My friend and TV travel expert Peter Greenberg gave me excellent advice to beat jet lag. Peter travels over 400,000 miles per year (equal to sixteen times around the earth annually), yet he never suffers from jet lag. How does he do it? I’m going to share Peter’s secret here with you.
I can tell you with some authority that it works.
At the moment, I’m in Osaka, Japan and haven’t had a single bout with jet lag since my arrival three days ago. After the fourteen hour trip (which I’ve taken over 20 times), I’m usually demolished for the coming week. This time around, however, I’ve been alert since I hit the ground and have slept like a baby each night.
Here, in Peter’s words, is the secret he shared with me in person. At the end, I’ll add a few extra comments of my own. […]
I read some good advice written by Lee Earle. I’m including it here on my blog to REMIND MYSELF, and also to pass it on to you.
An old-time vaudeville, burlesque and U.S.O. Camp Show entertainer named Don Seth told Lee:
“In every audience you entertain, there will be a little boy who had to save his nickles and dimes to be able to come to see your show. It may not be much money by your standards, but it is a lot to him. Give him his money’s worth.”
Don continued, “Every time you step on stage, there is a little boy in the front row who is seeing his first real, live magician. The image you create in his mind is the one which will stay with him for the rest of his life. Make it a good first impression.”
“And somewhere in every audience,” he continued, “is a little boy who could be playing in the park, or watching television, or doing his homework but instead has chosen to spend his one, precious, irreplaceable commodity – his time – with you and your show. You must reward his good faith with an equal effort of your own. You owe him the very best performance you can give.”
The next time you step on stage, look over your audience and, in each and every person present, be sure to see that little boy.
[This article was originally published on the website ArtOfManliness.com and draws heavily from my book Win The Crowd. I think everyone should read it.]
by Brett & Kate McKay, ArtOfManliness.com
We’ve probably all seen those men who can enter any room and instantly command it. I’m not talking about the loud and boisterous dolt who makes a scene with obnoxious alpha-male jackassery. I’m talking about the man who exudes a silent magnetic charisma that electrifies the entire room just by his presence. People feel better when this type of man is around and they want to be near him.
The benefits of being able to walk into any social situation and completely own it are innumerable. The man who can command a room is more persuasive in his business presentations, easily meets and makes friends, and attracts more women. While many men are born with the ability to charismatically command a room, it can also be learned. Below we’ve provided a few tips to get you started on being El Capitan of any social or professional situation.
I receive at least one email per month from magicians around the world. Their notes usually begin like this:
Dear Mr. Cohen,
I am a magician in [name of town] trying to build my client base and marketing reach.
I would like to use your idea of doing parlor magic using a high end hotel as a base. Would you object if I used that approach here in [name of town]?
Any advice you can offer would be appreciated. Do I split ticket sales with the hotel? Or, does the hotel pay me a fee and take all ticket profits? Does the hotel supply drinks as a part of the show price? How long should the show be? How much should tickets be? etc. etc.
—
Before I offer an extremely rare rant (not the type of prose you’ve come to expect from me), here is my form-letter response: […]
I rarely take vacations. When I do, they’re usually short five-day excursions, spanning Sunday through Thursday. Why? Because like Cinderella, I need to rush back to New York in time for my weekend performances. Chamber Magic shows run every Friday and Saturday, and I hardly ever miss a weekend. That goes for summer and winter holidays too.
For a change of pace, however, I’ve been on a two-week summer vacation in Japan with my family. As I write this, I’m aboard a Boeing 777 aircraft on the flight home to New York. We visited my wife’s parents in Osaka, and spent a good deal of time in Tokyo (one of my favorite cities in the world).
As much fun as I had during the past two weeks with my wife, children and local friends, I’m eager to return home to get back to my shows. Call it the “show-biz itch” if you will. The time I feel most alive is […]
I held a fascinating interview with a private jet pilot (↑ that’s the jet he flies), and discovered how to utilize pilots’ Situational Awareness in my work on stage as a performer. If you’ve never heard of Situational Awareness, or the OODA loop, there’s a lot that you can learn from a pilot that could help save your life. It can also help you as a presenter on stage, which I’ll illustrate in this blog post.
After a public show, the audience files out and I’m left alone in the empty room. There is no evidence that something extraordinary had taken place. The moment has passed.
There was a stretch of time when I felt a giant disappointment after my performances. The flip side of two high-energy ninety minute shows, back to back, is the inevitable drop back to reality. For three hours, I gave pleasure and excitement to my audiences, brain and body working at full tilt. Yet, at that time, there was little pleasure in it for me.
The painting above resonated with me during this time of my life. […]
According to the National Theater in Washington DC, “The day when everyone dressed formally to go to the theatre has passed.” Despite being a historic theater – one that every U.S. president has attended since 1835 – the National has relaxed its dress code to allow patrons a freer choice. The theater’s website states, “To feel well-groomed, comfortable and good about yourself for a special occasion is really the guiding rule.”
I was upset to read this.
I believe that dressing up to go to the theater is a form of civility that should be resurrected. […]
I have not mentioned this in print before, but since the very beginning my goal has always been to perform Chamber Magic for twenty years. There aren’t too many shows that have staying power. Not only magic shows, but theatrical shows in general. Ten years have flown by, and I want to keep Chamber Magic alive for ten more. Maybe I’m crazy, but I love performing this show. I’ve molded my life around it.[…]