Balancing on the Precipice

“It’s only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve.”

John Cleese

The word ‘precipice‘ has been haunting my thoughts. It’s a feeling that has somehow taken over my gut. I feel more and more that I’m at the stage now where I’m balancing between falling and flying.

Every single day.

A short cut to the origin

Spending the last two weeks with inspirational performers in Spain and France I am torn between two opposing trains of thought.

Knowing that I am ready to perform at this level myself.

And thinking that there is no way I could ever be what these incredible performers become upon these world stages.

How is it possible to fill the stage the way Henry Evans does with his incredible close-up card magic? Is it possible? “Nooooooo!” Quoting Henry here!

How Tom Stone becomes a mage and takes us to an other worldly place where an ancient ritual ends in a magical explosion filling the stage?

Only Believe

I realised after feeling this way that there is something that these performers have which allows them to become what they need to every time they step onto a stage. That thing is belief!

A belief in their work and themselves. However, this does not mean they have not been through what I am feeling right now.

We all go through a journey when creating. The biggest one is building ourselves up to the point we allow ourselves to do the things we know deep down inside we can.

The proof is in the pudding!

Bottom line is, everyone makes mistakes and nothing is perfect. You simply cannot become good at something – I mean properly good at something – without a struggle. The struggle is like climbing to the top of a huge building of never-ending stairs in the hope to reach the prize at the top.

It’s hard work!

I personally get stuck on the ‘I can’t do it’ and ‘how do I do it?’ step every single day. But somehow in the end I get there. I keep climbing until I reach the top no matter how hard it seems. Or how crap I feel.

There is one solution that helps me get to my goals time and time again and that is having a deadline.

Deadlines help meeting goals because if you have a deadline you must meet it. If you are booked to perform a show, the show must go on. If you’ve decided to compete in a competition you must show up and at least try.

※

This next month I have several deadlines I have to meet that I am absolutely dreading. They are things I’ve wanted all my life but the thought of them right now is making me want to vomit. However, I know deep down in the end, it will work out fine. It won’t be perfect, because nothing is in our own eyes. But I will have achieved things I need to get to where I want to go. To where I want to be. And that struggle is worth everything. My advice to you all is to never give up trying.

Finally…

Three years ago Tom shared a video with me that I find myself watching again now and perhaps you should take the time to sit and watch it too. You might find something in it as I have done.

Keep on going to try and close the gap between your current abilities and ambitions.

I hope one day I will get there as the people I look up to in magic have.