Steve Cohen wrote a great book, Win the Crowd” on how to unlock the secrets of influence.
The book is filled with great stories and anecdotes. Steve is a millionaire’s magician, and in his book, he lets readers experience his escapades and how he managed to tap into an exclusive high-end market end for his magic.
Below is one of the stories from the book. I quote:
“Magicians know that the rewards can be so much larger when you challenge yourself to take risks. Legendary Las Vegas magician Jimmy Grippo proved this one evening when he was in a bank. At 6:00 pm, Grippo noticed that the vault door was being closed for the night. Thinking fast, he removed a playing card from his pocket and scaled it into the vault as the door was being sealed shut for the evening. His aim was perfect, and the card slid inside, unnoticed by the guard.
Early the next morning, Grippo returned to the bank with a newspaper reporter. They met the bank manager, and Grippo convinced him to participate in a card trick. The magician introduced a deck of cards and subtly coerced the reporter to select a duplicate of the card in the vault—the nine of hearts. Grippo made the card vanish using sleight of hand, and then commanded the manager to open the vault. To Grippo’s surprise, the manager refused. He explained that the vault was on a time lock, and no one could open the door until 8:00 am that morning! The three of them waited several more minutes until eight o’clock rolled around, and the door clicked open. When the manager walked into the vault, the missing nine of hearts was sitting on the floor. Needless to say, the manager and reporter had witnessed a “miracle.”
Let’s back up and remember my friend’s saying: “Don’t ask first; just apologize later.” If Grippo had been caught throwing the card into the vault the night before, he would have simply apologized to the guard and retrieved the card. If his aim had been off and the card hadn’t landed perfectly in the vault, his attempt would’ve been foiled—but at least he’d have
tried. The message to take away from this story is that you’ll never know the outcome until you decide to take a risk. Grippo received a feature story in the newspaper the next day. He could’ve received nothing. Since we magicians make our living based on reputation and word of mouth, that
newspaper coverage was like pure gold. Worth the risk? I’d say so.”
No one wins without acting. Yet many people are afraid of taking the first step. If you want to achieve, take the risk. Go dive into the water. No one learns swimming by just looking at others dive in, swim, and dive out.
You must enter the water to gain confidence and learn the essential skills.
Like Grippo. Take the risk and throw the card into the safe. Plan your magic well in advance. If it fails, you lose nothing. No one knows about your plans. If it succeeds, you stand to reap from the benefits.
Go take the risk. ACT.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
