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Here is Real Magic Book Review

Author: Nate Staniforth

Normally when I finish a book, I let it sit a while before coming back to write a review. It’s kind of a spaced repetition technique to help me remember the finer points that stood out.

Not this one.

I had to write this right away because this is the best damned book I’ve read in the past five years. I don’t say that lightly either, especially when you consider the volume at which I read.

First, my history with Nate Staniforth.

Nate is a professional magician from Iowa and he doesn’t know me personally, or at all. I saw a clip of him over fifteen years ago on Ellusionist performing a card trick and liked him instantly. The guy just exuded authenticity and he comes across as one of those people you instantly like the moment you meet them.

Then I bought his DVD, Spellbinder, and it’s one of the very few DVDs I still kept after doing my great purging of physical mediums.

In this DVD, Nate was touching upon something that had nagged at me as an early magician – how can you give the audience a sense of wonder with magic as your medium?

How can you get the audience to be participants in the magic and feel it as authentic without you (the magician) pretending to be a real wizard? You see, I wanted to do magic because I loved the awe of the universe.

I wanted people to see magic as an art.

And like any art, the goal is to dig into the well of human emotion and experience. To bring forward what we spend every day trying to suppress or to name something we could never put our finger on.

I didn’t want people to see magic as nothing more than cheap parlour tricks and Nate and I seemed to be on the same wavelength about it.

That’s when I became a fan.

He sparked an inner dialogue that got me thinking about magic in a different way, to connect it to other parts of my life, to write an article about it on Tommy|Zor that got the attention of Chris Kenner (David Copperfield’s executive producer) – who called me up about it and we chatted for an hour on the nature of magic as an art – to speaking at an Ignite Culture event, to even writing a novella (to be published in the near future) with this dialogue running through my subconscious.

My early readers told me it was the best writing I’ve ever done and one of my partners in eVw said I need to make a series out of it… and he hates everything.

I haven’t even gotten to the book, but you might be able to see why I loved it so much. It was personal.

Deeply personal.

Nate pursued his passion with the upmost ferocity and I shifted to writing while bowing out of the magic world. In doing so, much of that drive I had, the philosophical underpinnings of being a magician, went dormant.

With it, if I’m being honest, went some of my spark of life.

Then one night recently, my longing for that world again tapped me on the shoulder and I found this book.

It is the journey of Nate trying to find that real sense of wonder, burning out as a performer and discovering some hard truths about magic as an art on a purposeful trip to India (a country desperately trying to rid itself of its image as a land full of magic and mystery).

Nate is honest and you feel that honesty come out in every sentence.

I powered through this book, clutching on to every word while reading late into the night and waking up early to finish as before my kids woke up. It woke up that part of me that went dormant, bringing life back to something so close to my inner being.

It got me connecting my former life as a magician to my life as a teacher right now. You see, a good teacher isn’t someone who is passionate about their subject area – they’re passionate about sharing that subject with others.

A good magician is the same way. They don’t love magic – they love sharing it with others.

That’s what makes someone love a teacher.

That’s what makes someone love a magician.

That’s what makes someone love another person.

While it could read as a memoir (albeit a very good one), if you’re open to the possibility of wonder, Nate will share with you what he’s learned and you won’t be disappointed.

There’s so much to be gained if you keep your eyes open.

A Waste of 30 Years – Revisited

My previous post elicited some excellent response and after being challenged at what I said, want to go deeper.

Before I start, however, I must say I am undeniably grateful to have such amazing people reading and responding to my posts. The fact my writing resonates with people and gets them thinking tells me it’s serving its purpose.

First to provide some clarity.

The first three (almost four) decades of my life have not been a complete waste. I did some pretty incredible things, met some amazing people and did my best to enjoy the time I had.

After all, it was during that time I was a professional magician who stepped foot into the Magic Castle, hid an exchange student from Dubai whose parents threatened his life for coming out as gay, traveled across Canada by van, rebuilt homes in New Orleans and saw Carly Rae Jepsen open for Hanson (of all the things on the list, people find the last one the hardest to believe).

So where’s the waste?

It was the emotional waste of investing so much of my time caring what others think. Yes, I did some awesome things, but my concern for their approval prevented me from really blazing my own trail. It stifled me from taking bigger risks when the consequences weren’t so damaging.

Yes, I still take many risks now, but they must be very calculated as there are people who depend on me to keep a roof over their head.

