Meet my friend, Isaac. He’s one of our members on illusionism.TV.  He talks about his Twitter profile, experience with Apple and AT&T, and plenty about his love for video games.  If you’ve ever wondered what it might look like for a performing artist, (me), to get upstaged and outperformed during an interview by a 9 year old kid, this is what it looks like.  Enjoy this 5 minutes of non-stop entertainment:  

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Love it! That was a blast…now, where can I find some more kids?

Be sure to follow Isaac on Twitter. He’s pretty smart, and might teach you something. Plus, you never know what kind of amazing things he’s going to end up doing.  Then you can say, “I knew him when he was just a kid.”

Got a kid I should interview? Please, let me know…I’d love to.

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Be sure to stop by the student-filmmaker’s channel on YouTube and congratulate him on a job well done!

QUESTION: Did this film provoke any thoughts for you? If so, what were they?  Was there something you could relate to? Would love to hear your thoughts and comments!

]]> http://www.harrisiii.com/illusion/out-of-a-forest/feed/ 1 http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/im-finally-rich/ http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/im-finally-rich/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:49:47 +0000 Harris III http://www.harrisiii.com/?p=1551

In my last post, I told you how much I loved Inception, and how I believe that real “inception” actually happens every day.

Last night, my wife and I enjoyed another incredible film, Book of Eli.  I didn’t get to enjoy it on a massive digitally projected screen or with state of the art surround sound, but I still liked it.  Not only did I like it, I found it convicting.

There’s a scene in the movie where Denzel Washington’s character gets asked about the “old world”, which in case you haven’t seen the film, would be in reference to the current world that you and I live in today.  His response was simple, yet profound:  

“People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t.  We threw away things people kill each other over now.”

Do you have more than you need?  Do you know what is precious, and what isn’t?  Chances are pretty good that you throw away things that people kill each other over in other parts of the world.  How do you feel about that?

If you’re like me, the natural tendency is to think, “Have more than I need?  Ha!  I’m barely getting by!!”  Well, turns out I’m filthy rich.  And…

And so are you.  Want to see how rich YOU are?   Find out now. ——>  Global Rich List

QUESTION: Maybe it’s hard for you to imagine a world in which people fight and kill over things that you throw away.  But what if it were true?  And better yet, what if you could see it coming, and could do something about it before the fighting and killing began?  What would you do about it, and how might you live differently?  Best of all, what would you do RIGHT NOW?

Harry Houdini, one of the world’s most famous magicians and escape artists was certainly an expert in the art of deception.  This expertise gave him very valuable perspective, including the following words:  

“What the eye sees, the ear hears, the mind believes.”
-Harry Houdini

I wish it weren’t true, but unfortunately, Houdini was spot on.

Back in 2001, I was part of a tour in Southeast Asia. In Sri Lanka, an illusion was featured in the show where a table levitated. Turns out, the people there had seen that “trick” performed before, just down the street.  But not by a magician or illusionist, but by a Buddhist Extremist “Spiritual Leader.”  He made the exact same looking table levitate, using the exact same method and months of practice we did as “magicians.”  Only he claimed the table was able to levitate because of “spirits manifesting their presence.”

He was lying.

And the people in Sri Lanka believed him.

Why?

They saw it with their own eyes.  They heard about it with their own ears.  They couldn’t explain it.  Therefore, it must be real…RIGHT?

Unfortunately, it’s easy to be deceived. What you see and hear and feel is not always real.  Your senses get tricked, and end up telling your mind what do believe.  If we began to understand this principle, oh the truth we could discover, and more importantly, live out.

If only Houdini had been wrong…

Question: What kind of decisions have you made, just because you saw something, or heard something, and therefore just assumed it to be real or true?

]]> http://www.harrisiii.com/deception/if-only-houdini-had-been-wrong/feed/ 2 http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/how-changing-your-perspective-can-dramatically-change-your-life/ http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/how-changing-your-perspective-can-dramatically-change-your-life/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:40:08 +0000 Harris III http://www.harrisiii.com/?p=1435 I bet you’re missing out on so much of life, just by how you currently see things.  There’s so much to gain by just changing your perspective every now and then.  My recent trip to Nicaragua was a strong reminder of that.  Few things bring more perspective than international travel to a third-world country.

Do you need to change your perspective?

The famous artist, Leonardo Da Vinci, (who painted the Mona Lisa), was known for changing his perspective before considering one of his masterpieces 100% complete.  Apparently, when Da Vinci was supposedly 99.9% finished, his final step was to look at his painting in a mirror.  Simply by changing his perspective and how he saw the painting, he would notice needed changes in the painting that were impossible for him to see before.  Turns out, perspective is a really powerful thing.

I’ve always struggled with this.  Judging others is something I used to do a lot of.  My pride, arrogance, and selfishness always allowed me to look at other people and situations and immediately jump to conclusions.  I’d think, “That guy has some serious alcohol issues.” Or, “That teenager after the show tonight was ridiculously annoying.” Or, “I can’t believe the pilot of this plane didn’t show up, and now my flight is delayed until they find another pilot.” Or, “Why can’t I ever get ahead?? I never seem to be able to buy anything just for me.”

