Welcome to May’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!

We are just a few days away from Mother’s Day and so I begin with a quote that hung in my mother’s kitchen throughout my childhood on a small painted wooden sign that read “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” The sign didn’t give the name of the author, nor did it offer the speech or book it came from. However, the concept of the quote inspired her, and today it and she inspires me.

My mother was a single mom for most of my life and she had the difficult task of raising a precocious son with a love of music and magic.

At one of my early performances at the Magic Castle she was seated next to actor Neil Patrick Harris and with a smile he asked if she performed magic as well. Her answer was “I only do one trick, I make magicians appear” he laughed and she continued “but I’ve only done it once!”

As a girl she worked as a checker in her father’s grocery store, then owned a small museum replica gift shop she called “the Cat’s Meow” before changing her career to work as a CRS Broker in real estate. She worked long hours and focused all of her tenacity and energy on customer service, integrity, self-education and humor.

At night I would catch her reading the encyclopedia from cover to cover. First the A’s and then the B’s and so on. After she had read the entire set, she would start over and read them again. From that set of books alone she walked away with a better education than many people gather over years in university.

At times the housing market was slow and she would stay up late at night working on marketing, advertising and personal newsletters to capture the attention of past clients in the hope that they would use her services again or refer her to their friends. Sometimes, times were so tough and money was so tight that she would tie a knot in the end of her rope and rent rooms in our house to help pay bills and hold on.

I never went hungry. She made sure of that. I never went without shoes or clothes or a roof over my head. She would go hungry first. It was important to her that I graduate from university, she used to say, “An evil government or an evil person can take away your house or your possessions, but they can never take away your mind.” She wanted to make sure that I had a knot to hold onto. At the peak of her career she was bringing home $300,000 per year selling family properties, an incredible sum for a single mother in Utah.

In her final days she taught me her most valuable lesson. “In this life, surround yourself with people of kindness over those who are just rich or beautiful.Because wealth and money are fleeting but kindness is forever. Be a person of kindness and you will never be poor.”

My mother passed away a few days ago (March 28th of 2012) at the age of 55. But through her hard work and dedication to the two of us as a family, she gave me the opportunity for an education, helped me through the struggle of becoming a full time educator and entertainer, and has given me the gift of a knot to hang onto to catch my breath before beginning to climb back up to the top of the rope again.

I don’t know who originally said, “When you get to the end of your rope tie a knot and hang on.” A quick search on the Internet finds Franklin Roosevelt in Kansas 1977 (oddly, 22 years after his death), Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, the bible, and even Winston Churchill. My roommate Mike Olsen found it possibly first in print in a 1946 article in “California Folklore Quarterly” listed as “a proverb of the American West”.

No matter who said it first, I will always see it in my mind hanging as a small painted wooden sign in my mother’s kitchen. It reminds me to never give up, accept that sometimes life gets rough and when it does, tie a knot, hang on, gather up strength and sum up the courage to once again begin climbing in the direction of your dreams!

Remember to give your mom a big hug this Mother’s Day.

-Paul

Please contact me if you have an office or organization in your area that would like an anthropologist / Vegas Mentalist to present a clean corporate show, or come and lead workshops on communication, motivation and change management!

God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.
~John Aughey

Thank you for being my friend.

Your friend,
-Paul Draper
paul@mentalmysteries.com
801-541-2976

Websites:
www.MentalMysteries.com
www.MentalMystery.com (agent friendly site)
www.helpinghospitalsheal.com

Welcome to February’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!

A recent study by professor of medicine Donald Redelmeier at the University of Toronto in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that Oscar winners live nearly four years longer than nominees.

And multiple winners, he says, live an average of six years longer. This echoes broader findings that suggest rich people live longer.

The study claims that the elevated social standing that goes along with getting an Oscar is what may contribute to a longer life. Researchers believe that most Oscar winners live longer because they have an increased level of control over their work and therefore, they’re less stressed. (The most common cause of death among all performers was heart disease.)

Winning directors exceed the aforementioned 4 years of actors and live on average 4.5 years longer than nominated directors.