I don’t see all of this as someone living with regret. Far from it.

The feeling of having spent so much time caring about others has strengthened me going forward. This is me building a new foundation for the next thirty years of my life with a much broader perspective. Well, narrow focus within a broad perspective.

Next, not caring what others think isn’t a carte blanche statement to be a jerkface jerk.

I still aim to be a person with integrity, authenticity and transparency.

It’s just that some people won’t like what they meet and we may never find cordial grounds to meet each other on. I’ll still try to see the best in every person I meet and meet them where they’re at, but not get caught up in seeking their approval.

As my wise mentor once told me, and it only took me eight years to understand the lesson, you cannot have a conversation with a person unless you know who they are and they know who you are. You have to be one hundred percent of who you are to even begin interacting with the world.

So here’s to the next thirty years!

Maybe by then, I’ll have really learned a thing or two about life.

A Waste of 30 Years

The amount of time we have on this Earth is an enigma to which there is no solution. While some put their hope in the religions of Silicon Valley who suggest their research will “solve” death, we must live with what we have.

Based on lifestyle and genetics, I’ll be fortunate to break the eighty-year mark in my life. I’m doing my best to make it there, and beyond, in as healthy a position as possible.

For now, every year I have is something to celebrate.

However, I would  be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that I’m almost at the “halfway point” and feel I’ve wasted three decades. They weren’t wasted on adventures, false starts, bad decisions or any of those “If I could go back” thought experiments (on that note, I really wish I hadn’t been so damn lazy growing up), but on the following:

Caring too much what others think of me.

Friends, co-workers, general public–you name it. Rather than work hard at being the best person I can, for what and who I am, many of my actions were guided by the perception of others. It caused unneeded anxiety, stress and feelings of emotional collapse at the thought I would never measure up.

Then I came across the following quote attributed to Winston Churchill:

When you’re 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you’re 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you’re 60 you realize no one was ever thinking about you in the first place. You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.

I was slowly entering into that forty mentality, only to realize there was yet another milestone along the way. And it all made sense.

Gossip lasts a short amount of time. Just see what the big story on the Internet is today and realize it’ll be replaced in a few days to get a good understanding of the life cycle of what people are thinking.

People have their own lives to worry about and my wasted time was in not realizing I should worry about mine. Trying too hard to impress others will always come across as trying too hard.

Authenticity will always impress the people you need.

180 Days Book Review

Authors: Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of these two power house teachers. Having read their previous materials, this one was a no-brainer because it was the two of them… together… explaining how they do what they do and make it all “fit.”

After one read through, I knew I would have to go back and go into detail. There’s so much happening in this book that to help you along, there are videos to show you what happens in their classroom. However, that isn’t enough to absorb it all in one go.

There were many questions left unanswered on exactly how their 180 day plan plays out. With any resource, you can easily get overwhelmed with trying to do everything suggested and it’s best to siphon it in appropriately. But–I was still missing the big picture.

For some reason, and it had more to do with my apprehension, I was still failing to see how it could be implemented.

Then I had the fortunate chance to see the two at a three-day conference where they showed us how this works. It included their beliefs, the micro level, the macro level, what worked really well and what they were doing differently this year.

It all made sense.

Now I’m excited to start bringing in their blueprint into my classroom, adding my own twists, creativity and flair to an already solid foundation.

If you’ve never read anything by either of these teachers before, this book is a great entryway. Fair warning–you will feel overwhelmed after your first read through. You will also be overwhelmed if you try to do everything all at once they suggest.

Keep in mind they have over 70 years experience between the two. That’s something you cannot emulate on your first run through, but it does give you something to strive for as you hammer away at the teaching craft.

And no, you do not to see them live to appreciate the resource they’ve put together. Again, that had more to do with me, but not anymore.

We were all thrilled to meet each other.

5% Per Year

I am in a fortunate position with my school board as they offer us to take professional learning opportunities in the summer. Contrary to popular belief, the teaching profession does not end at the end of June and my year is no exception.

This year, I have the privilege of attending a three day workshop with Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher, who are teachers I personally look up to and attempt to emulate (in my own style). It’s only been a day, but the insights have been jarring.

While there are many points to take under consideration, and I will have to take time to decompress and reflect, one thing piqued my interest today. Gallagher, in an off-comment, mentioned the best teachers in the world attempt to get 5% better every year… and the top 5% of teachers do this.

