If you have been in magic for any length of time, you are sure to have
come upon someone asking if you are successful. Maybe this person is
even yourself. But how does one define success in magic? How do you
know if you are successful in the magic that you do? I wanted to take a
moment to talk about success in magic and give you some of my own
general thoughts on the subject. I hope, if nothing more, it is good
food for thought.

Above all else, I define success as a very personal thing. This simply
means that we are the only ones who can define what we feel success is
for us. To some it means the ability to create an act and do it well
while for others it means reaching and obtaining a certain set of
financial goals. Whatever your own success is, success first can only
be achieved if you define it. Defining your success is your road map
towards getting there.

Once success has been defined, the single most important thing you must
be willing to do is to take direct and continuous action. Success will
and can not be achieved without action. No one is going to come to your
door and hand you success on a silver platter. If you want success in
magic, you must be willing to get up off your butt and seek it through
action. Like learning a new move, it does not get better unless you
pick up those cards and work at it continuously.

So how does one reach a level of success in magic that we all may want
and seek? A simple answer may largely be a matter of hanging on after
others have given up. Too many people have grand ideas of success with
the magic they do. They seek a certain level they want to obtain but
what happens is that they give up after the very first failure.

Failure WILL happen on the road to success. Without failure this is no
success. Sounds strange doesn't it? Allow me to explain. The problem is
that too many of us magicians see failure as a bad thing when instead
we should see is as a powerful tool. When you fail you are given this
golden opportunity to learn from it. Failure is only failure if you
stop learning. If you learn even one thing from any failure, then
failure really is a but a stepping stone to success. Too many of us
have dreams of success but when we fail we stay down instead of getting
back up. Remember that part of being a success in magic is the notion
that you can have a fresh start anytime you choose.

Now do not get the wrong impression that being a success in magic is
easy. The road to get there is tough, hard and filled with challenges
and roadblocks. If you want success you will have to work for it. But
the great thing about success is that no one owns it. It can be yours
if you are willing to pay the price for it. Nothing worthwhile ever
comes easy but hard work and determination does accomplish results.

I hope this simple post opens your eyes and your mind if nothing
more. I see so many magicians who have great ideas that they never take
off the shelf. I see so many magicians with such vast potential but
never realize it because they fear failure.

Open your eyes wide and realize that success can be yours. It is there
for the taking. Do not forget about your dreams you have as a magician
and the goals you may once have had. Dust them off and go out there and
make it happen. For winning isn't everything but wanting to win
certainly is.

Kyle

Last year, I was flamed in an e-mail by a former friend and mentor in Nashville (a name you all know) because in his mind I wasn't successful because I don't do very many private shows or corporate events. I don't really want to, and I don't market myself that way or to those markets. I focus on the theater market, and by nearly any standard I am very successful in that market, and I make a solid living do what I love, the way and when I wish to make it. Who can argue with that?

John,

I certainly can't argue with that. Nicely done my friend. =) Success is a lot of what you personally make of it. You first must define it yourself and then only when YOU define it can you dertermine if you are successful and how you want to reach that success. The hardest part is what you have managed to already do, that is simply getting up off your butt and taking direct action yourself to achive that success. You did not sit there waiting for it to be given to you. You went out there and took control to achieve it.

Kyle

You are defining what YOU consider success for YOURSELF. I am glad you let no man tell you what that is.

Anyone who tries to argue with that probably has a large green monster chasing them their whole life. (we call that monster envy) Jealous that you can be happy doing what you do.

BRAVO! This is a huge lesson.

Danny is correct. It absolutely is a huge lesson. So many folks spend a lot of their life looking at success only through the eyes of someone else. They want success and seek success but they do not do anything at all to take direct action to get it for themselves. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy but hard work and determination does accomplish results.

Kyle

I agree, we shouldn’t let others define success for us. Nowadays I do very few magic shows, yet I consider myself a success with my magic. I do all that I want to do.

I’ve heard success described in many different ways, but the best definition of success that I can think of is, “Success is achieving that which was planned.”

Earning a million dollars doesn’t make you a success if the goal was to earn ten million. On the other hand, earning an extra hundred dollars can be a huge success for some.

Kyle, I think you made a very good point and said it well with, “Defining your success is your road map towards getting there.” I agree, “We can’t go until we know.”

Tom

Thanks Tom. I really think that is the key. You must first define what success means to you personally. Then, and only then, can you really make a plan to start getting to that success. I think another key here is that once you have defined success, the best theing you can do is surround yourself with other success-minded people. These are folks that can help push you along that road. The hardest thing for anyone to do on the road to success is simply to keep on going. When the road gets tough or you feel your first failure, it is so hard for you to realize that failure is a stepping stone to success.

Kyle

Success means two things to me (and are oddly slightly different in thought).

1. Is being able to pay the bills. I don't need to make a lot, but I am happy with making enough to cover the bills and have a bit left over. That is a sustained success. Continuing success and growing success are the next goals (almost always no matter what level of success).

2. Is being able to hold the attention of an audience of complete strangers in a public place for at least 1/2 an hour taking time out of their schedules (the money is not even a factor here).

Ehat is great is that already we are showing that indeed success can and does mean different things for different people. The first thing anyone must do is simply define what success means to them. The second step is doing what Bill just did. That is taking those ideas of success and physically writing them down yourself so that you can see them every single day. I have mine in my office. It helps me to remember what success means to me and keeps me focused on taking action to achieve them.

Kyle

I am in complete agreement that YOU have to define what success means to YOU. Do I want to be world famous or do I want to earn a nice living? Am I in this for the money or because I love what I do?

I ask myself that all the time.

Right Neale. Do you also find that once you define it you should also write it down in some format? I find by doing so you are really locking in on what success means to you and it helps you to always be aware of it. I place mine in an area I see every day so that I can always be reminded of what my main objectives are. Then I can start creating goals (long and short) to achieve that success.

Kyle