Ehrich Weiss

It was great to finally present Masterclass 1 to the staff of Springfield Training this week. CEO Noel Johnson saw me speak at a Vistage event a few years ago and on the back of that he booked me for his team in Leeds.
 
They have grown really quickly over the past few years, demonstrating impressive growth in a difficult market. The feedback was fantastic as were the team and Noel has already booked me for Masterclass 2 and 3 to be delivered monthly at their staff development day.
 
 
Rolls Royce
 
I also had the pleasure of going back to Barnoldswick to deliver Masterclass 1 to more staff at the Rolls Royce site. The group was brilliant, and the feedback was amazing. They are discussing the potential to run Masterclasses 2 and 3 in the coming months.
 
I am trying to put my finger on why these are being so well received and I think it’s because these are different to anything else out there. These are a hybrid of a keynote talk and a workshop. They have the inspiration of a keynote talk and the exercises you’d expect in a workshop. This unique blend seems to tick all the boxes.  

 These Masterclasses are different
 
People are surprised when they experience one of my Masterclasses because they are inspirational and practical at the same time. They are much more than a workshop. They are fun and interactive and my personal story of overcoming very difficult times seems to give these sessions a unique and authentic feel.
 
Organisations I am working with tell me that the fact that they are 1-hour in length is really important as they can’t afford to have their staff away from work for long periods of time. Also, the information contained within each one is just enough for them to work on without overload leaving them overwhelmed.
 
 
Thank you Steven 
 
Steven Brackfield is a manager at The Salvation Army and he sent me the following article by Chuck Swindoll which contains a great message. Thank you, Steven, for taking the time to send me this. Thank you also for the follow up to this which I will share next week.
 
 
Ehrich Weiss
 
“Ehrich Weiss was a remarkable man. By the time of his death, he was famous around the world. Never heard of him, huh?
 
Maybe this will help. He was born of Hungarian-Jewish parentage at Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1874. He became the highest-paid entertainer of his day. That still doesn’t help much, does it? This will.
 
When he finally got his act together, Weiss adopted a stage name: Harry Houdini . . . the master showman, a distinguished flyer, a mystifying magician, and—most of all—an unsurpassed escapologist.
 
The impossible escape
 
On March 10, 1904, the London Daily Illustrated Mirror challenged Houdini to escape from a special pair of handcuffs they had prepared. Are you ready? There were six locks on each cuff and nine tumblers on each lock. Seven days later, 4,000 spectators gathered in the London Hippodrome to witness the outcome of the audacious challenge which Houdini had accepted.
 
At precisely 3:15 p.m., the manacled showman stepped into an empty cabinet which came up to his waist. Kneeling down, he was out of sight for a full twenty minutes. He stood up smiling as the crowd applauded, thinking he was free. But he was not.
 
He asked for more light. They came on brighter as he knelt down out of sight. Fifteen minutes later he stood to his feet. Applause broke out—again, premature. He was still handcuffed. Said he just needed to flex his knees.
 
Down into the cabinet again went the magician. Twenty minutes passed slowly for the murmuring crowd before Houdini stood to his feet with a broad smile. Loud applause quickly stopped as the audience saw he was not yet free.
 
Because the bright lights made the heat so intense, he leaped from the cabinet and twisted his manacled hands in front of him until he could reach a pocket knife in his vest. Opening the knife with his teeth, he held its handle in his mouth and bent forward to such a degree that the tail of his coat fell over his head.
 
He grasped the coat, pulled it over his head, then proceeded to slash it to ribbons with the knife between his teeth. Throwing aside the strips of his heavy coat, he jumped back into the box as the audience roared its approval and cheered him on.
 
Down went Houdini, but this time for only ten minutes. With a dramatic flourish, he jumped from the box—wrists free—waving the bulky handcuffs over his head in triumph. Pandemonium exploded in London. Once again, the showman had achieved the incredible—almost the impossible.
 
Afterwards, Houdini was interviewed. Everyone wanted to know why he had to interrupt the process of his escape as often as he did. With a twinkle in his eyes, the magician freely admitted that he really didn’t have to interrupt the process. He repeatedly explained that his ability to escape was based on knowledge.
 
“My brain is the key that sets me free!” he often declared. Then why did he keep standing up before he was loose? He confessed it was because he wanted the audience’s applause to keep up his enthusiasm!
 
Enthusiasm is powerful stuff. And it isn’t important only to magicians and performers but also to ordinary folks like you and me.”
 
 
Enthusiasm
 
Enthusiasm is key to success in any field. If you don’t have enthusiasm, you won’t get back up when you are knocked down. You won’t try anything new. You won’t achieve your full potential and you won’t enjoy life.
 
 
Thoughts for the week 

1. What is your level of enthusiasm for what you do?
2. If your enthusiasm is low, you will achieve less.
3. This week observe your level of enthusiasm throughout each day.
4. Notice when your enthusiasm is high because that is where you have real interest and engagement.
5. There is more on this next week.

 
Well that’s it for this week have a wonderful weekend and keep believing.
 
Warm regards

John

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