’ve seen. You are MAGIC! Thank you SO much!”
“You were absolutely incredible! I loved everything you said, all of your magic and your entire personality! Your seminar was brilliant and so valuable! Thank you!!”
“Outstanding! Loved the concept AND the presentation! Positivity rocks!”
But perhaps most satisfying was when a fireman who had been in the audience stayed afterwards to talk with me. He had suffered tremendous PTSD and depression and was at the health and wellness resort to heal. He shared with me how much what I taught had helped him. We swapped stories. I got to tell him about how, years ago, I had suffered and eventually recovered from deep depression. That conversation alone was a blessing for both of us. And we both left that seminar room being encouraged…and misdirected toward the positive.
Rod Robison is an Arizona based mentalist, magician, author, and speaker. More about Rod Robison’s magic and mentalism shows, inspirational seminars, and sales training at www.ArizonaMentalist.com
