Dec 23, 2020
Harris III (“the third”) began his career at a young age,
traveling the world as an award-winning, professional illusionist.
He has performed for and spoken live to more than two million
people in more than 30 countries on five continents. His
performances have been televised to millions more on the Travel
Channel and ABC Family.
After traveling the globe and
making a million dollars by the age of 21, only to go bankrupt a
year later, Harris kick-started a decade-long journey to understand
the stories we tell ourselves and how they drive all human
behavior. Armed with a unique perspective, his career re-exploded
as a world-renowned speaker, storyteller and
entrepreneur.
He is the author of the
book, The Wonder
Switch. Tapping into
his background as a professional magician and understanding the
intersection of storytelling and wonder, Harris developed a
structured process that can dramatically change a team’s culture,
or rapidly accelerate an individual’s transformation, from the
story they feel stuck in, to the life they want to live.
Key Takeaways
[2:35] Harris III is not a fan
of coffee. Jan agrees! Jim is horrified.
[3:35] We lose our wonder when
we come across beliefs and stories that don’t match the narrative
we have in our head.
[6:55] When Harris III got
bullied for the first time as a kid, his wonder switch got turned
off and left him in a state of complacency.
[8:35] No matter how smart you
are, it doesn’t take much to prove that what you see is not always
what you get.
[13:05] The difference between
deception and persuasion comes down to the motive behind
it.
[14:00] The phrase ‘what if’ can
both work for you and against you.
[19:25] Martin Luther King would
probably call himself an activist, public speaker, or a reverend,
but what he really was was a storyteller.
[20:55] Magic tricks prove we
can’t rely on our senses. We get tricked (by the outside world)
into believing something we’re not. We get tricked into believing
we will never be good leaders, when you have every potential to be
a great one.
[25:45] If you want people to
achieve the impossible, you first have to make them believe it is
possible. You have to tap into their wonder.
[29:40] We are storytelling
beings and a lot of what drives our motivation and beliefs is the
language we use.
[30:45] You need to combine the
right forces together. You need your wow people to be connected to
the how people so that these dreams can be big, but also can come
true at the same time.
[36:10] When we go through a
transition, it’s often messy and not as seamless as we’d like it to
be.
[42:00] Harris III shares some
of his favorite client stories.
[47:00] Harris III almost missed
a special moment with his kid because he was so cynical.
Quotable Quotes
- “My brain and your brain run off an operating
system called narrative. When that narrative gets broken, the
wonder switch gets turned off.”
- “Neuroscientists have partnered with magicians
to study how our brains process information based on our five
senses; what we discover is humans are not that great at figuring
out what is true.”
- “Seeing isn’t believing. Science supports the
fact that believing is seeing. People misunderstand that
concept.”
- “The human imagination doesn’t become less
active as adults, we just change how we use it.”
- “Wonder gives people the permission to
believe.”
- “It’s our job as leaders to give people
permission to believe in what seems so impossible to believe
in.”
- “All change in the transformation process is
moving from an old story to a new story. It’s all rooted in
narrative.“
- “We need leaders more than ever before to step
up and give people permission to believe in the possibility of a
new story.“
Resources Mentioned
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