The
Word From Mitch |
Happy 2010! 2010 is
barely three weeks old, and I've already been faced with some big
unexpected challenges: personal, business, and social.
As some of
you already know, the week before Christmas, my Dad had a stroke and
was hospitalized through the holidays. Our whole family spent
Christmas day at the hospital with him. He's been improving
steadily so far, and he was just released this past weekend, and is now
back home, and doing well, all things considered. On behalf
of my whole family, I appreciate all your prayers and support.
Last week
came my first big business challenge of the year. As you may
have suspected if you tried to access my website or contact me by email
in the past week, my website, www.mitchwilliamsmagic.com
has been down, and my email not functioning. Since the
website is my main marketing tool, and my email my main means of
business communication, it put a definite hamper on my
business. I've just gotten everything back up and
running. If you sent me an email in the past week, it no
doubt bounced back, but you can feel free to resend it now.
Normally I
only like to mention other businesses if I'm saying good things about
them, but in this case, a word of caution. If you own or
operate websites, and register your own domain names, be sure to steer
clear of a company called Mapname.com at all costs. I had
three of my domain names (the name of the website address you use to
access a website) registered with them, including www.mitchwilliamsmagic.com.
I had renewed the registration last month, but on January 7, they
incorrectly listed it as expired, and shut down access to my website
and email accounts.
Even though
this was a mistake on their part, they were completely unresponsive to
all of my communications to them, and I had no access to the domain
whatsoever to correct the problem. Finally, after filing
complaints with several different agencies, I was able to "go over
their heads" and got the company that they "resell" registrations
through to take action on the problem and transfer the registrations
directly to them. Anyway, you'll be glad to know that I'm
back up and running. I apologize if you tried to contact me
or access my website during this time, and I appreciate your patience,
but things should be fine from here on out.
And the
social challenge is one we're all familiar with, as we've seen the
images of suffering and devastation from the earthquake in
Haiti. One of my high school classmates, Roberta Edwards, now
lives in Port Au Prince, Haiti and runs a children's home there, where
she fosters about 15-20 children full time, plus schools and feeds
about 100 every day. She was up here in the States visiting
her parents when the earthquake hit, and for several days Roberta was
struggling to get back down to Haiti. One of her foster sons
was killed in the quake, and the situation is difficult, as you can
imagine. You can read updates on her situation at her
sponsoring church's website.
I'm
heartened by the fact, though, that in each of these situations there
were and are people willing to help. The staff at Proctor Hospital,
where we took my Dad, took excellent care of him and offered lots of
encouragement and support when he really needed it. With my
website, although the company I was originally with was unresponsive, I
was finally able to find someone willing to solve my problem.
And of course, even though it's a horrendous situation, we've all seen
the outpouring of concern, aid, and support extended to the people of
Haiti.
It's a
reminder that there really is something magical about the fact that as
human beings we are truly dependent on one another and that the best
way to help ourselves is always by helping others.
"Life's most
persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?"
—Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
| Serving Others: More
Than Just a Good Idea: |
I've
written before on the topic of service, but considering the recent
situation in Haiti, and given that this week began with Martin Luther
King Day, I thought it was appropriate to bring it up again.
I try to make an effort to be of service to someone, in some way, every
single day, whether it's service to my customers, to those in need, or
simply lending a hand, a smile, or a kind word to those whose paths I
happen to cross. I really do believe that service to others
is its own reward.
