“I’ve always taken ‘The Wizard of Oz’ very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.” – Judy Garland
Welcome to March’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!
“Look, look, look to the rainbow. Follow the fellow who follows a dream” -Finian’s Rainbow Watch here.
I have learned a lot the last 5 years about what it takes to follow your dreams and find the gold at the end of the rainbow; I want to share some of my key steps with you that you can apply instantly to your life as well.
1) Know what your dreams and goals are. Know what you wish to achieve. You don’t have to know how to get there, but you do have to have a clear picture of what you want. This is like wet concrete: it can still change, but at least you have a vision and a foundation. Know what success looks like to you. It is amazing how often I see people fail artistically and in my consulting work with organizations when they don’t have a clear dream.
2) Don’t give up when things start to become difficult. “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with all of the rain.” -Dolly Parton. Things will get difficult-plan on it. Lots of people will say no to even the best ideas. Last month, I had the opportunity to visit with some of my most successful friends in the theater business in both Hollywood and New York. They both taught me the same lesson. Audition 1,000 times and after every audition, forget about it and move on to the next one. Don’t sit at home worried about the last audition. Keep working on yourself; competing with only yourself and keep auditioning. You can’t use up your emotional energy on yesterday-you need that energy for tomorrow.
3) When you start to achieve your dreams, allow yourself to celebrate. Too often I see friends reach steps of incredible success, but they are still miserable. This is because they refuse to see the touchstone moments in their lives and allow themselves the pleasure of accomplishment. We must celebrate our successes both publically and privately. We must let our friends and family know the things that we ourselves see as cornerstones of success and then allow them to know when we have achieved them. Every religion and country has a tradition of seasonal calibrations. Each has at least 1 per season and usually 1 per month. This is a way to measure our lives, to remember where we have been and where we are going. You show me how someone celebrates, and I can tell you who they are.
4) Seek advice from everyone, praise everyone. You don’t have to follow everyone’s advice-you shouldn’t follow most people’s advice-but you should seek their advice to see if they offer a new perspective or hold a gem of insight. Also, everyone has genius. Even the homeless man on the street is a genius in something. Find genius in others and praise them for it. It does not diminish you to raise others up, and you never know who they might become.
5) Surround yourself with successful people. Successful people are looking for smart, kind, driven, intelligent, and hardworking individuals like you to mentor. Buy them lunch. Everyone has to eat. You will rise to the level of those you surround yourself with. Give more than you receive. When you can’t surround yourself with successful people, read their biographies.
6) Life is about the journey to the pot of gold. Not the pot of gold itself. Life is about the days you live, not how you are remembered. Choose a life filled with days that you enjoy living. I start every day with the phrase: “If today is to be my last, it will be enough,” and I end each day with the statement, “if today has been my last, it has been enough.”
You are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! And the three wishes are yours to grant to others.
“I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief.“ -Gerry Spence, How to Argue & Win Every Time: At Home, At Work, In Court, Everywhere, Everyday
Harvard Business Review
This month the Harvard Business Review showcases the benefit of using corporate Anthropologists like me to help any organization. Read here
A free gift! This is one of the best and most influential books that I have ever read. At this link you can hear this book read by the author, and you can listen to it all for free! You should.
Dr. Patrick O’Neill, of Penn State University and I were interviewed by Parade Magazine this month about folklore and meanings behind Saint Patrick’s Day. View here
Also, If you didn’t have a chance to see my 1 minute of fame on the Travel Channel this week for Ghost Adventures, here it is: Watch here
“Northwestern’s alumni list is truly impressive. This university has graduated best-selling authors, Olympians, presidential candidates, Grammy winners, Peabody winners, Emmy winners, and that’s just me” – Stephen Colbert
Welcome to January’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!
This month, allow me to share a few fun things: A study out of Stanford and the University of Minnesota on the benefits of the experience of magical “awe”. One of my most embarrassing moments and some very ,very recent clips of my going back to my old stomping grounds to participate in some alumni shows.
Alumni: In the last few months I have been called back to my undergraduate university and my old high school to perform, lecture and share lessons learned along the way. It is important for each of us to do this from time to time to see how far we have come and to give back to those who are on the path where we once were.
From these I have a few fun clips to share in the boxes below. One of my return as the Lion in the Wiz and the other performing Illusions at my old university.
Embarrassing moment: Want to hear one of my most embarrassing moments from university? I was caught with my pants down, literally! Watch here
Going back to university reminded me of two of the best commencement addresses that I have ever heard: Steve Jobs and Fred Rogers. Do you know which was a drop out and which was an ordained minister?
