Go Big or Go Home - Thoughts on Effort

Jun 1, 2009
1,066
6
"Go big or go home" is my older brother's motto. Everything he does he goes 110%, no matter what the task is. I believe this can be applied to magic. Whether it is a 3 minute street performance or a 2 hour gig, one should always do his best no matter the circumstances. Even though it could be a simple self-working effect, the effort put forth should be fresh and show you care about your work. Keep your energy up, even though it is the seventh time today you peformed the same effect; it is fresh to the audience, so make it fresh for you to-the experience will be different everytime.

Here is a little story to go along with this. I was peforming at a campout a few months ago and I used the effect where you take the cards in layers (face up,face down, face up-like a sandwich of layers) and end up reversing mine and the spectators cards with a few snaps. ( I apologize I do not know the name at the moment). I have done this a few times that night, but some new people arrived and asked me to show them a trick, so I decided to go with the favorite of the night. As I was performing, I kept the patter fresh as if it was my first time doing it, and the girl got really into it and I got the best reaction I have ever recieved from that effect. If I had done it half-heartedly, it wouldve shown and the effect would not have been as strong.

To sum up, always go all out when peforming, weather it is the first time or the tenth time. Any thoughts are stories about this is encouraged-no bashing :D

(This was also inspired partly by William Draven's signature ;) )

Your boy,
Fez
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
Hey, nice post man. I was thinking about something similar the other day. As of earlier this week, there are now 100 days left in the year. So I wanted to make a difference by setting down some goals for myself. I'd rather not share them here, but they range from personal life to professional, including one for magic.

And, as your motto says, I deliberately made them massive goals - massive, scary, practically unachievable goals because the standard has been set so high. I know that if I'm not scared about the goal, I'm just not going to put in enough effort. I won't have the same drive. Setting standards too low encourages mindless plodding into your normal routine, and won't change anything. So I went the other extreme. If I get it, I'll have achieved something amazing. If I don't, I'll still have achieved something amazing, because of the motivation I have. And I'll still have achieved more than if I had simply set a low goal, and sat on my hands for the rest of the year.

Nice post mate
 
Jun 1, 2009
1,066
6
Hey, nice post man. I was thinking about something similar the other day. As of earlier this week, there are now 100 days left in the year. So I wanted to make a difference by setting down some goals for myself. I'd rather not share them here, but they range from personal life to professional, including one for magic.

And, as your motto says, I deliberately made them massive goals - massive, scary, practically unachievable goals because the standard has been set so high. I know that if I'm not scared about the goal, I'm just not going to put in enough effort. I won't have the same drive. Setting standards too low encourages mindless plodding into your normal routine, and won't change anything. So I went the other extreme. If I get it, I'll have achieved something amazing. If I don't, I'll still have achieved something amazing, because of the motivation I have. And I'll still have achieved more than if I had simply set a low goal, and sat on my hands for the rest of the year.

Nice post mate

Thank you, this has been on my mind lately also, just now decided to put it up here.

I think we can get a good discussion going here, come on guys!

Your boy,
Fez
 
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