Sell this Pen to Me

I recently gave a lecture for magicians; it streamed over the internet to interested magi around the world. I spoke on card tricks, coin tricks, audience management and basic philosophies. Fun stuff.

At the end, after three and a half hours of Hannibal dialogue, the producer asked me to submit an effect or routine for a feature called “Free Trick Friday”. I thought it would be appropriate to offer something … a little more valuable.

This was my submission.

Sell This Pen to Me from Chris Hannibal on Vimeo.

The Lessons of Sisyphus

Some days I wake up and feel like Sisyphus.

Do you know who I mean?

Sisyphus was an ancient mythological figure punished for all eternity to roll a boulder up a steep mountain, only to have it roll back down to the bottom when he reaches the top. Albert Camus called him an absurd hero; he struggled perpetually and without any hope of success.

That describes me on some days. Broken promises, lack of perceived ‘progress’, low bank accounts and good old self doubt are my boulder. I struggle daily to push it forward and upward, only to watch it roll back at day’s end. In the reality of my profession, the boulder is mine. I am aided and supported by an amazing set of friends and family, but the responsibility is on my shoulders. Sometimes this burden is crushing.

When times like this occur, I stop and breathe. I count my blessings and I look at my situation from a different attitude. Picture Sisyphus smiling.

The idea is so simple: here is Sisyphus, the wretch, interminably pushing his boulder up the hill, watching it roll down and repeating.  In my mind he was always completely defeated, hopeless.  And then, as I read Camus’ book on the ‘Myth of Sisyphus’, everything about the picture changed.  Imagining Sisyphus smiling, embracing his situation as his reality, not wanting a different past or a different future, but accepting the present, the scene totally rearranged itself.  He was no longer hopeless, but happy in his acceptance of the situation.

He must, in order to accept the absurdity of the situation, adjust his attitude and fulfill what has been put before him.

On the road to your dreams, there are certain absurd truths you must acknowledge. You must work as hard and as tirelessly as you can. There is no guarantee of success, but the burden and the struggle contain a successful measure of their own. To simply be doing what you love, and to master it may be enough. Our life fate is all the same, so why be miserable? Live your passion in the task at hand, and find satisfaction in your minor successes and your crushing failures.

Like Sisyphus, some see no other option than the mountain and the rock. Burdened with obligations, lack of control, hopelessness, low expectations and no alternatives, they continue to toil in dead-end jobs and uninspiring environments.

You, however can see opportunity in obligation, freedom in failure and hope in hopelessness. You are unique, as are your burdens. Keep shouldering on, and be thankful for the journey.

The Road is the Sea, Part Two (Gratitude)

I would walk to the beach every day, and then wander for miles in either direction. There were no Ipods or even Walkmans  in those days, so quite often I would sing aloud to myself. I had the entire ‘Hotel California’ album memorized, so I would sing it start to finish, then throw in a few from the  greatest hits record. If I was feeling especially lonely or melancholy, I would sing ‘Wichita Lineman’ or ‘Folsom Prison Blues’: my father’s favorite tunes. (Mom was into the Commodores, but I couldn’t hit the high notes.) My singing was out loud, but only for me. The sound of the waves drowned out my singing, so most people I passed never noticed.

Even though I went to the beach every day, it was never the same from one day to the next. Some days the sea would be calm and lovely; small waves lapping gently at the shore. The smallest of children could play in the water without any fear of being knocked down. The safest days … became boring quickly.

On other days, the sea behaved like an animal, pounding the beach as if it were trying to escape its cage. On these days the shoreline was rife with treasure: shells, sand dollars, odd, artful driftwood.  I loved the beach on all the days I got to spend there.

Our lives are in a constant state of change. Some days everything goes our way:  we get a promotion or a raise, hit all the green lights, find money unexpectedly.  Some days, not so much. In the words of the prophets: “Shit Happens”.

It’s easy to feel gratitude on the good days. If we are to be serious about real gratitude, however, we must also learn to be genuinely grateful on the ‘bad’ days.

