Hey innovators—Benji here.
I’m currently in a training center for volunteers, waiting to be shipped out to Macedonia!
As crazy as that excuse sounds, it’s true…
This week in the volunteer training center we’ve been tackling the intricacies of Macedonian grammar.
I won’t unload all the details on you, but suffice it to say there’s a lot of intricate and interwoven ‘systems’ of speech that go into this language.
Now, while I could easily spend the entirety of this email discussing how to formulate sentences according to these systems…
…let me instead dazzle you with the topic of ‘systems’ in themselves—and why mastery of systems is the best way to prepare for difficult situations.
First of all, what is a ‘system?’
For the purposes of this email, I’ll define it as ‘adherence to correct principles that work in harmony that achieve a desired end.’
Chew on that for a moment, then we’ll get into a quick example that should illustrate the principle far better than anything else…
Ready?
Here it is:
Jim Camp was a stunning negotiation coach that I’ve learned a lot from.
During his training courses, he often told the tale of his first day as a fighter pilot in bootcamp.
(I’ll paraphrase it here…)
One of his drill instructors asked him what he would do if his engine broke during a flight.
Jim, wanting to sound confident, said that he would try to stabilize the plane and use his own skill to successfully land it despite the engine failure.
The drill instructor immediately told him he was an idiot.
“Are you crazy? If your engine breaks, you eject immediately and let the plane crash.”
Jim was struck by this and memorized the procedure – or system – required to successfully perform this operation.
Several months later, he was on active duty.
While flying, his engine broke.
Jim recounted that, in this moment, rather than panic or fear, he felt completely calm.
Why?
He had already discovered and mastered a system that equipped him with the tools to deal with the situation.
If he had ignored the drill instructor’s advice, and relied on his own skill and knowledge, he would be in a tricky spot.
He would need to have the ability to make split-second decisions with incredible skill and unerring perception.
That’s far harder than simply mastering the system in advance.
Needless to say, Jim survived the flight.
His system was built in and nearly subconscious. He had mastered it to the level that all his cognitive energy could go toward implementing his decisions, rather than inventing them.
What’s the takeaway?
Life throws hard situations at everyone.
And often in our magic performances, we’re faced with them constantly e.g. an annoying spectator, a trick that’s failed, the desperate need for an out.
If you can devote time to mastering certain systems, you’ll be far better prepared to tackle them successfully.
For me, that might look like spending hours going over the use of imperfective vs perfective verbal aspects in Macedonian speech patterns.
But it almost certainly should also include for magic, constantly thinking— how can this go wrong?
(and how can I adapt to that eventuality.)
Hopefully, this helps you all!
Your friend,
Benji
The Daily Magician Inner Circle
Helping You Think Differently
P.S.
The FIRST Daily Magician club meeting is tonight at 4PM—don’t miss it!
(and bring a deck of cards and some coins)