Alliteration is the process of putting multiple words in a row that all start with the same letter. Meet a Susan with a big smile? In your head say, “Smiling Susan!”

The same cannot be said for sincerity. Perhaps the reason you can fake the former but not the latter is that confidence is an internal state; whereas, sincerity is external. In other words, confidence is something you feel about yourself, while sincerity is something that others feel about you.

Ask for Spelling One of the techniques I use regularly on stage is to ask for somebody’s name, then immediately ask them to spell it.

put in for a randomly assigned roommate, and then deliberately buried the awkwardness. I didn’t know what it meant and did not yet possess the tools of introspection that I would later develop, which led me to the topic of this book.

Magic only exists in our memory. It takes our mind at least a few moments to juxtapose what actually happened with what we know before we can conclude that something impossible has taken place. The same is true of our relationships, whether they are friendly, professional, or romantic. We cannot recognize the magic of a new connection or where it

you have certainly laid in bed awake

Aspiring entertainers often attribute their failure to the audience. Blame is a basic human instinct when things go wrong, and in the case of a live performer, it is incredibly easy to follow the logic, i.e., “Last night in this club at 8:00 pm with an audience of 100 people I had an amazing show. Tonight, in the same club at 8:00 pm with an

It matters not what your intentions are. It is your listener’s perspective that matters, and that alone. If the person you are listening to feels like you aren’t paying attention, whether you are or not is no longer relevant; the bond is shattered.

And isn’t that also the purest, most ambitious goal of meeting new people? That anything is possible on the other side of that next connection? That this stranger holds the key to a better career or a happier life?