We can start by being grateful IN SPITE OF all that ‘bad’ stuff that is happening; we can find other, better, things to focus on and be grateful for.  Eventually, though, we must learn to be grateful because those things are happening.  We can, if we so choose, learn to find the positive in any situation.

The treasures on the beach are delivered there by the tempests. So, too in our lives are the blessings delivered.

We walk the Road. Most of the time we walk it alone, with only our minds, hearts and God (if we choose to let Him join us) on the journey. We can yearn for the ‘safe’, boring tide, or we can celebrate the wildness, the untamed passion that is life.

Walk a bit without distraction. Unplug from the world once in a while. Sing out loud for yourself in pure celebration of just being able to walk on the beach. It is Astonishing to be alive.

I am grateful for my struggle. I am grateful for the rough patches. I strive to see the treasure in every situation.

I don’t always succeed, but I won’t stop trying.

The Road is the Sea

I grew up in and around the ocean. My grandparents had a place on Topsail Island, NC and I spent many summers there. The ocean has always fascinated me … it looks vast, and is even bigger than you can comprehend at first glance, plus it hides most of itself beneath the surface. A seemingly calm sea can have dangerous riptides that can knock you off your feet and sweep you out.

And the only way to really know is to commit yourself to entering. Not foolishly, but respectfully.

Most of the people stay on the beach. Some dip their toes and walk along the waterline, letting the waves wash over their feet at its own will, and scampering up higher if the water goes above their ankles. Some play in the waves … and a very few venture beyond where the breakers are, to swim in the deceptively calm ‘deep’ water. Out there it’s more peaceful. The roar of the surf is muted and the chatter of the crowd is almost nothing.

Out there, in the dangerous, quiet place, you can really get to know yourself, sense your purpose. Talk to God.

The deep water is not for everyone. You must overcome your fear while paying attention to where you are.

But those who dare are my heroes.

Seventeen Thousand Hours

I had a very heartfelt conversation with a dear friend this evening. My friend had a very close call with disaster and walked away relatively unhurt. This left her questioning why she had been spared, and what should she be doing with her time. Earlier in the evening I had the privilege of entertaining two amazing people who had waged war on their cancer and emerged victorious and full of hope for their future. These conversations have me thinking …

If you had two years to spend on a dream, what would you spend it on?

What happens when you are good at a lot of things, but not great at one specific thing? What do you do?

It’s a common question. Maybe the universe is telling you there isn’t one thing you are supposed to do. Maybe you feel there are so many options you aren’t even sure where to begin.

Guess what? It’s okay to not know. It’s okay to have questions, to wrestle with your potential.

Do not believe the lie that says you are incapable of being excellent at something. Do not believe that you will never know what you were made to do.

”Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” ~ Proverbs 13:12

Whether your heart leads you to poetry, performing street magic in San Diego or adopting a child from Zambia, you should actively participate in your passions. Those desires are there for a reason. You can do more than dream and sigh.

Your longing to do what you were made to do, when fulfilled, will produce abundant fruit.

Remove the false idea that dreams only relate to future events. The road to your dream begins today, right here where you are. The journey is now. Not tomorrow, not someday. Right here, right now.

So you have a choice.

You can keep dreaming, wishing, and wondering. Or you can begin to live the dream, to travel the road, to make something extraordinary out of today.

Make a Choice

If you feel overwhelmed by options, pick something. Try a dream out. If it brings you and others life and there is fruit, then God is in it.

Make a list today. Write down the things that make you feel completely alive. Don’t worry about consequences or business model. Just dream. And it’s okay if the answer is long with multiple items on the list.

When you have your list, the real work begins. Seventeen Thousand Hours … just about two years. Give it your heart, give it your passion. Be happy about your choice no matter what negative responses you get. They are not you. Happiness breeds success.

In just that short amount of time you can change your world … in fact, you can change the entire world.

Get your feet in motion, and don’t stop there. Your mountain is waiting.

Happiness … is the Road.

