Many people say that magicians have something special to create amazing tricks with cards or using different instruments to create illusions.

I was watching this guy (a magician) do some tricks with cards. People were amazed by his tricks, and this guy (the magician) was excited seeing the people applaud and say things like, "That's amazing!" or "He's awesome!"

At the same time I was watching the cards to try to discover how he did the trick there. When he was done, I took the cards and checked to make sure they didn't have something special or rigged. I was disappointed not to find anything.

This guy (the magician) involved the whole crowd with his tricks, he was great!

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I asked him if he can teach me some tricks, you know, nothing difficult. He seemed flattered that I asked, but he said: A magician never reveals his secrets.

I tried to be diplomatic and said that's not 100% true, because on the Internet, at the magic stores, in the magic sets, and on DVDs and books, we can find a lot of magicians showing their tricks. (I was thinking to myself how to win this guy over.)

The magician looked at me and replied politely: Yes, there are a lot of magic books and videos, but do they have what you're looking for? If so, just go buy them instead of asking me to teach you my tricks. He got me!

I remembered I had a couple of videos to do some magic tricks with cards, but I put them on my bookshelf and they've been there forever. The tricks were really hard, and I didn't understand the instructions. It was almost as if the videos were made just to get the magician's name out there or for people who already know magic.

I told this guy (the magician) that I couldn't learn from the videos because the tricks were too complicated. I said if the videos had worked, I wouldn't be asking him to show me some tricks. I asked him again if he could teach me a few simple magic tricks with cards. What's the secret? I asked.

The magician started to laugh. Then he said, "Do you want to know the secret? Just convince yourself that you can do it. Practice a simple trick and share it with others."

How to do Magic Tricks with cards?

The real magic is not to do a lot of magic tricks, but to do one trick very well, especially with cards." He told me I could apply this philosophy to everything in my life. Learn one thing at a time and practice it often. Then he told me a little about himself. 

The magician said he had been a very shy teenager. For him, speaking in front of other people was scary. He said, "You can imagine how I felt trying to start a conversation with a woman or even a large crowd of people at school or work." The magician said he eventually discovered that he could use his magic tricks as conversation starters. One time, he saw a woman at a bookstore who was looking through some books on philosophy and self-esteem. He walked up to her and said, "Do you like magic?" She looked at him like he was a weirdo but said, "Yes." He took out his cards and showed her a magic trick he had learned. She was surprised, and after the tricks, they started talking about philosophy. Ever since, she's been one of his best friends and she still remembers how he used magic tricks to start their conversation.

The magician told me he also used magic card tricks as an ice-breaker before a speech he had to give in a class at the university he attended. It put him at ease with the audience and helped him relax.

Years later, the friend he met at the bookstore got a job selling cars at a luxury auto dealership. She was very nervous, looking for the right way to start a sales speech or a conversation. She called the magician and asked him for the card trick he had shown her years earlier. So he sent her a few of his simplest, yet popular, tricks. Two weeks later, she called him to say thank you for the magic tricks with cards and how she'd used them to start conversations and sales pitches with customers. It helped her self-esteem and confidence.

One day, a businessman with a lot of money to spend on a luxury car came into the dealership. He was coy about what he was willing to buy, and three hours went by and he hadn't made a decision. She took out her cards and showed him one of the tricks. He was amazed at the trick and liked her attitude. Then the businessman said he wanted to take a card but not put it back in the deck -- that if she could guess what card he held, he would close a deal with her. She did the trick, and not only did she guess what card he held, but she flipped over her business card -- revealing the same number and suit of the card that he had chosen. The man couldn't believe it, but true to his word, he bought a car from her that same afternoon. She went on to win best vendor of the month two times and eventually got a promotion with more pay.

The point, the magician told me, is that magic tricks can help one discover something else inside of themselves -- including discipline and self-confidence.

I told the magician that I understood, and I thanked him for the story. Then I asked him again, "Can you teach me one card trick?"

The magician smiled and said he would film some tricks for me to learn. They're simple, but amazing. Now when I have a speech to give for my company, I open it with some magic tricks with cards. And now I want to share this video with you.