“Once you’ve got that statuette on your mantel place, it’s an uncontested sign of peer approval that nobody can take away from you, so that any subsequent harsh reviews, it leaves you more resilient,” Redelmeier said. “It doesn’t quite get under your skin. The normal stresses and strains of everyday life do not drag you down.“

Perhaps Oscar winners feel pressure to preserve their image, which could lead to healthier behavior. Oscar winners are also likely to benefit from managers, trainers,personal chefs, and other support staff that help them live a healthy lifestyle. The researchers conclude, “The main implication is that higher status may be linked to lower mortality rates even at very impressive levels of achievement.“

However, my writer friends are the ones who should really be concerned about too much success,Oscar-winning screenwriters usually live 3.6 years less than screenwriters who were just nominated. One possible reason is the different type of lifestyle required for writing screenplays. In other words, while actors spend time working out and eating well, writers are often hunched over their computers pounding out words.

Fascinating findings. I believe, however, that there are many things that we can do with attitude, consciousness and action to create the same benefits of winning an Oscar without actually having to have one of those gold guys on the shelf. Take action today to see yourself as a winner without having to have the approval of others and you will live a longer life because of it!

-Paul

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.“
-Michael Jordan

Acknowledge your personal Genius! Life is about the journey and every day is a gift.

Thank you for being my friend.

Your friend,
-Paul Draper
paul@mentalmysteries.com
801-541-2976

Websites:
www.MentalMysteries.com
www.MentalMystery.com (agent friendly site)
www.helpinghospitalsheal.com

“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.“
- Buddha

Welcome to January’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!

How to get out of a rut and get back to being creative!

At least once a week I receive an e-mail from someone following my social media sites who asks how I stay so busy and seem to be always doing something exciting.

And the answer usually surprises them.

For me the key isn’t in how someone deals with success but how someone deals with failure. How we overcome disappointment, rejection and loss.

I face these pitfalls regularly. And if I am going to be completely honest with you, there are some days that I want to give up. We all experience that.

So how do I handle and overcome these moments of doubt and get back on track towards reaching my goals?

1. Step Away: I step away from the problem and allow my mind to re set. Sometimes this involves a walk around the room, the house or the block. Sometimes it is a 30-minute nap or even involves going to a matinee movie at the theater down the street. But I set a time limit on myself of 3 hours or less that I will take to clear my thoughts – afterwards I must get back on the horse. When I return from my allotted time I sit back down and focus on my task again for at least as long as I stepped away. If I need to, I repeat this process. Why do I force myself to start again so quickly? Because the longer I am away from a problem, thebigger and scarier it becomes – so just like the horse analogy, I must get back at it within 3 hours and try again.
2. Release Anger: It is easy to become angry at a problem and even easier to become angry with myself. I look at the situation that is causing me to feel intense emotion and ask “Is this a problem that I can fix or a problem that I can’t fix?” If it is a problem that I can’t fix, then I need to allow myself to let it go, brush it off and move on because it is unfixable. If, instead, it is a problem that I can fix: I need to set about the steps that can be taken to fix it. Fixable = Actionable, Unfixable = release and move on.
3. Do Nothing: Take 30 minutes each day to do absolutely nothing. That’s right, I take time every day to do nothing. During this time I don’t eat or sleep. I don’t read, listen to music or watch tv. I don’t talk on the cell phone or read emails or play a game. I spend time in my own presence and exist with myself. There is nothing that I do in my life that adds to my ability to produce more than taking time to do nothing. Try it.
4. Be Inspired: Other artists inspire me. When my brain feels empty, I go out and allow the pure pleasure of being inspired by other artists. Movies, Street performers, painters, open mic nights, musicals and biographies of successful people who I admire. Sometimes bad artists and bad shows inspire me more then good ones,because instead of being caught up in the emotion of the piece, I critique and make a list of everything that I could do to make it better – so I set about it in myself.
5. Seek Mentors: Mentors help us refocus our goals. There are people out there who have beenthere and done that. If we don’t know them already, we probably know someone who does. Remember that statistically, we are always just 6 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon.
6. Burn the Boats: It is said that some of the ancient Greek generals would have the men burn their boats when they landed to fight the Persian wars. Imagine what these men must have felt as they watched the boats burn and knew that their only way home was through victory. Sometimes the only way to victory is to cut off any other route but success.
7. Never Give Up: The most successful people that I know are the ones who have mastered persistence. We don’t have to be the most talented, the ones with the most intelligence, the most skilled or the bestsupported. All of these things help. But the men and women who I have seen succeed are the ones who have persisted and continue to fight even when things became difficult. Persistence prevails.