“Look inside you
Feel the life course through you
The life that’s giving In every thing that’s living
The plants and the trees
The birds and the bees
And apes like you and me” ~ Marillion

I would be so happy if …

…I just land this promotion.

…I was in love.

…I could afford more .

Success means Happiness … right?

Most people today hold to the belief that if we are successful, we will be happy. That belief keeps us in a position of anxiously striving and looking to the next thing. We think a new job, a promotion, the latest technology, or the right people will be the answer to our discontent.

I propose to you that this way of thinking is incorrect, and crippling. It’s the other way around.

Happiness Produces Success
Happiness actually fuels triumph.

“When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work.” ~ Shawn Achor

So how does this happen? Well, it’s all about developing the habit of being happy. Many of our minds have been trained to think negatively, so it takes conscious effort to retrain the mind to think positively and gratefully. Achor explains that after a period of about 21 days of consciously thinking positively, the pattern of positive thinking can be retrained permanently in the brain.

Happiness is Infectious

How you meet you meet your fellow travelers affects them. Gloom breeds gloom, excitement breeds excitement. We live in a very negative society. Gossip, envy and avarice is the social norm. People feel it’s okay to demean and disparage someone whose view differs from their own. It’s very easy to fall into the negativity trap. Negativity becomes a burden, as it sits and becomes heavier. It can cause real physical problems.

Look at where you are and learn to be thankful for where you are. Yes, there are grand adventures ahead, but what you have right here and right now are worth celebrating. Take some time everyday to extend your senses … breathe, sing, dance. Be an infection.

3 New Ways of Thinking
Today I am grateful because…

I am going to make today a great day by…

My circumstances don’t dictate my emotions. Today I am choosing to be joyful.

Happiness isn’t magically going to find you. It won’t appear one day after you get a degree, or a job, or a promotion, or find that perfect person. Choose happiness today. and when you do … why stop there?

“Happiness ain’t at the end of the road. Happiness IS the road.” ~ Marillion

Failure is Not an Option

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” ~ C.S. Lewis

 

My Friend, I have some news to share: You are going to fail.

That sounds kind of harsh, but I know you want the truth from me.
 It’s a part of the journey we are on. Gird yourself and prepare: it will come along.

Failure will happen to you.

In following  your road, you will make some mistakes along the way, in fact you need too. Some really big ones.

This is how you grow. There can be no creation or growth without some pain. It will shape you, mold you. Like refining gold, you have to purge the impurities. It’s going to be hard, but it’s the only way.

To paraphrase the movie ‘Apollo 13’, ”Failure is not an option.” That’s very true, failure is not optional … in fact, it’s a necessity. Don’t fear failure. Since I’m quoting art, how about this one: “Fear is the little death.” (Dune) To fear failure is to lose the battle before beginning it. Fear tells us to keep ourselves bottled up and protected. It tells us to play it safe. It warns of impending failure. Fear lies to us, deceives us into thinking that if we fail, our dreams are over.

Sorry. It’s just not true.

Failure Brings You Closer to Your Goal

Here’s the truth: Failure helps you succeed. It shows you what not to do or when something doesn’t work. It is the fertilizer for experience. In my career I’ve failed more than I’ve succeeded, if you want to keep a record. I’ve been fired, mocked and even booed off stage more than once. I’ve had my phone, my lights and my water cut off. I’ve had my car repossessed and evicted from my home. If i hadn’t been to the bottom, I sincerely couldn’t be as grateful as I am. I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this to you.

I’ve been robbed, protested, preached against, assaulted. I’ve been cheated, swindled and lied to. I could fill a book with promises that have not been kept. Show biz. Because of my faith, I can say that I’ve forgiven all of these. I believe in the greatness of the human spirit. I’ve failed, and I’ve kept on down the road.

Failure is the potential of success, not yet fully realized.

So Now What?

You need to keep dreaming. Keep moving down your road. What we have is this moment; so treasure what it holds. Keep breathing. 

When you stop dreaming, you become afraid. You get paralyzed, and that is where you really fail.

You will mess up. You will fall down. On your face. Hard. It will hurt.

