Larry’s 6 tips to start the new year right

A new year ushers in fresh hope and brand-new opportunities. Whether you enjoy setting resolutions or not, this is your chance to wipe the slate clean after a challenging and unpredictable 2022 and dare to believe in the impossible over the next 12 months. 

Setting positive new intentions and aligning our minds to what we truly want can help us become the master of our own destiny and craft the life we’ve always wanted.

No one understands and appreciates this more than Larry Soffer, the leading mentalist in Africa. Having defied plenty of hurdles in his professional career, he’s remained steadfast and successful, and now shares some of his tips on how you too can have the best year yet.

1. Don’t be afraid to dream big 

Observing what we daydream or fantasise about is a great way of figuring out what we want and what makes us happy. Allow yourself to envision what you believe to be your perfect scenario that will bring you the most joy and think about ways to make it a reality. Our focus should be on creating a life that we don’t feel the need to escape from.

2. Listen to you this new year

Find a way to tune into your inner joy and stop and assess what is causing any unhappiness. Be prepared to ask yourself difficult questions and be honest with your responses. If for example, you have your dream job, but it doesn’t bring you happiness, then ask yourself whether it’s the profession that is upsetting you, or the company you are working for, or a colleague. We choose the lives we live so try to make it a good one.

3. Set some goals 

There is always a solution to creating what you want. Never underestimate the value of having clear goals – without them, life becomes mundane and pointless. For most people, seeing something makes it more believable so having your goals written down somewhere where you can see them every day is very beneficial.

I also believe that there is no such thing as a goal that is too big. No matter how unattainable you think your goal might be, once you know what it is, you can then figure out the next steps to make it a realityz

4. Don’t waste time 

Once you have your goal, it is so important to act immediately. Acting quickly eliminates the possibility of doubt creeping in. A friend once told me that the word decide comes from the joining of two Latin words – “de” which means off and “cide”, which means to kill.

Therefore, the word decide essentially means to kill off all the maybes and what if’s that are stopping you from achieving your goal. When we decide on something, it is almost like everything aligns like magic and the path to your goal becomes easy and clear, so don’t waste a minute longer than you should thinking of other things.

5. Consistency is key 

My wife always says I am the most persistent person she knows. When I get an idea or have a goal, I never let go. When you get a few doors closed in your face it is easy to abandon your hopes and goals, but for some reason I am just not wired that way.

When all the events got cancelled at the beginning of the pandemic, I created a virtual show. It was the first of its kind and when I started pitching it to clients there was no uptake as people assumed the lockdown would be short-lived.

I kept going though, pushing, and trying all avenues until online events became more popular and people were desperate for some entertainment. By that time, I was ahead of the curve, but it took a lot of determination. Consistency always wins. It is so important to keep the motion going and put in the work until you get to the end goal.

6. Believe in yourself 

I am a very spiritual person and powerfully believe that I am capable of more than I realise. When I get told I can’t do something or if life knocks me down it is almost like a fire gets lit within me, and it makes me want to fight even harder.

Growing up, I was often told that I wouldn’t make it as a mentalist and that I should have a backup plan and take the traditional route, becoming something like a lawyer. However, in my mind there was nothing else that I wanted to do and believing in myself helped me become the best mentalist I could be.

I went on to become the youngest South African magician and mentalist to perform at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and the only one to be awarded a membership at that time. Even though I didn’t have the money or visa to travel to America, I really wanted to go and believed I should.

Once I made the decision, the money I needed was generously given to me, and I received my visa in four days. There were so many more challenges along the way, but because I made the decision those barriers melted away.

So, in 2023 become the master of our own destiny, dream big, and craft the life you’ve always wanted.

• Larry Soffer is globally regarded as one of the best in mentalism. Having conducted performances for over 27 years, he is also a popular live show and corporate event performer. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Ventureburn.

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