Kyle, the Pyramids were built by people with diminishing goals, always remember that.

The thing that I feel actually is the biggest enemy, is complacant feelings.

When you have another job other than magic (hear me out before you all jump on me) you are never going to be "hungry" in the true sense of the word. You know money will be in every 2 weeks like clockwork. Magic is just something you "want" to do, not NEED to do. Many people to be spurned to action need to be taken out of their "comfort zone". You will be suprised how motivating the threat of eviction can be.

Danny,

Thanks for chiming in here as you bring up a very good point and one worth talking about. Certainly one can get complacent if one realizes that he or she does not have to rely on the magic income to put food on the table. there becomes that feeling of 'well I can do it if I get around to it."

If you are doing this for a living, then reality sets in really quick and you simply have to stop procrastinating or you find yourself in the poor house fast. It forces you to take action and keep doing it.

For my wife and I have found a middle ground. Let me explain. I do not perform full time every week. I do have a day job as a graphic designer of which I enjoy doing. So in many ways it could be easy for me to become complacant.

However, I have a deep passion for performing magic and a passion for doing it the right way. I have always wanted to be as successful as I can in anything I do and I am driven by this want for success to do everything I can in my power to achieve that goal.

I think because of this feeling inside of me, it has really driven me to stop procrastinating and get off my butt and take action. One thing I can say that will stop a person procrastinating is that first level of success you acheive by yourself from simple effective marketing you did. Man when you see a return on your marketing investment, it becomes a drug. You want more of that success and so that drives you to do better.

So for me I have created this willpower and have stop procrastinating as much as I used to simply because I have trained myself to learn better habits.

Just food for thought.

Kyle

Actually, in my case, the opposite happened. When I was working at Westinghouse, I was also sending out flyers, booking Christmas and birthday parties (I had one Halloween party locked in at Westinghouse itself, but that was a freebie for the employees children. Don't sneer, volunteering a magic show ment I didn't have to put up or take down the decorations <or> work the food buffet!)

When I lost Westinghouse, I spent a lot of time looking for work. Getting another job added to my woes because it was so far away, I was too tired to do anything. Then, eight years later, I lost <that> job.

A lot of my stuff got lost in storage, and I seem to have frozen up inside as far as practicing or rehearsing is concerned.

I was doing better when I had to reassurance of that second income.

Mandrake, yes we all do better when we have a "real job" to supply us with the income so we don't have to worry about our magic business. However, being my own boss, deciding my own schedule, I found out I was working for the meanest son of a gun I ever workrd for. When my rent and food are totally dependent on my magic I found that I perform better and market harder and get the results that I want.

Scary as heck? Oh yes! Worth the risk? Oh yes! I started this at age 54, had no retirement benefits, no insurance benefits, just a need to make a living. I am now 62 and have, thank whatever God you believe in, managed to survive on just my magic shows.

As Nike says, "JUST DO IT" you WILL make it!!

Peter

Interesting stories and comments folks and I thank you for them. I would agree that there is nothing more that will get you up off your butt then necessity. If you have to put food on the table, then you really have no choice but to take action.

However, I still feel that motivated or not, forced to do it or not, there are times when we all procrastinate. I also know that I find myself doing it from time to time as well. I have learned that one thing that helps me a lot is by creating systems that work for me. I try to develop automated systems so that I spend less time actually doing something that needs to get done. It saves me time and I do not find myself putting something off because it feels overwhelming.

I also use lists all the time. I would be lost without my lists or ACT or my PDA. These are tools I use personally to help me not procrastinate and to break up the bigger projects into more manageable tasks that I know I can get done.

What methods do you guys use?

Kyle