On the surface, those thoughts, though not perfect, don’t seem ridiculous.  They actually seem normal.  Until…

Until you change your perspective, and realize that the guy’s problem with alcohol is actually a problem in his marriage, and he doesn’t have any friends or help in figuring out how to deal with it.  So he drinks a lot to drown out the feelings of despair.  Doesn’t make it right, but it certainly changes my response.

Or, until you change your perspective, and find out that the annoying teenager is being raised by his single mom, because his dad left when he was 3.  And because his younger siblings need attention from his mom, he doesn’t get much attention at all.  So, he makes up for it by begging for attention at social gatherings.

Or, until you change your perspective, and realize that the pilot’s wife is in the hospital, because she was involved in a car accident that wasn’t her fault, and her husband rushed to the hospital instead of to work to fly my plane.

Or, until your perspective is changed by walking into a 10′ by 10′ home in another country, and are reminded that an overwhelming number of people live on less than $1 a day, and that the jeans you’re wearing cost more than their monthly grocery bill…and you bought the jeans at a thrift store.

Take a hint from Da Vinci in creating something beautiful.  Gaining perspective changes art.  And lives.

How has changing your perspective changed yours?

It’s videos like this one that make me realize the value and importance of illusionism.TV.  Magic is awesome for kids, for so many reasons, and I can’t wait to see what kind of aspiring magicians are born out of such an exciting project!  If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to take a look.  It’s child friendly, safe and secure, and your kids will love it! Check out the site, and learn magic tricks now: http://illusionism.TV

But first, you’ve gotta see this:  

Awesome, huh?  Please comment and tell me you almost teared up, then I won’t feel like such a softy.  ;-)

Got a kid who might be interested in magic?  Let them learn a FREE TRICK right now, without even joining.  Then, join by July 31st, and save 50%: http://illusionism.TV

That’s what happened recently in Ohio.  I’ve driven by this statue what seems like hundreds of times while traveling that stretch of interstate on tour.  Here’s what the news article had to say:

MONROE, Ohio – A six-story statue of Jesus Christ was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and pieces of foam that were scooped up by curious onlookers Tuesday.

The “King of Kings” statue, one of southwest Ohio’s most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m. Monday, Monroe police dispatchers said.

The sculpture, about 62 feet tall and 40 feet wide at the base, showed Jesus from the torso up and was nicknamed Touchdown Jesus because of the way the arms were raised, similar to a referee signaling a touchdown. It was made of plastic foam and fiberglass over a steel frame, which is all that remained Tuesday.

You can read the whole article here, on Yahoo! News.

Apparently, the statue cost about $400,000 to construct.  Maybe it was allowed to be struck by lightening because God might not be cool with wasting a whopping $400k on concrete? For the record, I have no idea. Just wondering. I’m also not saying that God always causes natural disasters.  But I’m not sure how you could deny that certainly “allows” them.  Again, I’m just wondering…

They’re also already making plans to rebuild it, wasting that kind of money, plus more, all over again.  I mean, I’m not God, so I won’t pretend to know or always understand what he does, or why he allows certain things to happen, but I do know of a whole list of better uses for a few hundred thousand dollars.

And, I’m not the only one. A lot of them are a book called the Bible….maybe this church should read it.  If they do, they might learn a lot about Jesus, the guy they’re making statues of, and in the process, how he encouraged us to live.

What do you think?

]]> http://www.harrisiii.com/observations/jesus-got-struck-by-lightening/feed/ 10 http://www.harrisiii.com/tour/to-arkansas-and-back-in-a-swagger-wagon/ http://www.harrisiii.com/tour/to-arkansas-and-back-in-a-swagger-wagon/#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:31:23 +0000 Harris III http://www.harrisiii.com/?p=1290 If you follow my wife or I on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve likely heard about all the vehicle problems we’ve been having lately.  We tour in a Toy Hauler. It’s like a moving truck + tour bus + RV.  We definitely got the “lemon”. We’ve had nothing but problems, very few of which the manufacturers have dealt with.  We keep getting shrugged off by both Chevrolet, (the makers of the chassis, cab, and engine), and Gulfstream, (the company who converted and built it out).  It’s been an absolute nightmare for the full four years we’ve owned it.

Anyway…we had an event in Arkansas last night at Harding University, and it was out of commission.  We couldn’t make repairs over the weekend, so we ended up renting a vehicle to get us to Arkansas and back.  Tried to find a cargo van, but couldn’t. And every rental car company in Nashville was out of SUV’s.  So, we rented one of these…and yes, I drove it with pride:  

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If you watch the video on YouTube, it shows over 3 million views.  But surprisingly, every time I mention the phrase “Swagger Wagon”, I’m shocked to find out that most people still haven’t heard about these commercials.  Word is rapidly spreading, and I’d wager to say that Toyota already is, and will continue to get an incredible return on these ads.  They’re absolutely hysterical!

