POSITIVITY
  • Mission
  • Services
    • Online Courses
    • Curriculum
    • Case Studies
    • Video Clips
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Minicourses >
      • Vlog
    • Podcast >
      • On A Positive Note Podcast
      • It's the Climb Podcast
    • Books
    • Shop
    • Quotes
    • Principles of Happiness
  • Connect

Choosing Fascination Over Frustration

1/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
There's more than one way to arrive at a positive outcome and achieve success.​
​Read the full article now ⬇︎
Has this ever happened to you? You finish performing the most amazing magic routine of your career, complete with emotional hooks and theatrical arcs, and yet the only response from your audience is: “How did you do that?” 

Some may see this kind of a response as a compliment for a magician, but I’m not your average magician. I’m not in the business of fooling people; I'm in the business of transforming people. My mission is to help you experience clarity, confidence, courage, and joy in your work and in your relationships, and one of the ways I do this is through demonstrations of Positivity Magic during my training workshops, keynote presentations, and coaching sessions.

Positivity Magic is magic that communicates principles and practices for choosing fascination over frustration in the face of life’s surprises, and it works so well because magic is a worthy mirror of the surprises that we encounter in everyday life.

For example, one of my favorite demonstrations uses two Rubik's Cubes. One cube is given to someone to "mix" while I attempt to solve the other cube. Even though my cube still looks randomly mixed, I triumphantly announce that I have finished solving the puzzle. Everyone is confused until I explain that we simply have to redefine what it means for the cube to be solved, at which point we compare my cube with the one that someone had just mixed up...and both cubes match perfectly! If you ever attend one of my presentations, I encourage you to look around the room at this moment. Everyone's jaw is on the floor! 

Yet the magic of this demonstration is not in the effect itself; rather, it's in the takeaway. The people who often get the most value out of this kind of demonstration are those who tend to get so wrapped up in the details of life—filled with expectations and preconceived notions—that they lose sight of the bigger picture, not realizing that there's more than one way to arrive at a positive outcome and achieve success. This experience offers space for them to explore new possibilities in the face of the unknown and enact positive breakthroughs. Moving forward, perhaps instead of asking with frustration, "How did you do that?" they'll instead ask with fascination, "How can I use this to grow personally and professionally?"

A Simple Choice
If you or the people you influence are looking for more fascination and less frustration in your work, in your relationships, and in your everyday life, then this requires a simple choice, a choice that you are fully empowered to make. As Dr. Christopher Peterson, one of the founders of positive psychology, suggests:​ “Those who do the right thing are people who do not see others as means to ends, those who believe they are responsible for what happens to themselves, and those who are happy.”

There's a lot of truth in this one phrase to unpack, and for our purposes let's hone in on the second point, because it's foundational for shifting from frustration to fascination. When you sincerely believe that you are responsible for your experience of what happens to you, then you hold an internal locus of control, where you place the blame or praise for your failures and successes on your own efforts, motivating you to stay fascinated, curious, and full of wonder to find novel solutions to the unique circumstances you find yourself in.

Reflection
Whether you’re frustrated or whether you’re fascinated, the choices you make today are preparing you for the future that you expect tomorrow. The question becomes, what future are you preparing for?

Final Thoughts
We can't always control the details, but when we take responsibility for our experiences and let go of expectations and preconceived notions, we come to understand that there's more than one way to arrive at a positive outcome and achieve success. So the next time you find yourself slipping into frustration, ask yourself this valuable question: "How can I use this to grow personally and professionally?"

This article was significantly updated from it's original form on April 21, 2020.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    JONAS CAIN, M.Ed.

    Author

    Jonas Cain, M.Ed. is a storyteller, magician, musician, and facilitator of fascination on a mission to help you experience abiding joy.
    ​
    ​
    Connect with Jonas today to discuss your challenges, goals, and obstacles.

    Picture

    Topics

    All
    Acceptance
    Action
    Adversity
    Advice
    Ally
    April Fools
    Atonement
    Authenticity
    Behavior
    Breathing
    Care
    Change
    Change Management
    Character
    Clarity
    Commitment
    Communication
    Compassion
    Confidence
    Connecting
    Courage
    Creativity
    Curiosity
    Dreams
    Education
    Empowerment
    Encouragement
    Engagement
    Enjoyment
    Excellence
    Expectation
    Family
    Fascination
    Fear
    Focus
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Growth
    Guest Posts
    Happiness
    Happy Birthday
    Hope
    Humor
    Influence
    Kindness
    Leadership
    Legacy
    Lessons
    Love
    Mental Health
    Mentor
    Mindfulness
    Mindset
    Motivation
    Online Learning
    Opportunity
    Passion
    Patience
    Peace
    Perseverance
    Persistence
    Perspective
    Positivity
    Practice
    Preparation
    Presence
    Priorities
    Process
    Proverbs
    Psychology
    Purpose
    Rapport
    Reflection
    Relationships
    Resilience
    Resources
    Responsibility
    Risk
    Skills
    Social Justice
    Storytelling
    Stress Relief
    Talent
    Teamwork
    Transition
    Ukraine
    Unity
    Virtual Education
    Vision

    Picture

    Subscribe

    Subscribe on Apple
    Subscribe on Spotify
    Subscribe on Google
    Subscribe on Breaker
    Subscribe on Radio Public
    Subscribe on Overcast
    Subscribe on Pocket Casts
    Picture

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    February 2017

    RSS Feed

Picture

800-969-9778
​
jonas@hashtagpositivity.com

#POSITIVITY

MISSION | SERVICES | RESOURCES | CONNECT

© 2023
  • Mission
  • Services
    • Online Courses
    • Curriculum
    • Case Studies
    • Video Clips
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Minicourses >
      • Vlog
    • Podcast >
      • On A Positive Note Podcast
      • It's the Climb Podcast
    • Books
    • Shop
    • Quotes
    • Principles of Happiness
  • Connect