MAGIC

“Where has all the magic gone?”

This question, asked by the young granddaughter of a friend, seemed insightful, relevant and important to the concept of Purposeful Prosperity, but it took me a while to work out why.

I asked myself what “magic” means these days. It covers a multitude of sins, referring to old-fashioned sorcery and an event that you thought might not happen. In a sense, my friend’s goddaughter is asking why everything is so cut and dried today.

When I was a kid, my father found a stone on the beach. The sea had eroded a hole through the middle, which my father hid when he picked it up. We were all intrigued and excited when his “magic” revealed the hole in the stone with a wave of his hand and a quick puff.

The magic of experience versus the logic of reason

Geography lessons taught me about erosion later, but at the time, it was magic. In a sense, “where has all the magic gone?” is the age-old debate between reason and experience.

To be prosperous means to be successful, secure, comfortable and free from worries. Purposeful Prosperity arises when you use your wealth to make a difference and generate meaning and purpose alongside security.

So Purposeful Prosperity combines reason and experience. Wealth goals are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely), and wealth management is scientific. Meaning, on the other hand, is more experiential and indefinable in SMART terms.

You have both in your life, and the virtuous circle of wealth, impact and meaning creates Purposeful Prosperity to achieve this.

Science and technology can seem like magic.

Despite the rationalism of science, we all need a bit of magic. I started to read Letters From An Astrophysicist by Neil de Grasse Tyson the other day. Believe me, I admire and rate Tyson. He is a superb scientist and author, and his book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is on my bookshelf.

However, I could not finish Letters. I found the rationalism of Tyson’s letters too much. Sure, the universe is magical, but Tyson’s rational answers to his correspondents took away the magic, leaving me unable to finish the book.

If you don’t know how it works, science and technology must seem like magic. Have you seen Dune? The technology of warriors gliding from the sky without parachutes or propulsion – or explanation – is so close to magic that it is almost mystical.

Indeed, I wondered as I watched the films if we were not supposed to see a magical element in the story, a by-product of spice.

Judging by the vast number of books, films and games in the fantasy genre, we still crave a bit of magic in the rational world in which we live. Purposeful Prosperity can deliver the magic of meaning and the rationalism of wealth and bring some magic back into your life.

The virtuous circle of wealth, impact and meaning

Your Next Steps

Reflection time

• Where do you think you stand on the spectrum of rationalism and experience?
• What was a recent meaningful experience that added a bit of magic to your life?
• Where would a bit more magic in your life make a difference?

Taking it further

Why having a purpose to life is important

Look to Patagonia for Purposeful Prosperity

How to secure purposeful prosperity.

Attributions and references

Photo attribution

Photo by Todd Cravens on Unsplash

Audio link

https://audio.com/jeremy_deedes/audio/magic/

Other attributions and references

Neil Degrasse Tyson. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2 May 2017.
—. Letters from an Astrophysicist. Random House Uk, 2020.
Herbert, Frank. Dune. 1965. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1980.

ABOUT

I work with ambitious, family-oriented professionals transitioning to independent consultants to create a 3 to 5-year holistic plan so that they grow wealthy, make a difference and find meaning.

My clients are aged 35-50. They are in a long-term relationship with family and parents who are supportive but ageing. They wrestle with personal and financial responsibilities and dream of more control, wealth, time and purpose.

If this excites you, you are coachable, willing to change, and want to stop going around in circles, then find out more at jeremydeedes.com

Then, take your next step and explore your way forward with a Mapmaker, a one-off online coaching gig to help you decide your options, assess our compatibility, and determine whether we are the right fit. Mapmaker is excellent value, held in confidence and without further commitment.

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so share your thoughts in the comments box below, and thank you for your time and generosity.

What do you think?

Your views are important, and your fellow readers would love to hear your opinion, so share your thoughts in the comments box below, and thank you for your time and generosity.