The Jeff Probst Show will Motivate

I'm pretty excited for Jeff Probst and his new show "The Jeff Probst Show" because he's a heck of a guy and I believe it will be a positive type of show like Ellen - as apposed to the unhealthy drama, shock, hate and gossip found all over television networks. I'd bet that this show will motivate and inspire it's viewers.

If you are wondering how to see his show live, you can get tickets to the Jeff Probst Show!  Jeff is very well known for being the host of Survivor, but this will certainly change his public image fast. I'm thrilled for him and this show.

This is from my academy awards where I joined Jeff

for dinner and enjoyed doing magic for him once again.

From what I know about Jeff, he'll dig for the real answers and will not hold back asking the tough questions. I also think he'll be positive and encourage the best for everyone. The vibe I'm getting is this show is all about discovering greatness in people. How cool is that? We need more people and shows like this. I look forward to amazing guests, stories and audience participation... congrats Jeff!

UPDATE:
I attended Jeff's first show taping and was blown away at the level of care given by the staff. They take great care of their audience and realize that the audience help make the show. In fact, I heard from the warm up comedian, who is Jeff's long time good friend, that Jeff insisted on a quality room for all the guests and had to fight a lot with the network to get it! There were games, snacks, photo-booth, massage chairs, music and entertainment. In addition, it's the only show in LA that allows you to take photos. Even though this is probably more to do with all of us helping the show be marketed, it's nice to see a show let go of some of the over-control associated with other productions. Oh, I almost forgot... I took over Jeff's spot and did some magic for the audience!

To the show itself.. Sure enough, my hunch was right. Jeff really digs for the connection between people, the WHY associated with choices and discovering greatness all around. He is very interested those people who don't just talk about ideas, but those who act on ideas and follow through with them. Each show ends with a segment that lets women ask questions to men about why men do the crazy things they do.. and another segment called Audience Ambush where he chooses one audience member and gives them a challenge and goal to accomplish in one week that typically fits the theme of the show. The main guests come on and it's a very comfortable and personable vibe as apposed to hype and marketing of books you see so often on other shows. Jeff gets right to the questions people at home are likely to ask. In fact, he randomly tosses out the mic to audience members and gets opinions throughout the show.

All in all, I'm super excited for this show and for Jeff. He wants to inspire and motivate people to reach for greatness. His tagline says it all. "Life's an adventure. Let's talk about it." Thanks for listening.

A Day with Pay It Forward Author

As a motivator, I love to meet other motivational magic makers that have taken different paths in their magic making journey. As a motivational speaker and magician, I'm interested in publishing material that is suitable for the audience and followers in this area of my life. Currently, I've produced a wonderful amount of DVDs and books on various subject but nothing as of yet pertaining to attitude and life. I was fortunate to attend and be a co-presenter at a book publishing event and seminar where I got to meet the author of Pay it Forward, Catherine Ryan Hyde! Her highly successful story became a movie many are familiar with and spending an afternoon with Catherine was very interesting. She brought a ton of her various books and we all shared business ideas to motivate new authors in their journey to press or digital books publishing. It was a real treat to be part of this event and meet the lady that started it all!

If you are interested in learning more, Catherine Ryan Hyde has a foundation called The Pay It Forward Foundation. Her ongoing collection of books can be found on her Amazon Author Page. If you are a Twitter fan, you can follow her on her Twitter page.

It's amazing to hear the behind the scenes to top selling books and the change in the publishing industry. It's enough to make you want to avoid traditional publishing completely! You'd think a best selling author would have it easy. However, Catherine hit top, then bottom then top again. Most importantly, she encouraged us to have a focused attitude to continue forward and adapt regardless of the roadblocks life or business throw at us. I just hope this small mention of my fun afternoon with Catherine reminds us to Pay it Forward. It's a wonderful thing.

Social Services Keynote Speaker

I was extremely thrilled to attend a conference for the state of Indiana this month! 

I've done a lot of work with at-risk youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Social Services over the years and it's very rewarding to be able to share my observations as the Keynote Speaker at a conference in Indiana. In attendance were case workers, lawyers, social workers, potential adoptive parents, board members from different groups and various youth organizations. As it turned out, a police officer (RIGHT in photo below) who had previously seen some material of mine suggested to the board to have me come out a the presenter. He made it to the program and we had a fun magic session afterwards. He seemed thrilled and was a blast to entertain and brainstorm with.

After setting up audio/visual equipment the first day, I had an afternoon to explore Indianapolis which was getting in high gear for the racing that weekend! I took a tour of the famous Children'd Museum where I came across a different type of motivation and education. 

Unusual Performances

I love unique performing opportunities that let me add in a touch of life and motivation and this month brought me a handful. Although these are not necessarily related to at-risk youth or motivational keynote programs, a couple highlights were helping to arrange a Magic Series at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and presenting a lecture for musicians at a retreat/music camp. Although most of my appearances are at corporate or private parties, these events were so fun to be part of!

