Find a Job You Love (or Not?)

Transcript

- Welcome, my fellow magicians and magic enthusiasts, to another slightly shorter, espresso, episode of the conjurer's coffee break podcast. Today's topic is quite an exciting one as we're not going to talk about tricks, not about sleight of hand, but about joy - the joy we find in what we do! I mean if you're not enjoying it, then there are plenty of other ways you can spend your time.

- Of course, if it's a hobby, you can simply take a break, but today I'm diving into that saying, you've probably heard before, "Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." You may have even seen that on a motivational poster somewhere, right next to the image of a rainbow or a soaring eagle. Now, I don't know who initially said this, but I'll link to the site quoteinvestigator.com who have done some research on it. Regardless though, I find myself in respectful disagreement. Yes, loving your job is fantastic, and I can confirm, as a magician, I love mine. However, even when you adore your work, there can still be days you find challenging, difficult, or requiring a lot of effort.

- So, in my pursuit to evaluate the joy in my work, I came up with something I call the "Enjoyability Index." This is a five-point scale I use to assess how much I enjoy each magic show I do. I don't know if this will work for you, but I think it's a good way to put into perspective the highs and lows of this profession.

- Now, let me break down the points for you:

- At number one, it's those shows or events when you starts question your life choices. It's when you find yourself thinking, "I hate this, why am I a magician?" Perhaps the crowd is tough, or the conditions are less than ideal. We've all had those shows, the ones that test your resolve.

- Then comes the second one, a step up, but not by much. This is the level of, "This is frustrating, but I'm getting paid, and I can endure it. Just think about the money." These shows can feel like a grind, but they remind you that, like any other job, ours comes with its trials and tribulations.

- Point three is the sweet spot of, "Hey, this is fine, I could do shows like this every day of the week." It's a steady level of contentment. The show goes well, the audience is responsive, and you feel accomplished.

- Next up, number four, we're hitting the good times. Here, I find myself thinking, "I'm having a good time, there are multiple good moments throughout the show." The energy is high, the audience is engaged, and I'm on top of my game. I'm not just doing a job, I'm entertaining, and I'm enjoying it.

- And finally, point five. This is the top of the scale. It's the, "This is the best show of the month, the year, ever!" moment. The perfect crowd, the flawless performance. These are the shows that remind me of why I fell in love with magic in the first place. They’re the reason why I endure those rare ones and twos. They make everything worthwhile.

- If you're going to give this a go, remember your shows will probably fall within a bell curve. Most events will be around the middle, and the one star and five star days will be the outliers.

- Remember though, this scale isn't about success or failure. It isn't about how well the tricks are executed or how much applause you get. It's about the joy you take from your performance, the satisfaction you feel, and the love for your craft that keeps you pushing through even on the more difficult days.

- This analysis of the shows I do, and while I do write it down, you could just simply think through the event afterwards on the way home, helps me keep perspective, not get disheartened on the low days, and cherish the high ones. It’s a reminder that even in a job you love, there will be days of effort and struggle. But those days only make the high points even sweeter.

- So, my challenge to you, my fellow magicians, is to adopt the Ed Sumner Enjoyability Index, or create your own version. Use it to appreciate the breadth of experiences our profession offers. And most importantly, let it serve as a reminder of why we do what we do, and why we love it.

- I also want to refer you back to the first episode of my podcast, that challenged you to think about the types of shows you want to do. If you find that you're constantly percieving your shows as levels one and two, while it could be an unfortunate run of bad luck, it might also be a sign to yourself that you're getting frustrated in what you're doing, and you should consider trying something else - maybe a new approach to what you already do, maybe a new genre of magic, maybe even stepping away from magic, that's totally fine too.

- And it's worth pointing out, that doesn't mean you're no longer a magician. You might find you enjoy magic more without the pressure of it being your job.

- Remember, the magic we create isn't just for our audience; it's for us, too. So, let's celebrate the joy in our work, every high, every low, and every moment in between. Because even on the hardest days, we're still living the life we chose. And that, in itself, is pretty magical.

- Until next time, you can find every episode at edsumner.com/magicians, and as ever please subscribe and share with anyone who you think would find this useful.

- Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time.