Watch Steve Jobs here
Watch Watch Mr. Rogers here
Awe: According to this new study, when someone experiences a moment of “Awe” they are more likely to perceive that they have extra free time, they want more experiences instead of possessions, they are more willing to be generous, more willing to volunteer and most importantly, they state that they are more satisfied with their lives. These are all benefits that people receive after experiencing a magic show, a magical moment or anything that evokes awe. Lets create more of these moments together! Read here
“How sad and bad and mad it was – but then, how it was sweet“ – Robert Browning
Paul Draper uses magic to raise $125 million
Paul Draper uses magic to raise $125 million for Weber State University! Watch here
Paul Draper appearance, introduction and dove production for Weber State University 125th anniversary Watch here
They also list me as “Notable Weber State People” on their Wiki site along with the founder of Marriott hotels and the President of the Church of Scientology! Read here
Musical Theater Reunion
Olympus High School for a musical theater reunion: The Wiz! Watch me sing 2 songs that I originally sang in 1996, joined by several current high school students. Watch here
They also list me as a “notable alumni” on their wiki site along with former White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove! Read here
“If you’re climbing the ladder of life, you go rung by rung, one step at a time.. Don’t look too far up, set your goals high but take one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t think you’re progressing until you step back and see how high you’ve really gone.” – Donny Osmond (His family always gave full sized candy bars on Halloween!)
Welcome to November’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!
What would the YOU of 10 years ago think of all that you have done and accomplished in the last 10 years? This is a question that my Uncle Richard wisely asks me whenever I am sad, down or blue. It is incredible how much this tool helps me. If you could tell the YOU of 10 years ago some of the amazing and incredible things that you have experienced, what would you say? I have found that this is a very powerful and enlightening mental exercise. Try it! Make a list.
You 10 years ago would be so very happy with the good that has happened, so amazed at what you have been through and so proud of what you know now. Send me an email and tell me about what you would brag about and teach the YOU of 10 years ago!
One of my happy announcements is that my show posters made the cover of the #1 resource for magic posters in the world! Click here to view www.nnmagic.com/. For many years I have dreamed of owning many of the classic and historic posters from this collection and now mine are among the best! Surrounded by Magic legends like Lance Burton, David Blaine, and Siegfried and Roy.
East Coast friends, soon I will be performing Off Broadway at “Monday Night Magic” in New York at The Players Theater. Would be great to see all of you. What Broadway shows should I seewhile I am in town? Pippin is already high on my list! Watch here.
In other news, the last week I’ve been working on the breakdown for my organizational workshops. Since sales writing is not my key skill. Please send any suggestions for how to make it more readable, relatable, and understandable.Also, any recommendations for whom to send it to… I am happy to offer a referral fee! Click here.
I look forward to catching up with you somewhere on the road!
“When I was a little kid – and even still – I loved magic tricks. When I saw how movies got made – at least had a glimpse when I went on the Universal Studios tour with my grandfather, I remember feeling like this was another means by which I could do magic.” -J.J. Abrams (Hollywood Director and Producer)
Hannukah and Thanksgiving will begin on the same day this year with Thanksgivukkah! This won’t happen for over 70,000 years so we’re getting festive with dreidels, turkeys and menurkeys!
“This correspondence of American Thanksgiving and Jewish Hanukkah is almost poetic.” said Ivy Barsky, chief executive officer of the museum. “Hanukkah is all about fighting against religious persecution and finding religious freedom, and Thanksgiving is about the pilgrims coming to America to escape religious and other forms of persecution. The fact that we get them together this year, the message is really lovely.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
Smithsonian launches a 3D scanning and printing initiative
With most of its 137 million objects kept behind the scenes or in a faraway museum, the Smithsonian Institution is launching a new 3D scanning and printing initiative to make more of its massive collection accessible to schools, researchers and the public worldwide.
A small team has begun creating 3D models of some key objects that represent the breadth of the collection at the world’s largest museum complex. Some of the first 3D scans include the Wright brothers’ first airplane, Amelia Earhart’s flight suit, casts of President Abraham Lincoln’s face during the Civil War and a Revolutionary War gunboat. Less familiar objects include a former slave’s horn, a missionary’s gun from the 1800s and a woolly mammoth fossil from the Ice Age. They are pieces of history some people may hear about but rarely see or touch.
“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” – W. Edwards Deming (The man who helped change manufacturing in Japan and inspired the Toyota Way)
Welcome to October’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!