The Caltech Magic Series will be going on all month if you know anyone in that area! See the attached poster and images from some of the groups in the various areas I demonstrated tricks at. It was a little different to entertain or trick engineering geniuses. They tended to treat me as a science project that they couldn't solve. In the end, they typically gave into the "force" and had a really good time and soaked up the messages that were layered in the magic;)  Many faculty and staff brought family and children as well. It was a fulfilling evening to mix it up in a different setting like this. Thank you Caltech for having me help make this possible.

Next was the music camp lecture. The very unusual lecture I was honored to do for the music camp consisted of an hour performance preceded by a lecture on the similarities between music and magic. Most misunderstand and assume magic is "just" tricks and that you just go buy them... while most understand that music must be learned and mastered. The same applies to the magical arts. You have to practice like mad to master the most basic looking things. If you want to fool your friends, you can certainly buy some pretty neat self working "tricks". However, if you want to do the effects legitimately, you better be prepared for a lifetime of struggle and commitment! We also discussed the various forms of magic and the business of entertainment. Here's a photo after the symphony the students put on the next day at the music camp! Thanks to the SLO Symphony for having me come out. If you want your kids to learn from some incredible musical masters, check out the annual summer camp. Kids came from well outside of California to be part of it. 

Challenges are good for us

When it comes to failure, challenges or roadblocks of any kind, we have two choices. One, freak out as if challenges were unexpected and unfair. Two, realize that challenges are part of any process and be prepared to fight through them.

Take how some deal with a traffic light for instance. It blows my mind how most people are surprised and upset that a light turns red... as if lights are sync'd to their vehicle and the rest of us must wait. What does that teach kids when we "miss" a light and we get upset? How is a kid supposed to act to a real challenge in life when they see us freak out over the smallest obstacles?

Here's a concept- The highest ranked home-run legends are also the record holders for strikeouts! It's pretty cool to think that the very best in the world are also the worst! Isn't that great? If kids could get this concept, as apposed to freaking out over the most mundane roadblocks in life like red light, they'd be much better prepared for life! It's sad to see a kid strike out in anything, throw their hands up and walk away defeated. Why? Because they have a misunderstanding of the process of success. We MUST fail like crazy to make it to the top. Jerry Seinfeld was booed off stage when he first started comedy... Steve King's book Carrie was rejected by dozens of publishers... The lists go on and on.

Could you imagine football with no defense? Let's see, you get the ball handed to you and there's nobody to chase you. Sounds easy, right? You wouldn't run, you wouldn't care and nobody else would watch, pay you for it or praise you for a touchdown. We need to TAKE HITS in life to move forward and enjoy the rewards of success. As miserable as some hits can be, it's a good thing. Embrace challenges and be ready for them instead of hiding from them!

Rich and Ram's quarterback Sam Bradford on a
private jet after doing a corporate event together. 

My observations lead me to believe that kids see adults freaking out over the smallest things and it keeps them from realizing the value in challenge. I believe challenge is awesome and I welcome it in... because I know when I jump a hurdle, there's some good stuff waiting for me on the other side! That's my food for thought for today.

Distractions are the Enemy of Greatness

Distractions are the Enemy of Greatness! I love this quote from Zig Ziglar. 

Personally, I schedule every moment of my day, including "free time." Otherwise, I'd just be spinning my wheels and overwhelmed by the endless tasks in front of me. Setting daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals changed my life and workflow. 

When it comes to minimizing distractions, it's more important to me than working hard! If most American's are honest, they'd admit they only do a few hours of productive work a day out of the several they attempt to work. The rest is spent over managing the tasks, talking with coworkers, checking emails, moving information from one gadget to the next, watching TV, gossiping, etc, etc. When the time comes to really try to work, any distraction will set you back 20 minutes because you loose concentration, momentum and more. It's like working hard to fill a bag of sand with a rip in it instead of fixing the rip and sitting back with much less effort to keep it filled. 

Most of us have learned that when you buy something, finding it for cheaper SAVES us money. We need to be honest and realize that reducing distractions save us time, money and EFFORT as well. Consider conveying some rules and expectations to others in your workspace and accomplish your goals with less effort, frustrations and distractions.

It's a little off topic but here's a guy that was affected by being distracted at the wrong moment! Being fascinated by human behavior, it's amazing what is revealed by others in this photo as well! Until next time, may you find all the magic life has to offer.  - Rich

Overcoming Obstacles Message

Here's some motivational food for thought about struggle and overcoming obstacles.  If you look at the best leaders in business, they have to be able to think fast on their toes, analyze, deduct and stay sharp... the same skills "at-risk" youth developed naturally out of survival. Personally, this "skill" is something that gets me through every challenge in my life and I'd never want it any other way. Helping kids realize that struggle is essential and powerful makes a big difference in their perspective. They have street smarts and common sense. Schools do not teach or test for this. I believe we need to respect kids for their life experience and intelligence!

Overcoming obstacles is one of the topics within the five areas of Magic Maker™- Magic is Motivation, Attitude, Goals, Identity and Communication. Enjoy.

Motivational Attitude Quote

Here's a great motivational quote you can share with friends as you like. A bad attitude certainly affects yourself, but it also affects everyone around you! 

Attitude is one of the topics within the five areas of Magic Maker™- Magic is Motivation, Attitude, Goals, Identity and Communication. Enjoy.