Here we are, in the first days of July. Things are different, depending on where you are in the world. If you’re in the U.S., you’re starting a three-day vacay for Independence Day. If you’re in France, you’re wondering why it’s so hot. If you’re in Australia, you’re preparing for more chills. If you’re into astronomy, you’re finding the thrill of the recent Jupiter-Venus conjunction makes the upcoming aphelion more dull than usual.
No matter who or where we are, the year is half done, and that reminds us another J-month, where we made plans and set goals for the upcoming year. Remember in January, back when you put together some resolutions, or set your sights on some targets for your magic? <a href=”http://www.ellusionist.com/bleed-by-perseus.html” target=”_blank”>Pros such as Bleed creator Perseus Arkomanis</a> (pictured above) rely on these plans to keep making progress year after year. So how are yours coming?
It’s halftime for 2015. Are you winning?
Just like a football game, this is the split for our annual year-long game. All of us play it, but the people who follow their plans play it better. And there’s no better time than halftime to look at how the game is going, and what adjustments you can make to finish with a win. Here’s our four-point checklist to analyze where you’re at:
CHECK THE SCORE
For some workers, wedding season is a big haul that can put ’em in the black for the rest of the year. For others, Christmas is the big boon for the year. So how has your year gone? How many gigs have you worked? If you’re in business-building mode, how many new contacts have you made? How much have you learned? Take a minute to pull out those goals you made six months ago, and measure your progress.
CHECK YOUR HIGHLIGHTS
If, after you check the score and realize you’re behind, it’s important to note that you still scored points. Concentrate on what those are, and how you scored them. For instance: A magician trying to build their network may be bummed that they got only five new contacts, far from a goal of 20. What worked in getting those five? What didn’t work with the other 15?
LOOK AROUND FOR CHANGES
When teams emerge from halftime in a football game, the strategies and the weather are the only things that can change. The sidelines, fans and goals (American translation: end zones) are still in the same place. That’s nowhere near accurate for magicians: Plenty can change, from new effects to events in pop culture that can affect performances. For instance, we’ve heard from some customers about how they reworked their shows so they can incorporate <a href=”http://www.ellusionist.com/change-by-lloyd-barnes.html” target=”_blank”>the brilliant Change by Lloyd Barnes.</a> So look around you. What’s changed? How can it help you finish 2015 strong?
CHECK YOUR PLAN, GET BACK OUT THERE
Using all the information gleaned from the above points, the most important point is to GET BACK OUT THERE. Even a team down five goals at halftime (American translation: five touchdowns) has to play the second half. And they get right back out there and play. So can you! But the difference is the only competition is yourself. How important are your goals? We’re about to find out.