Not to extrapolate this any further than he intended, but isn’t this true for many professions?

If I really wanted to run with it, I could extend this to personal development. How many of us are striving to get 5% better every year at something in our own lives?

Compounding yearly, the percentage adds up.

And Then the Rain Starts

It all goes wrong, plans are falling apart, it was a disaster to even get out there… and then the rain starts.

There was an expectation of what it would be and anything that could be redeemed is countered by the storm. Maybe this was just a bad idea from the start with no hope of success.

When the rain starts, dance in it.

Accept it as the new plan with the anticipation of the storm passing (and it always does).

It may not be what was expected, but it’s still being treated as a welcome memory.

The Change that is Invisible

When you’re around enough of an influence, whether that be another person or a cultural pastime, there is a subtle change that happens invisibly.

At first, it is imperceptible because the change is tiny and we are bad judges of our own character. But this grows at a snails pace, compounding on top of itself with each passing day until things are different.

However, being in the midst of these tiny, imperceptible changes, you grow to believe this is how you’ve always been or it’s something you’ve always felt.

Sometimes this plays out in a positive way and it’s only in stopping to reflect that you come to realize how much better things are for you.

Other times it veers toward a negative route and the only reflection happening is the one that justifies your disdain for those trying to reach out to you.

Since the change is invisible, it can be tough to tell what path you are on.

If the days are seeming better and you’re going to bed at night with more contentment in your heart, you have your answer.

If they’re getting harder and you can’t understand why, it might be time to listen to those trying to help.

Phoenix Book Review

Author: Jeff Stone

“Here you go, daddy.”

My three year old thrust this book into my hands while spending time at the library. I’m assuming he was attracted to the light blue cover, but I thanked him and opened up to the first chapter to show I was interested.

It seemed like a fun book, so why not?

This is the start of a second novel series from Stone, taking place after the events from the first series. However, even though I didn’t read the first series, I was not at a loss coming into this one. It was setup in a way that allow the reader to dive right in.

At its core, this is the story of a grandson going out of his way to help his grandfather. Its dressing is bike racing and martial arts, which fit nicely.

Considering its audience of younger readers, it has enough depth to bring in an older reader like myself and the pace is enough to keep you flipping pages until the end. At no point, did I ever feel like the book was dragging.

Phoenix is a likeable character and while an audience familiar with the grandfather’s story would know more about him, I felt not knowing the history enticed me to read the first series. However, what really sparked me was how fitting this would be in my own classroom library.

It’s worth the read and you will walk away with a significant amount of knowledge about bikes and bike competitions.

Happy 4th of July

As a Canadian, I feel our American neighbours always get a bad rap. The issue is we base their reputation based upon pockets of news outlets and the musings of their politicians.

They are also a country with a melting pot of over 350 million people as opposed to the more homogeneous countries in the world with a fraction of that population. That in itself is a wild dynamic to work within.

However, the Americans I know are lovely, wonderful, generous people who are always in the mood for good conversation. Even when travelling, the Americans I run into are always happy to converse… even if the topic constantly veers toward universal health care (yes, it has its flaws, but it’s fantastic and I would never want to give it away).

There are many things to celebrate the U.S. for and to hope for so we can move into a better future together.

I mean, c’mon, have a you had an In ‘N Out burger?

To my American friends, especially my dedicated readers from California, I wish you a Happy Independence Day.

I Miss Road Trips

This isn’t just some nostalgic missing of the past where time was plenty and responsibilities were few, but a sadness the road trip is disappearing.

Between the rising cost of gas and the accelerated growth of urban, and suburban, areas with their overly congested traffic grids, it’s more pain than joy to drive. Even the minor roadways are filling with a rising population avoiding the major ones.

Tom Petty no longer has a choice about driving these highways all night long. It will take that long to get to where you’re going.

Considering the future we’re entering and assuming it all comes up in the utopia people are expecting, we’ll solve our fuel problem with some kind of electric hybrid that can charge in minutes and traffic problems will be solved through autonomous vehicles. However, an autonomous vehicle expects a destination and maneuvers the roads in the most efficient way possible.

I don’t expect the engineers to add an option that says, “Just Go Wherever,” or “Make Random Stops at Places I Would Find Interesting.”

It’s tough to say if there will still be a sweet spot where a self-directed road trip will still be possible. All I know is in the meantime, until that magical future hits, I miss them.