If you want to create a truly inspiring piece of magic then you have to begin with the belief that nothing is impossible. What do you want to happen? This is the funnest part of creating effects. Literally, anything you want to happen can. Do you want to make a card disappear? Do you want to make a borrowed ring float? Do you want to walk through the great wall of China? Anything is possible. This is where magicians start. This is also where you should start. Concerning your life, what do you want to happen? Think about it. Dream about it. Write it down. Nothing is impossible.

2. Think Differently

I’ve heard it said an ordinary person will look at things and ask “why,” where a magician dreams things that never were and asks, “why not.” While a good magician dreams impossibilities; a great magician has the creativity and discipline to transform those dreams into a reality. The ability to think differently. We see things differently from other people. When we watch another magician perform we always deconstruct the effect backwards. When you understand slight of hand and the different techniques magicians use, you can almost always replicate an effect by walking through it backwards. That’s not the fun part though. The fun part is creating your own. To do that you must also work backwards. In magic, to go forward you must first go backwards. I think the same is true with life.

When a magician has finished deciding what he wants to happen then it’s time to go step by step, backwards. How does the card disappear? Was it there to begin with? I want the card to disappear from the deck; therefore, I need to remove it from the deck. Which means I need to palm it from the top. Which means I need to use false shuffles to keep it on the top. Which means the trick starts by the spectator putting the card…here. Now do the same thing with your life. When you have finished deciding what you want to happen then it’s time to go step by step, backwards. I want to retire with dignity. Which means I need to start putting money into retirement now. Which means I need to put 15% of my paycheck into a Roth IRA. Which means I need to eat at home more instead of going out every night. Remember: The impossible can always be broken down into possibilities. Try it. It works.

3. Add an Extra Punch

You can tell a professional magician from an amateur by the caliber of tricks they perform. My rule: the longer the effect last, the bigger the payout should be. Meaning, if you’re going to take 5 minutes to create 20 stacks of cards then you better do more than find my card. It should be in your pocket by then or better yet, in a book across the room. (Both of those can be done by the way.) Professional magicians always add an extra punch. It’s like finding your card but instead of it being in the deck, I throw it up out of my mouth. The extra punch is the wow factor. It’s what people are going to remember. “Here’s your card. Oh, and by the way it’s the only blue backed card in the deck. That’s wired.” You get the idea. Now apply it to your life. Use my rule. The longer it takes to achieve, the bigger the payout should be. If your “Nothing is Impossible” dream is to buy a Ford Ranger and you create a 10 year budget for achieving that dream, dude…get a better dream.

Please comment below with your “Nothing is Impossible” dream. If you have already worked backwards, then add the steps as well. We can work on this together. Plus, you’ll be helping other people who have the same dream.