In
business, really good service
seems to have become a rarity in recent years. Which of
course makes it all the more valuable. Even in difficult economic
times, anyone who's willing to go the extra mile for their customers
will stand out from the crowd, and can't help but be
successful. And of course, the very cause of the economic
downturn came from too many people, particularly those in positions of
power, being selfishly motivated rather than altruistically
motivated. When more of us are concerned for one another
rather than only for ourselves, everybody wins. Doing
good for others, at any level, in any way, really does come back to
you. It comes back immediately in terms of your own sense of
self esteem and self worth. But it also comes back in many
other ways, often from places and in ways you never would have expected. A Case in Point... Several
years ago, I taught at a summer magic camp in California. One
of the kids there was called BJ, though his real name was
Brad. He was about 9 or 10 years old, and was a real wise
guy, extremely outgoing, but in everyone's face, and giving everyone a
hard time, if in a generally friendly but "smart-alecky" kind of way. One
day I came upon BJ with one of the teen counselors, and he was totally
in tears. I asked what was wrong, and he said he was upset
because he thought none of the other kids like him, since they were
always giving him a hard time. I told him that everybody
liked him, but since he was always in everyone's face, that they all
just figured that he could take the same thing back, so they tended to
treat him the same way. He was still upset, so I asked him if
he liked the way he treated people, and he said "No." So I
said, "Well if don't like it, you can change. All you have to
do is want to be different." He finally felt better, and I
forgot all about it. The
following year, BJ came
back to camp, but now he was "Brad", and he really was like a totally
different person. He was still really outgoing, but very
confident, and he was the perfect gentleman, treating everyone with
kindness and respect. The contrast from how he'd been the
previous year was really striking, like night and day. The
first chance I had, I told him, "Hey Brad, you've really grown up a lot
in the last year. And I don't mean just physically." He
responded casually with, "Yea, I know. That talk we had
really made an impression on me." Well that just
blew me away, as I'd just wanted him to feel better, and I had no idea
what an impact I'd had. It made a huge impression on me, and
I've always remembered it. It taught me that you really never
know what a tremendous difference a kind word at the right time can
sometimes make for someone else. It's truly amazing and
magical the positive influence we can sometimes have, just by being
kind to others. So just for
fun, do something nice
for someone else today, and see what happens! |
WorldWideWeb: |
Over
the past few years, as you may have noticed, I've worked hard to create
a strong "web presence". In fact, many of you reading this
newsletter probably first found me somewhere on the internet.
And I'm constantly looking for better and better ways to make
it easier for people to stay in touch and to keep abreast of my
activities and services. In
addition to my various websites, you can also find me on several of the
top social media sites, including Facebook,
MySpace,
Twitter,
and most recently, a brand new "invitation only" social media site
called 434u.com.
(Send me a note
if you'd like an invitation to join.) If
you are on Facebook, be sure to become
a fan of Mitch
Williams – International Award Winning Sleight of Hand Artist.
Check it out HERE. And
of
course, here are some of my regular web based sites and resources: |
Tyroni's Italian Cafe |
 Next
month will mark five years of my Wednesday night appearances at Tyroni's
Italian Cafe in Bartonville, and as of this month, we've
decided to make some changes to my schedule there. I will now
be performing my tableside magic there on the first Wednesday of every
month. The change was due in part to conserve resources,
since even Tyroni's has been hit by the recent economic difficulties,
and also because we wanted to see if having me only once a month might
make it seem like more of an "exclusive special event", and generate
even more interest in those specific nights. If you're
disappointed by the change, though, by all means feel free to let
Tyroni's owner, Tyler Barnes, know your feelings, as he's very open to
input from his customers. Anyway,
I'll be there next the evening of February 3, so why not plan to stop
out and join us. It's
at 5908 S. Adams in Bartonville.
And be sure to check out the Tyroni's website.
| In the
News...
| 2009 was
one of my best years ever for getting good press. I was
featured several times on local morning shows on WEEK-TV
and WMBD-TV,
as well as several appearances in various features in the Peoria
Journal Star. They did a really terrific video
profile on me for the River City Roundup feature on
pjstar.com. And here are a couple photos from an article
on
my appearance at the Salvation Army's Red
Stocking Party last month.
Photos by
Ron Johnson of the Peoria Journal Star |
Recipe: Vegetable Chili Con
Carne |
Here's
a great vegetarian chili recipe I found on the web and "tweaked" a bit
to make it even better. And if you absolutely must have the
"ground beef" texture, Boca® products has a meatless "crumbles"
product that's really good. You can add it to the skillet in the first
step
with the onions and garlic.
2 tsp olive
oil 2 cups diced celery 2 cups corn kernels 2
red bell peppers 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups
sliced portabella mushrooms 8 cloves garlic minced 2
onions finely chopped
| 2 x 28 oz
can tomato puree 1
can kidney beans 1 can black beans 1 can pinto beans 2
Jalapeno peppers finely chopped | Seasonings: 4
Tbs brown sugar 1 Tbs ground cumin 1/4 tsp ground
cloves 1 tsp ground coriander 1/4 tsp ground allspice 1
Tbs chili powder 1 Tbs oregano leaves crumbled Optional:
ground cayenne (to taste)
| In
a large skillet saute the onion and garlic in the oil until they just
begin to soften. Add the tomatoes and all the seasonings. Heat the
mixture until it begins to boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan
and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the beans, jalapeno peppers, bell
peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and celery. Simmer the mixture covered
about 20 minutes and then add the corn and simmer another 5 minutes.