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” –Thomas A. Edison

Keep striving!

Thank you for being my friend.

Your friend,
-Paul Draper
paul@mentalmysteries.com
801-541-2976

Websites:
www.MentalMysteries.com
www.MentalMystery.com (agent friendly site)
www.helpinghospitalsheal.com

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” -J.C. Penny

“I still believe in magic.”
-Paul Draper

Welcome to December’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!

Happy Holiday’s, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy New Year, Happy Yule tide greetings and I hope that you have a season of Joy celebrating with your loved ones this time of year.

Here is a fun list of how to say “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” in dozens of languages: click here

I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah
currently the “whoopee cushion” of America (due to how many jokes are made at it’s expense.)

Half of my family are LDS/Mormon and the other half are Jewish. Due to this wonderful combination I often had the blessing of 9 days of presents! However, this year the dates overlap so I will be back to just 8 crazy nights.

Utah was a lovely place to grow up, especially because of the beautiful mountains, natural wonders and the majestic four seasons. We would have a Christmas tree in the living room and a menorah in the window. How beautiful it is to live in a country and time of so much religious freedom. I was often asked by teachers in my schools to represent Judaism and teach the history of the holiday to my fellow classmates in a time before History Channel programs on demand 24/7.

History Ch. Christmas
History Ch. Hanukkah

For further thoughts on religious acceptance, education and freedom, here is a fantastic list of some other fun Holidays and celebrations that our friends families and neighbors may celebrate include: click here

Life isn’t about the money we make,
the things we accumulate or even the awards displayed on our shelf. Life is about the people who come into our sphere and teach us how to reflect on time, self, meaning and kindness towards others.

Have a wonderful season of giving and reflection. I hope to see you and spend time with you soon,

Thank you for being my friend.

Your friend,
-Paul Draper
paul@mentalmysteries.com
801-541-2976

Websites:
www.MentalMysteries.com
www.MentalMystery.com (agent friendly site)
www.helpinghospitalsheal.com

“To laugh often and much. To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children. To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others. To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Based on a poem by Bessie Anderson Stanley, but changed through time and often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson & Robert Louis Stevenson

Welcome to October’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!

Vlogs, podcasts, TED + fantasy shoes & hair!

Life isn’t about the money we make, the things we accumulate or even the awards displayed on our shelf. Life is about the people who come into our sphere and teach us how to reflect on time, self, meaning and kindness towards others.

Thank you for being my friend.

It’s been a very good month so far. Beyond headlining at Magic in the Rockies in Colorado and at the Suncoast Casino in Las Vegas – I have been booked for 3 future conventions, in talks with 2 Vegas casinos and have made a lot of fun media appearances.

Below is a sampling of some of my favorites from the last 30 days.

Interviewed for TEDx (Start about 5 minutes in) –
listen here

Appeared on national TV as a challenge for Hairbattle Spectacular
– watch here

Co-Hosted an hour of McBrideMagic.tv for magicians – watch here

A wonderful new magic venue in central California – click here

Interviewed on Conversations LIVE out of Atlanta – listen here

My 11 steps to success that I try to follow every day.

• Goal setting
• Hard work
• Dedication
• Education
• Focus
• Courage
• Sacrifice
• Reassessment
• Team building
• Relationships
• Luck

Please contact me if you have a hospital or business in your area that would like an anthropologist / Vegas Mentalist to come and chat about communication, motivation or change management!

Your friend,
-Paul Draper
paul@mentalmysteries.com
801-541-2976

Websites:
www.MentalMysteries.com
www.MentalMystery.com (agent friendly site)
www.helpinghospitalsheal.com

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”
- Colin Powell