Fall is upon us. A time of change: the air is crisp, the leaves have changed color and have started to fall in the backyard of my Utah home. Time to grab a rake and a box of garbage bags to clean up most of an acre of lawn. Today is also a great day to carve a pumpkin and roast the seeds in garlic salt in preparation for the celebration!
On Halloween, I will turn 35 years old and take a group of friends through the 3.5 acre Fear Factory haunted house that is one of the greatest hunts in the nation!
This month also marks a very important milestone for me; thank you for being there with me the whole way! It would have been impossible without you.
5 YEARS!
5 years ago, this month, the stock market dropped. I lost my full time job and became a full time independent Speaker and Entertainer! How has it been possible?
It was a scary time. A time of great change and transition. I didn’t know if I would be able to pay my bills or succeed, but I was going to give it my all. This newsletter started 45 days later and you can read the whole journey here: Read here
The key has been in constant and consistent improvement. Every day, looking at what I do and asking, “how can I do it better?” “Where am I falling behind, and how can I be better at adding value to others, so they will help me reach my goals as I support them in reaching theirs?”
To succeed in this economy we must strive to push the pebble forward an inch every day. We must choose a goal and move towards it. If the wind blows us back an inch, a foot or even a mile, we may need to take a day to brush ourselves off. Then the next day, we must begin again anew and move forward an inch. And then after 5 years of “an inch each day,” we will look back and marvel at just how far we have come! We must all be like the phoenix that rises from the flame and the butterfly who was once just a caterpillar with a dream of flight.
Yet, we must never forget where we have come from. There is power in remembering our past, living in the present, and reaching towards the future. Here I am performing as the Lion in the Wiz when I was 17 years old. And again, last month, to raise money and celebrate the building of a new school 17 years later!
This show, as a 17 year old, made me believe that I could succeed as a presenter of stories, magic and songs that would inspire, educate, and entertain. It just took me a decade to act on it!
Send me an email about your adventures. It would be great to catch up with you. (Yes, you)
“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” -Steve Jobs
International Magicians Society
The International Magicians Society (IMS) awarded me with their highest honor, the Merlin Award for “Corporate Entertainer of the Year 2013”. Here I am with the award and my grandma Grace Ruth Block the week of her 94th Birthday! Thank you, IMS, for shipping it directly to her house so she could be the first to see it!
To see what my corporate lectures may look like visit: Watch here
Halloween & Houdini
This month I shot an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” that will air in a few months. It was so exciting to be a part of this wonderful experience!
But since Halloween is also the anniversary of Houdini’s death, I thought it would be fun to share with you my very first international television appearance from 10 years ago – the HISTORY Channel special Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery! My segment was shot in the special collections library of the University of Nevada Las Vegas while I was still teaching there. Enjoy! Watch here
“A man who dares to waste one hour of life has not discovered the value of life“. ~Charles Darwin
Welcome to September’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!
The summer is ending and we are headed into my favorite season, fall. It has been a few months (5) since my last monthly newsletter, as my friend Chipper was quick to remind me, I need to learn the definition of monthly!
June was filled with my very first trip to the UK and visits to 18 cites in England and Scotland. There were so many surprises, struggles, and wonderful people met along the way. Right now, I’m compiling a set of lecture notes about the trip that will be titled: “A Las Vegas Mentalist in King Arthur’s Court”. News in next month’s newsletter!
For now, I have some fun clips and news articles about the last few months to share with you in the boxes below.
This week, I will be the Grand Ballroom MC of the first ever “Comic Con” in Salt Lake City, Utah with 60,000 tickets already sold. Next week, catch me performing at an Alumni show for my old high school to raise money for the new theater and theater program. In January, I’ve been asked to host the 125th anniversary celebration of my undergraduate university. (Am I getting old?)
But first I will finish off the rest of September with public performances at the Suncoast Casino in Vegas, The Magic Castle in Hollywood and then 2 weeks of lectures, workshops, observation and advising with one of America’s great healthcare systems in Florida (for more info read about my work here and here).
Due to all of the corporate consulting, The International Magicians Society and their President Tony Hassini announced that I will be receiving the Merlin Award for Best Corporate Entertainer 2013. (Photos when / if the trophy arrives)
In other news, my Grandmother will turn 94 this month – she still has an active drivers license! And next month will mark my 35th birthday and 5 years of being a full time independent performer / lecturer without a day job or supplemental employment!
FUN MIND TRICK: Try this – If you ever wonder if someone is watching you, yawn. If they do too, you know they were! (You just yawned, didn’t you) 🙂
Send me an email about your adventures. It would be great to catch up with you. (Yes, you)
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us“. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Mentalist / Anthropologist teaches Haunted House actors how to scare!”