(If you really want the flavors to permeate, you can leave it
simmering for an hour or more.) Enjoy! |
Trick of the Month:
Dealing a Royal Flush |
Effect:
Here’s an easy way to look like a real "card shark" and deal
yourself a royal flush. Method:
Remove the necessary cards to form a royal flush
in any suit of your choice, and place them on the top of the deck, face
down. If you know a false shuffle or false cut
that will allow you to keep these five cards on top while seeming to
mix the deck, you can use it at the beginning as you talk about how
card sharks know how to cheat at cards.
Deal five
hands of five cards each, the last hand going to yourself, as in a
normal game of poker. As you deal, talk about how you might play an
innocent game of poker. After dealing the five hands, turn over and
show a couple of the hands and briefly talk about them - pair, possible
straight, etc.... Be careful not to change the order of the cards. At
this point, each hand has one card that makes up your royal flush, at
the bottom.
Turn over all of the hands so that
they’re face down and collect the hands and place them on top
of the deck, making sure they stay in order. At this point, your royal
flush is distributed among the top 25 cards of the deck - each flush
card is located at the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, twentieth and
twenty-fifth positions. Again, if you know a false cut or false
shuffle, use it here. Don't call any special attention to
mixing the cards, but instead just continue talking about how after a
few hands the card shark gets ready to strike.
Once
again, deal five hands of five cards each. Show each hand and briefly
discuss the possibilities. Turn over your cards last, and show your
hand to be a royal flush! Sit back and smile at your friends amazed
expressions.
| Client of the Month:
Midstate College |
Established
in 1888, Midstate
College is a small, private vocational and proprietary
college focussing on business, specialized career skills, and
technological advances. Based in Peoria, its practical,
career oriented curriculum, flexible scheduling, small class sizes, and
individualized attention makes it a leader in professional training and
career education. They also offer a variety of classes over
the internet, for those with complex schedules. Last month I
performed for their employee holiday banquet, and I was impressed by
the close-knit feeling of the staff and faculty that I met. We really had a great time "playing" together during my performance.
| Stress Relief Magic...
|
A Great Way to Help Your Staff Overcome the Problems of Stress...
Last
month I presented one version of my Stress Relief
Magic program for PACT of West Central Illinois.
In preparing for my presentation and customizing it for their group, I
was struck once again with the strength of the program (even if I do
say so myself!) I'd actually forgotten how much really
valuable, practical information it has on stress management.
With
the current economic, political, and world situation, stress seems to
be playing a bigger and bigger factor in people's lives.
Recent studies show that stress is the leading cause of lost
productivity and job dissatisfaction. I feel strongly about
being able to offer really useful ideas, tools, and resources to help
people become free from the toll that stress can take on us.
My
Stress
Relief Magic program is not only fun and entertaining, but
it offers some truly valuable tips on how to head off the damaging
effects that stress can have on our health, vitality, and peace of
mind. And of course, the integration of my fun magic in the
program makes it much easier to assimilate and remember the helpful
information.
If you'd like to learn how this
valuable program can benefit the personnel in your organization, give
me a call today: 309-647-3692.
Or feel free to send me an Email.
"We
wanted to let you know how very much our employees enjoyed the
'magical' stress management sessions you presented. They
greatly enjoyed your program, thought the information was useful, and
would enjoy seeing more programs similar to this. Comments
indicated that overwhelmingly they felt the relaxation exercise was
enjoyable and beneficial. Too, they thought the magic was
very entertaining.
"When this project was in the
formative stages, you came to us with great ideas of your own on stress
management. As we fine-tuned the presentation to customize it
to our employees, you were very open to our ideas and diligent with
suggestions and making modifications to get the message to really suit
our audiences. Your professionalism has been greatly
appreciated.
"It's really great when our employees
can walk away entertained, impressed, and armed with good information
and techniques to help deal with stress, a common problem in our
fast-paced society. Well done and many thanks!"
—Ruth
A. Chambers, Human Resource Manager, Drives, Inc., Fulton, IL.
****
To learn how to make YOUR events absolutely unforgettable,
contact Mitch right away!**** |
|