Proverbs 24:16 says,

“The righteous man falls seven times but rises again.”

Not once, not twice — but seven times. Getting back up produces character and character produces hope.

With failure comes perseverance. With perseverance comes success.

Keep failing, keep learning. Failing means you’re doing. And if you are doing …

Why stop there?

No Excuses

My success lies in my hands. My decisions and how I act on them determine my path.

No whining.

New Eyes

(An Affirmation)

Try to forget the petty squabbles, the envy, the struggle for position … just for today.

Instead, focus on why you started down this path in the first place. Focus on your love of the craft, the satisfaction of completing a goal. What ignited your passion for this task?

In your personal life: reach back and remember the feel of wonder at the simple things. Step outside and see how vast the sky is. Remember the smell of her hair, the first electric touch. The small hand of a child, trusting you.

Forget the stress, just for today. See the world as if you had new eyes. When today is over … why stop there?

Street Lessons (Part Five)

“You can’t always get what you want.” ~ The Philosophers Jagger and Richards

5) You have to A-S-K in order to G-E-T

Cliche’? Sure? Obvious? Yes. It’s still true, nonetheless. You will accomplish 0% of the goals you don’t try for. The very key is in the asking. On the street, you earn your right to be heard. Once that right is earned, what do you say? Are you preaching? Promoting? Asking for cash? It all comes down to making your desire known. A lot of performing artists look down on the street performer, even those that started out on the street. I’ve heard former street performers demean the street theater, once they’ve ‘made it’. I’ve had more than one agent advise me that I shouldn’t discuss my street performance (especially when I’m out there in the present day) because it can diminish my working credibility. How can I possibly ask for fees in the thousands of dollars when I’m out hustling for fives and tens on the street? I submit that the negotiation is the same, the only difference is the perception, and what I’m willing to ask for. Here’s a secret to my street brethren: Do you know what brings bigger tips? A bigger hat. When your receptacle is large it sends a signal that a small hat just won’t hold what you are expecting. When I pitch, I don’t mention ones – I always ask for fives, tens and twenties. I ask, and I get.

What do you want? Money? A new job? A relationship? Whatever it is you want, there is someone out there who has it … and they are willing to give it to you if you ask for it. Don’t misunderstand me; by the time you ask, you must have already proven yourself. On the street, you have managed to stop them, you have given your show in a skillful and entertaining manner, and then you ask for their money. You have earned it. It’s the same way where you are. You earn your right to be heard, and then you ask for what you want.

There are people who have the things they want. The difference between them and you? While you were busy whining, beating yourself up, resenting them for having it and pretending like you didn’t want it, they asked. While you were busy getting frustrated, giving up on yourself, making excuses and blaming others for your place in this world, they asked. While you were busy settling for second best, looking for the easy way out, finding fault and feeling bad for yourself, they asked. You didn’t. Yes, while I’m busy pointing fingers at you, I currently have three pointing back at me. I’m guilty of all of those things, but I’m overcoming.

Look at the people who have what you want. How did they get there? Learn from those who came before you. Study them. Ask them questions. Figure out the road they took. ASK. If you came to my house for dinner and I served you a killer dish of ribs and roasted barbeque and you would like to serve that to your own guests sometime, what do you do? Do you haphazardly buy ingredients and make an attempt at the same thing … or do you simply ask for my recipe? Once you have the instructions it is still up to you to follow them and put in the work, but you’ve just cut your learning curve, and all you had to do was ask.

The street taught me this: I must listen more than I speak. I must be a lifelong student. I must be forever asking questions and seeking answers. I do this, and I will not stop. After all: why stop there?

As Mick & Keith say … sometimes the answer will just be “no” or “not now”. These are not reasons to give up. You can’t always get what you want, but you won’t get what you don’t ask for.

Sometimes you just need to ask: Ask for the job, ask for the money, ask for help, ask for a better deal, ask for a second chance, ask for her hand in marriage. Just ask. You’ll be surprised. Sometimes, there is someone out there just waiting for you to ask.

“If you try, sometimes you get what you need.”