Do your best, please? For me

I would like you to do me a favor: The next time you are hired to perform a show, do your absolute best to thoroughly entertain the audience because my livelihood depends upon it. 

Well, sort of.

I work as a full-time journalist and regularly perform magic shows. Recently, I was interviewing people for a story about the opening of the Wayne County Fair, which is in Wooster, Ohio. I ran into a person I have interviewed several times before and asked him about what preparations he was taking to get ready for the draft horse pull.

Once the interview was finished, he asked me what was new with my life. I told him about an upcoming show I had, which sparked further conversation. He told me about a time when he took his grandchildren to restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. There was a magician there, who was a very good one, he said. The magician made the evening a very special one for the man's grandsons, so much so, when they were in Columbus a year later, the grandchildren wanted to go back to the restaurant where the magician was.

As soon as the man mentioned the restaurant, I knew immediately he was referring to Carroll Baker, who is not only a good magician, but a good man. (Read more about him here.)

Later that day, the man I interviewed left a message on my phone. His grandson's birthday was coming up in about a week, and he thought it would be a nice surprise to have a magician at the party.

In my eyes, I got that booking because of the wonderful job Carroll Baker did when performing for those boys more than 90 miles from my town. 

It spurred some thinking that we all need to do our best because we have no idea who we might inspire, and we have no idea what impact we might have on another magician's livelihood.