Hey all,
I don't know if everyone has access to view the blog portion of the site, but if you do, I have a series of blogs coming about How to Meet a Stranger.
I will post an earlier one here (Good or Great). Let me know if you can view the blog link.
http://forums.theory11.com/entry.php?2-Good-or-Great
If you can't view it, it is reproduced here:
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Good is the enemy of great.
I was recently at a Leadership Seminar, and one of the speakers Jim Collins, was speaking about how greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.
He was speaking of course on the topic of leadership, but it directly applies to a lot of areas of life, including magic. Is being a good magician, keeping you from being a great one?
Magic is of course a discipline. But more than just practice. Practice alone will not make you great. One must read (and read a ton of books and articles on the subject of magic), perform with a real audience, and strive to do something new with each piece of magic.
He also mentioned how greatness was a cumulative process, not an overnight experience, and that strong leaders need a reason beyond money to succeed.
So it takes discipline. Striving to get better. But also ask yourself the most difficult question: "Why do I want to get better?"
This is a complicated question to ask, and it takes a lot of thinking to find answers that are beyond, showing off, and making a buck. When you find a reason to pursue greatness that is beyond a superficial level, you will find yourself inspired and motived to keep at your disciplines (reading, creating, practicing, performing). This is the path to greatness.
Don't settle for good in anything you do. Aim to be great.
How is being a good magician, become the enemy of the great magician you could become?
I don't know if everyone has access to view the blog portion of the site, but if you do, I have a series of blogs coming about How to Meet a Stranger.
I will post an earlier one here (Good or Great). Let me know if you can view the blog link.
http://forums.theory11.com/entry.php?2-Good-or-Great
If you can't view it, it is reproduced here:
-------------------------------------------------------
Good is the enemy of great.
I was recently at a Leadership Seminar, and one of the speakers Jim Collins, was speaking about how greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.
He was speaking of course on the topic of leadership, but it directly applies to a lot of areas of life, including magic. Is being a good magician, keeping you from being a great one?
Magic is of course a discipline. But more than just practice. Practice alone will not make you great. One must read (and read a ton of books and articles on the subject of magic), perform with a real audience, and strive to do something new with each piece of magic.
He also mentioned how greatness was a cumulative process, not an overnight experience, and that strong leaders need a reason beyond money to succeed.
So it takes discipline. Striving to get better. But also ask yourself the most difficult question: "Why do I want to get better?"
This is a complicated question to ask, and it takes a lot of thinking to find answers that are beyond, showing off, and making a buck. When you find a reason to pursue greatness that is beyond a superficial level, you will find yourself inspired and motived to keep at your disciplines (reading, creating, practicing, performing). This is the path to greatness.
Don't settle for good in anything you do. Aim to be great.
How is being a good magician, become the enemy of the great magician you could become?