So parents, take pride in your ride. Turns out, mini-vans are pretty cool after all.

Today, on Memorial Day, everyone speaks of honor. Well, many do. It’s true that regardless of how you feel politically about any war we’ve ever been involved in, the soldiers who have fought and served deserve our honor. But while today might be a day to honor our troops, the whole idea of honoring someone is so much bigger.

Last week, I was catching up on some podcasts and I listened to an interview with Steven Furtick. He’s the pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. I heard Steven speak briefly at Catalyst back in ‘08, and really enjoyed him. I also loved hearing him tell a story in this interview about a pastor he previously served under.

He explained that there was a difference between honor, and respect. And while he couldn’t respect the leader he was serving under, the leader still deserved to be honored, because he was his pastor, and a good man. The honor Steven gave him had a profound impact later on in this man’s life. It was memorable. It was humbling. It was transforming. And that doesn’t even include the additional character built up and displayed in Steven, the one giving honor. His ability and willingness to honor someone who deserved to be honored impacted them both.

It kind of got me thinking…

Why don’t other people my age, (and younger), honor others? And why have we lost that ability? What happened? And what could happen if we learned to do it once again? What if we created a culture of honor?

I agree with Steven, (whom his church calls “Pastor Steven” by the way, simply in an effort to honor him), that there really is a difference between honor and respect. Someone who deserves to be honored can lose my respect. For example…

There are magicians who haven’t earned my respect, both now and from the past, but some of them need to be honored. It’s easy to poke fun at the “old guys” because they had rabbits and top hats, along with matching tuxedos. It’s easy for my generation to label it “cheesy”, but while I don’t respect each of them, I believe they deserve to be honored for their contribution to my art, and for keeping magic alive. Of course we see it as cheesy now. It’s 2010. Tuxes were hot in 1920. But who am I, and who are you to judge?? Why not honor them, even if you don’t respect them? If labeling it cheesy is your way of saying, “Look how cool I am”, personally, I think you need to get over yourself.

And what about our parents? I know, I know. We get older, gain perspective, and become increasingly aware of their mistakes. Maybe it’s hard for you now to respect your mom or dad. But they still deserve to be honored. It may not make sense to you right now, but your decision to do so could change their lives, and yours in the process. Think I’m crazy? I dare you to try it. You might be the first and only person to ever honor them, and I bet you’ll gain their respect in the process.

If you’re struggling with honoring someone because you don’t think they deserve it, why? Because they weren’t perfect? C’mon…look in the mirror.

A question…

What would happen if you honored your wife? Or your girlfriend? Like, really honored her?

What would happen if you honored your husband? What would honoring him actually look like?

What kind of people would your children grow up to be if they grew up watching two people consistently honor each other?

George W. Bush supposedly wore a suit every single day of his stay at the White House, because he “wanted to bring honor to the presidency”.

Honoring my wife is a privilege. The same is true for my parents. And my grandparents. And honoring those who have gone before me, from magicians to leaders to soldiers is a privilege as well. One I hope and pray my generation doesn’t completely lose as we continue to rip apart everything we disagree with. There’s nothing wrong with discussion and debate, and respect is most definitely something that has to be earned. But in the process of re-envisioning our futures, I hope we don’t forget to honor those in our past. And our present. If we do, I fear that we may lose our honor as well.

Let’s honor those who need to be honored. Before they’re dead.

Kinda like this?

It’s weird. I’m usually incredibly positive and have a great attitude.  And honestly, my last few days have been amazing.  I don’t even have a good, valid reason to be apathetic.  I allow myself to get distracted, lose focus, and focus on the garbage.  Garbage like getting screwed by people from my past.  Garbage like us still having a house for sale, because the buyers backed out last second for no valid reason.  Stuff like that.  Eventually, if you dwell on the negative stuff, it makes you frustrated.  And I think frustration can very easily breed carelessness. Which reminds me…  

Back when Mitt Romney was running for President and eventually bowed out of the race, he gave a pretty darn good speech.  When I heard it, he included a phrase that I just couldn’t get out of my head:  “Carelessness kills. Complacency is murder.” His context was in reference to the mindset of welfare.  That was about two years ago.

Last month, I was re-reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible.  I’ve read it before.  More than once.  But this time, I read those same words right in chapter one, and they jumped off the page.  Turns out, it looks like Romney borrowed a little from Solomon while writing his speech, but forgot to quote his source.  ;-)

I’m not interested in being murdered.  Well, especially not by carelessness.  Am I alone?  I know, it’s stupid. I know, there are like 55 billion verses in the Bible that tell me why I have no need to remain apathetic, and every reason to feel blessed.  And I have one of the most amazing wives on the planet.  And I have everything I could ever possibly want or need.  But there are days that come, and it just isn’t how you feel. Ya know? I guess that’s another good reason to not live your whole life based fully on your feelings.

Ah…now there’s a good conversation:  How do you balance truth with your feelings, and the recognition that both are a gift?

Apathy may be my opponent for the day, but I fully intend on winning.  In fact, I’m feeling better already.