So that’s a wrap on 2020, huh…
Do you know what’s crazy?
Approximately 6 months ago, The Daily Magician was barely even a real ‘thing.’
But fast forward to now, and I’m sitting here writing this email to you – a group of our favorite, most trusted magicians. Our Inner Circle.
I sometimes look back and marvel at how all the pieces managed to line up in the way they did.
In doing so, I can pinpoint ONE factor that stands head and shoulders above the others in terms of its contribution to what we’ve created this year.
And so, I thought it would be fitting to use that as the topic for today’s ‘Thinking Differently’ email.
What is that factor?
Endurance.
Let me take a sidebar for a moment…
I actually just finished reading a book titled ‘Endurance’, written by Alfred Lansing.
It’s a gripping account of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s iconic expedition in the Antarctic. Please, if you haven’t already, read it. I simply can’t do it justice in just a few lines.
However, the essence of the story is this…
Shackleton and his crew were making for Antarctica via the Weddell Sea in their boat, the Endurance, when it got trapped in sea ice. For around 10 months, they were stuck in the boat – until they were forced to abandon the ship when it was finally crushed by the ice pack. For the next set of months, they camped out on the ice, living off the bleak icy landscape, simply waiting for the pack to open up.
They tried to make headway overland, but the terrain was treacherous and near-impossible to traverse, especially considering they were hauling the lifeboats along with them. Finally, they were able to launch the lifeboats, and made the grueling journey across the unforgiving open ocean to land on the tiny Elephant Island – a feat of incredible navigation and tenacity.
However, Elephant Island was little more than a black rock jutting up from the ocean – completely exposed to the blistering wind and spray of the ocean. It was clear that they would need to attempt to reach other land, and soon. So Shackleton and five others took one of the boats and decided to undertake a feat that is perhaps one of the most impressive in sailing history – an 800-mile journey across some of the most difficult seas in the world, in an open boat, navigating using whatever worn and battered equipment had survived, aiming to land on South Georgia island. And somehow, by sheer Herculean effort, they managed it.
But the journey wasn’t over yet.
Their goal had been to land at a whaling harbor, where they would be reunited with civilization and be able to mobilize a rescue party for the men that had remained on Elephant Island. However, they had been forced to land on the other side of the island, and it was unfeasible to take the boat around in the condition it was in.
The only alternative was to accomplish something that had never been done before – to cross the island on foot, passing through mountain ranges and glaciers.
After resting and recuperating for a few days, Shackleton and two other men (Frank Worsley, the navigator, and Tom Crean, second officer) set out to make the 30-mile trek – without tents, sleeping bags, or a map.
Somehow, they made it through to the other side and stumbled wearily into the whaling harbor, where they were received as heroes. They swung around to pick up the three men still on the other side of the island, and then focused all their attention on rescuing the men still on Elephant Island. Four attempts later, Shackleton had finally secured the entire crew – not a single hand had been lost throughout the entire 2-year journey.
Mannnnn.
Most of that stuff just speaks for itself, but one thing that really stands out to me is the last part of the story.
By the time they’d landed on South Georgia, they’d ALREADY done the ‘impossible.’ Their journey should have been over. But instead, they had to do the impossible AGAIN by traversing the land on foot.
There was no complaining. No moaning about how unfair it was, how they’d already pulled off enough impossible tasks for one expedition.
Instead, they just shrugged their shoulders and got on with it. What other option was there?
Those guys were complete badasses.
And a huge part of their success was that word we started with…
…endurance.
Shackleton wasn’t the most technically skilled of the great explorers.
But he had a perhaps unequaled ability to simply endure – and help others do the same.
Now, let me circle back to where I began.
I’m in utter awe of Shackleton’s leadership and endurance. This is the kind of man that you aspire to become a little bit more like each day. I’m still at the start of that journey, but I can already see the results of applying his style of patience and endurance – and it’s good stuff.
This year, we’ve written hundreds on hundreds of emails. Day after day we just keep chipping away at it, enduring.
Nothing changed drastically, but over time, the number of magicians reading our emails – and interacting with them – hit numbers we never imagined.
So if there’s one piece of advice I can give you going into 2021 on how to do better magic, it’s this…
Don’t worry so much about the ‘better’ part.
Just…do magic.
Each day.
Even when you don’t feel like it. Even when you think it’s pointless. Even when you think you’re already good enough. Keep doing it.
Endure.
Alright. That’s all I got for today, so let me just close by saying once again – thank you.
2020 was a rough year for all of us, but thanks for everything you did to also make it a very special one.
Here’s to 2021 🙂
Your friends,
Benji and Jacob
The Daily Magician