I helped design a 3 acre haunted house in Utah and trained the actors. Our expectation this year is to have over 40,000 guests at the haunt. You can hear my voice as our recorded message 801-692-3327 and last week was a ton of fun as I recorded the voice of an animatronic “wisecracking” skeleton that every guest will pass during the experience.
And here is the promo about my work that ran on the station: watch here
Mentalist Paul Draper on “Home & Family” Hallmark Ch. May 24 2013
Paul Draper the Mentalist appears with Olympic fighter Ronda Rousey, Tim Kang from the TV show the Mentalist on “Home & Family” for the Hallmark Ch. May 24 2013. Watch as Paul Draper reads minds and captures thoughts!
Paul Draper Los Angeles Anime Expo 2013 (18+ for language & suggestive themes) watch here
Paul Draper Los Angeles Anime Expo 2013 – This show was presented at the Los Angeles Convention Center for an audience of over 2,000 members. (18+ for language & suggestive themes)
This would be appropriate for Universities, comedy clubs, 18+ venues and some theaters.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan
Welcome to March’s “Mysteries of the Mind” monthly newsletter!
We beat out the Neanderthals because they lacked social skills and perhaps Stonehenge was a teambuilding exercise. (Really) Read on!
For decades, anthropologists have puzzled over Neanderthal and human brains, since they are about the same size. If each species had comparable brainpower, why did humans dominate in the end?
A recent comparison of Neanderthal and human brains has revealed it was a matter of allocation of brain power: Neanderthal brains focused more on supporting their bigger eyes and moving their larger bodies, leaving less room for areas related to social networking.
As my anthropology professors used to say, “Even though we were smaller and weaker, we were able to team up and drop rocks on them.”
Neanderthals went extinct because they were less capable of forming large social networks. In a recent study Eiluned Pearce theorized that “smaller social groups might have made Neanderthals less able to cope with the difficulties of their harsh Eurasian environments because they would have had fewer friends to help them out in times of need.“
I am so grateful to all of my friends! Please let me know if I can do anything to help you out in your harsh environment.
Stonehenge:
In other interesting ancient news, new research shows that Stonehenge may have been something like an ancient team-building exercise. According to the University College London’s Dr. Pearson, the beginning of the site’s construction coincides with a time of increased unity among the Neolithic people of Britain. These ancient people may have banded together to build the monument.
“Stonehenge itself was a massive undertaking, requiring the labor of thousands to move stones from as far away as west Wales, shaping them and erecting them,” Pearson said in a statement. “Just the work itself, requiring everything literally to pull together, would have been an act of unification.“
Next month I am working with medical teams in Ft. Myers, Florida for 2 days of intense teambuilding and management training. Perhaps we can use our highly evolved social skills and teamwork to build something that will last the test of time!
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 lead workshops on communication, motivation and change management!
“My feeling is that mythic forms reveal themselves gradually in the course of your life if you know what they are and how to pay attention to their emergence. My own initiation into the mythic depths of the unconscious has been through the mind, through the books thatsurround me in this library. I have recognized in my quest all the stages of the hero’s journey. I had my calls to adventure, my guides, demons, and illuminations.” -Joseph Campbell in Psychology Today, July 1971
How Smart Is Your Dog?
Everyone seems to think their dog feels guilty when it does something bad. Is that true?
The best study on that was by Alexandra Horowitz. [Horowitz had dog owners instruct their dogs not to eat a treat placed on the floor and then leave the room. When the owners returned, a research assistant told them whether their dog had obeyed — only sometimes the researcher lied and said the dog had eaten the treat when it hadn’t, or vice-versa]. The only thing that predicted the dog’s response was whether their person looked upset. They got that guilty look whenever the person thought they had done something wrong, regardless of whether they had. Dogs are probably responding to your behavior rather than what they’ve done. That’s an area where people attribute too much.
Two Weber State University Alumni return to Ogden, Utah for 2 shows to raise money to support the Arts in the home of their alma mater.
Music & Mystery: Starring J. Michael Bailey & Paul Draper
March 23rd 2pm & 7pm. Tickets are $12 for students, $15 for adults. Purchase your tickets now here
An Evening of Music and Mystery will feature acclaimed actor and singer/songwriter J. Michael Bailey and renowned Las Vegas magician andmind reader Paul Draper. The two performers will weave music and magic into a tapestry of entertainment and amazement, that will thrill children and adults alike. The perfect date or night out with the family. Music and Mystery should not be missed!
