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A Peek Behind the Curtain

Have you ever been curious about how magic works? Check out this video of a card trick and make sure you watch to the end to learn how the trick is done. 

 

This video demonstrates what I love most about magic (other than the fact that most people find it pretty fun): We are always missing something, and we tend to see only what we’re looking for. 

Our brains have an incredible ability to ignore information. 

This phenomenon is called change blindness and it occurs when we’re paying attention to one thing so closely that we fail to notice changes to other things at which we’re looking – like the addition of a pair of glasses, or the removal of a tablecloth in the video. In some cases, people have failed to notice when the very person who asks them for directions changes to a completely different person!

We can learn two things about ourselves from change blindness and its close cousin, inattentional blindness:

  1. Our attention is like a narrow spotlight which can only focus on one thing at a time. Even if we’re looking right at something, if we’re not paying attention we will miss important details. 
  2. Our senses aren’t perfect. Even when we think we’ve got everything figured out, there’s a better than good chance that we’re missing something. 

Magicians are well acquainted with our selective attention and imperfect perception – we take advantage of these psychological shortcomings through misdirection. 

But even when we’re not being intentionally misdirected by a clever conjuror it’s important to remember the limitations of our perceptions, and to learn to work within them. 

When we forget that there’s more to the story that we’re telling ourselves, we tend to get stuck. 

When we’re working towards generating solutions to our problems, getting stuck often leads us to quitting. We give up on the problem too soon when we think we’ve seen all the solutions. 

It’s also easy to feel like we’ve got things all figured out in our relationships. We form snap judgments of everyone we meet, and we assume we know everything about those in our circles. This type of thinking keeps our colleagues, employees, friends and family in boxes. When we remember that we’re always missing something, we can look at the people in our lives as beings of limitless potential, and we find ourselves looking for ways to learn and grow from them. 

We even get stuck in our judgments about ourselves, and what we can or can’t do. When we say with certainty “I can’t do that” we have sealed our fate. The truth is that even our self-perceptions are likely to be partial, which means we’re all more capable and more creative than we think.

How is your selective attention holding you back? What could you pay more attention to, to help you innovate, build teams, or unleash your fullest potential?

Benefits of Hiring Brandon

25+ Years
in Magic

Bringing you years of performance experience to wow your audience, open their minds, and leave them inspired. 

Engaging Audiences in a Memorable Way

Be dazzled by an unforgettable show, customized to entertain your guests and leave a lasting impression.

Shifting People’s
Perspectives

Magic helps us see things differently, making the impossible possible, and transforming the ways people think and behave.

Energizing Opener & Closer at Conferences

Spark a sense of possibility and ensure your conference attendees are fascinated from beginning to end.

Happy Clients

Client Love

“Your keynote was right on the mark and staff are still citing a few key messages around the office. Thank you again for your great session, it was loved by all! Which is a hard thing to accomplish with this group!”
Julia Wagner, City of Hamilton
“Brandon was the star speaker at our event! Our guests were mesmerized and the messaging was perfect! Brandon is a must have for a successful conference, gala or fundraiser!”
Lenka Nyeste, Sun Life Financial
“Brandon Love’s presentation style is enjoyable and engaging, he captivates his audience with mind-boggling tricks to unlock our minds and think more creatively, challenging his audience to wonder and ask “what if” or “why not”. He is very enlightening and left our team re-energized.”
Dee Henne, AVP & CFO, McMaster University
“Your presentation was informative and entertaining, and very well received.  We have had numerous comments from attendees who all stated how much they enjoyed hearing from you.”
Dave Lowe, Past-President of CASIU, The Canadian "Trillium" Chapter of IASIU
“I cannot tell you enough how much our group enjoyed your workshop. Everyone was raving about it afterwards and all our invited guests emailed me that evening or over the weekend to say how much they enjoyed the session.”
Alexandra Elms, The Ottawa Hospital
“Starting the day with your presentation was refreshing and kick started the brain into thinking differently. I think all conferences should start with you!”
Janet Aldred, Allstate Insurance
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