Just found out this was in a major newsletter; goes to my point about giving meaning to your performance:

I was at the United State Judo Association Coaching Symposium last month and we had a truly talented instructor there who is also a stand up comedian and a magician. So between laughing myself senseless and being amazed by his conjuring abilities, I was touched by some pretty profound messages. Hidden within the comedy and the magic were some rather deep lessons about compassion, connection and giving. Now, to be honest, I have no idea whether these messages were intentional or not, but they were present in my perception of what I saw. Before I get too deeply into this article, it is probably best that I define how I will use the word magic here. I am not talking about some supernatural non-explainable phenomenon. I am talking about our inability to see what is right before us. We only ever see what we want to see, which is the essence of magic tricks. Our eyes delude us and magic happens. Understand the trick and it is easy to “perform”, but it doesn’t happen until I believe it can. Interesting point. Much is the same with martial arts: It does not happen until I believe it can. I like to use Judo as an example because it is so deep in me. I watch beginners struggle with Judo, trying to make it happen and they force weak positions, create rigid actions and generally lack anything that might be described as grace or elegance. That’s not to say I am any different. But occasionally, we let go and the Judo happens....as if by magic. When I see it for what it is, as opposed to what I think I want to see, something novel happens. Something unexpected, something Judo. The same is true of teaching or any other endeavor for that matter. Until I believe in something, there is nothing out there that can happen for me. Life can come and go, flowers can open and close, but there will be no magic in it. It so happens that Mark (our comedian), is also a children’s teacher. He teaches science and he teaches martial arts (Judo and Ju Jitsu) specifically), and I have to tell you, I have watched his classes almost spellbound. What he does, people call “gifted” or “talented”, and I find myself in the same vein as I watch and wonder: “How does he do that?” But then as the tears are rolling down my face and my sides are aching from his comedy act I am suddenly hit by his sense of caring. He does what he does: Teach kids science, teach kids martial arts, teach adults to take themselves less seriously, shows kids of all ages the magic of life...because he cares. It’s that simple, that profound and that easy. Because he cares, he creates bonds of connection around him and those bonds of connection allow the magic to happen. The magic always happens right in front of our eyes and yet we don’t see it. Martial arts changes our lives right in front of us, and yet we don’t see it until years later. Martial arts works its magic in little ways that we don’t see on a daily basis, but if we believe in the process of change we look back in wonder, years later and are grateful for the gift of learning and the gift of understanding and the gift of change. When a child does something and you can see in her eyes that she didn’t think that it was possible until it happened, you know that the magic is happening. When a young man lays to rest a ghost because he see in himself something better than he was, you know the magic is happening. Martial arts is a physical journey, a mental journey and a magical journey. Because it works at so many levels at the same time, the opening of a “physical” window is often associated with opening a window in the heart. When a student lets go of the strength he has relied upon to make his techniques work, he may, in the same moment let go of years of stress. When a young lady lets go of self-doubt and throws a man much bigger than herself in a seemingly effortless move, it is possible in that same moment to see that her limitations in life are only the ones that she has placed there. These, for me, are moments of magic. These are the moments I live for. I can show you the tricks. I can perform the trick, but until you believe in the magic it cannot happen. For your gift this past month Mark, I cannot thank you enough.

Yet another thread to get us all thinking.

Thank you for sharing.