Dear Friends:
Kicking off our fall season of Museletters is Jonas Cain. Jonas runs the company “Hashtag Positivity” where he works as an educator, facilitator, and coach, using magic to engage, empower, and encourage his clients.
Running Out of Runway
The only thing he remembers about that summer at the factory is a conversation he had with a woman one day at lunch. When his mother worked there two decades earlier, this same woman had already been there for decades, and he was curious to speak with her. “What’s her story?” he wondered.
“I’m saving for retirement,” she answered as they sat together in the cafeteria. “I’m going to see the world!” She had been delaying gratification for decades, saving every spare penny for someday.
Bob didn’t think much of it at the time. After all, summer was brief. He had just graduated high school and had his own someday to think about. It wasn’t until years later that he thought about that conversation again, when he learned of the woman’s death – two weeks after retirement. All those years of waiting for a someday that never came.
She was finally ready for takeoff, but had run out of runway.
One of my favorite opening routines is Bill Abbott’s “Five Card Box.” If you’re not familiar with the prop, it’s an interesting hook for the classic Six Card Repeat theme. Please don’t tell Eugene, but my routine is nearly identical to what came with the instructions – though I did make some adjustments to fit my style. Here are the important beats that make it work for me:
“This reminds me of the very first magic show I ever performed, when I was just 12 years old. I was at a [insert the type of venue or event] just like this, and I used this cardboard box. I made it myself!”
The box is introduced with the words MAGIC SHOW written on it. After displaying a stack of five playing cards, one is discarded into the box; and after counting the cards again, five cards remain in the hand! I offer to do it again, but this time with a different story.
“That story wasn’t entirely true. That may have been my first magic show for a real audience, but my first magic show ever wasn’t for a real audience. It was for my family, and they are unreal. I was just six years old.”
The box is turned around, revealing the words MAJC SHOW written in it. “I didn’t even know how to spell yet – but what I lacked in polish, I made up for in passion.”
Two more cards are discarded, yet five magically remain! I offer to do it one last time, but this time with an even different story.
“That may have been my first magic show for people, but my first magic show ever wasn’t for people. It was in my bedroom, for a bunch of stuffed animals. I was just three years old.”
The box is turned around, but the words have transformed into a bunch of scribbles. “I didn’t even know how to write yet! But I did have passion.”
More cards are discarded, yet five perpetually remain. Finally, all the cards are placed into the box – yet the box is miraculously revealed to be completely empty!
The routine ends with these final words: “Notice how every step of the way, I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I wasn’t just content performing in my bedroom. I wasn’t just content performing for family and friends. I had something special to share, and I kept growing and developing that passion to be my very best. Because if you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do what you have never done.”
I share this with you because you have a passion, and it is my hope that you are growing and developing that passion rather than waiting for a someday that may never come. Perhaps your dream is to create your own show. Maybe you want a bigger audience to share your magic with, or perhaps you want to compete in a contest or perform on television, or maybe it’s something else. Whatever your passion, the question is: What are you doing today to invest in yourself, to take advantage of the runway you have left?
Many people hold back from pursuing their passion for any number of reasons:
If you wait for conditions to be perfect, you will wait your whole life, like the woman who spent decades delaying gratification at the factory. Start with where you are, and grow from there. If anyone tries to discourage you, consider their authority on the subject, what they might stand to gain by holding you back, and what they stand to lose by letting you grow.
Yesterday’s strikeouts can only lose today’s game if you perpetually remain in a cycle of negative rumination. Learn from the experience, then let it go, so you can continue to grow. And finally, when you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.
We can wait our whole lives for a someday that may never come, or we can boldly step forward and perform today. Consider this your invitation to grow in the art of magic at McBride’s Magic & Mystery School – because if you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do what you have never done.
How much runway do you have left?
Jonas Cain, M. Ed. is a storyteller, magician, musician, and facilitator of fascination, helping individuals, teams, and communities experience abiding joy – at work, at home, and wherever life takes you. If you’d like to support his mission, you can get a copy of his book or subscribe to his newsletter.