Energy, or Discipline?

Which is more important to you? The energy and ambition to study every piece of knowledge you can and to always be moving, or the ability to focus intently on one specific type of thing (even at the sacrifice of constantly being energetic about it).

The great Eugene Burger was once asked "How many magic tricks do you know". He would always famously reply along the lines of "Well, when I started I knew 20! Then I knew 10, I now know 8... and I'm hoping to get to 5".

This concentrated form of focus and discipline is what has allowed people like Eugene Burger to excel in their craft, their person, and their businesses.

We magicians have several forums, Facebook groups etc online which allows us to exchange ideas and even sell/trade magic tricks/props. It is a mixture of seasoned, full time professionals who have been performing their acts for YEARS, and amateurs new to the art for less than a year. I have seen one particular magician on there frequently, who is always looking to buy x, looking to sell y. I have seen his show, and it is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT show EVERY TIME! In theory, this sounds like it would be great! Except, the routines are not always complete. There is always a shallow depth to each piece, as if it were just bought and performed that month.

On the opposite spectrum, I have seen performers come to nearby theaters, clubs etc. that perform the EXACT SAME show EVERY TIME! It is very well performed, well polished, and it is apparent that they have done this a while. The only problem is, there is often a lack of soul or energy in each performance, and we end up with a show that is (as someone once called it) the "canned magician effect".

At the top of the food chain, we see great performers like Mac King, David Copperfield, Penn and Teller, and even the recent Derek Hughes on Americas Got Talent. Each of these people has absorbed both ideas, but without an extreme on each end. It's also worth noting that many perform acts that don't require buying several tricks online. These people are able to perform their craft perfectly tuned, perfectly polished in a way that does not lack the energy or ambition of a new show! They are able to innovate without losing their long term consistency.

I believe that this is the strongest mentality to have with dealing with anything - A constant desire to learn and improve but with the proper amount of focus and discipline. It is what allowed companies like Apple with leaders like Steve Jobs to succeed in a world where the pressure was always to move in every direction. And like what Jobs said -

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

Think about which direction you are moving, and move fast and break things!

-Hayden "Haydini" Childress