This Magician’s Empowering Story Has a Surprising Twist
Anything is possible when you follow your heart
BY DAVID RUHM, FORMER EDITOR IN CHIEF, GOODNET
Canadian magician Mahdi Gilbert is an illusionist like no other - he performs tricks that wow audiences around the world, and he does it without hands and feet. The Toronto-based magician has been performing his card tricks for years, and even had the chance to show off his talent on both national and international TV, including Penn & Teller's Fool Us, on which he took home a trophy awarded to outstanding performers.
Gilbert’s path to magic was not an easy one, as every single book and instructional video explaining the various techniques needed to perform the tricks, is written for people with two hands. Instead of letting himself be limited by his situation, Gilbert used it as motivation for untiring practice until he perfected his own version of these tricks. “All the techniques that I do are of my own invention. I have created every single technique that I can use, there is nothing that’s been given to me,” Gilbert says. “I was able to transform my own life. I think, learning to do this stuff that everybody in the world thought was impossible, that, to me, is real magic.”
Magic truly did transform Gilbert’s life, taking him to faraway places such as South Korea, Sweden and Germany. He also uses his powerful life story to motivate others to believe in themselves and follow their dreams, no matter what the world tells them is possible.
“I encourage anyone who has doubts about themselves and their potentials. I would tell them to stop thinking and start doing, stop calculating and start living, and yes, you are going to experience failure along that way, but that is what life and what is all about. So start doing, failing, and succeeding and stop taking it all so seriously,” Gilbert says.
“I could not be more happy that I decided to follow my own instincts and intuition because it's let me to a much more fulfilling life.”
Read the original article first published August 15th, 2016 on Goodnet
