Why the Borg are Right

The picture above is my sad attempt at customizing a prop.

I should know better.

I’m good at a lot of things, but prop design/construction isn’t one of them.

In the case of the picture above, it’s my attempt at creating a new routine with my Jumbo Spelling Bee.

I was really excited about the idea, working the routine details out in my head as I drove home from a gig.

It all sounded so simple in my head.

But when it came time to, you know, do something, the result was crap.

I’ve known for years that building props isn’t my thing.

I remember years ago, I bought my friend Jim Kleefeld’s “Tales From Beyond” program. In it, Jim details a truly amazing voodoo routine.

I took one look at the instructions Jim provided and said to myself, “Nope.”

I immediately contacted Jim and begged him to build the thing for me. He did and of course, it looked fantastic and worked beautifully.

Even though I still foolishly try to make my own props every so often, I know it’s not one of my strengths.

I’m okay with that. I don’t think magicians have to be good at everything.

It’s a weird quirk that so many magicians seem to believe. We gotta do everything, we think.

Design the trick. Make the trick. Write the script. Market our shows. Build the website. Write the copy for the site. Create all of the graphics. Stamp the envelopes when mailing marketing pieces.

And so much more.

My advice? Just stop.

It’s impossible to be great at everything.

Instead, concentrate on what you are good at.

Maybe you’re great at sleight of hand. Yes, you’ll still need great presentations and marketing to turn that sleight of hand into a profitable career.

But guess what? You can buy others’ expertise. You can hire someone to do your marketing. You can purchase other performers’ scripts and routines.

Me? I dig marketing. That’s why I offer those services to other performers. Many of them do not like marketing the way I do.

I also love performing, obviously. But I’m not good at creating new methods. I’m OK at sleight of hand, but I’ll never be at a Shin Lim-level.

I’m great at crafting solid scripts for routines. And I’m great at finding connections, those lessons or motivational messages, and tying them to tricks.

The other stuff, like graphic design, I hire other people to do that.

One of my friends once told me I was like a Borg.

The Borg are a race of cybernetic individuals from Star Trek. The Borg assimilate other technologies they come across.

That’s my gift. I see a marketing channel, routine, or performing opportunity. I then implement what I need to turn my knowledge into profits.

What about you? What are your gifts? What do you love to do in your magic?

Perhaps more importantly…what do you not enjoy doing?

It’s okay to be honest with yourself. And you’ll get more done if you accept what you’re not good at and hire someone else to do it for you.

The next question is a little tougher.

What do you enjoy doing…but are not good at?

This is a tough one. Many magicians I meet enjoy doing it all. Graphics, websites, scripting, etc.

They’re different from the folks who do it all simply because they can’t afford to hire others to do these things.

No, the folks who do it all themselves because they enjoy it are a different breed.

In some ways, I admire them. They do everything because they love to.

But by doing everything themselves…including the stuff they do that they’re not good at…they are preventing their growth.

Maybe it’s pride. Maybe it’s simply that they don’t know any better.

I can honestly say that once I let my foot off the gas and started farming out the stuff I did not enjoy doing (and wasn’t good at) my income went up drastically.

First, the graphics for my sites looked better. Second, I wasn’t running myself ragged trying to do it all myself.

By delegating these tasks (whatever they may be) you’ll find yourself enjoying magic a lot more.

--Cris

 
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