J.R.'s response to "What is your dream in magic?"

I came here to do exactly what I’m doing.

When people ask me, “What’s your biggest dream in magic? What is it that you really want to do?” the answer usually is “To continue what I’m doing.” Even the biggest dream that I have is still achieved by something that I’m doing today. Even writing this here is something that’s been a dream of mine, to be able to contribute back to some of the people who have inspired me in the past.

I think, for a while, I was a bit lost in magic, in life in general. I chased fleeting ideas, goals, circumstances. I achieved a lot of them. Unfortunately, anything that can be achieved in such a short term also must be moved on from and must be course-corrected from. It was a period full of empty accomplishment, if that makes any sense. It isn’t fulfilling to chase accomplishment itself, however it is extremely fulfilling to chase purposeful accomplishments, things which complete the bigger picture of ones own life.

It’s human nature to look at something else and think that surely it must be better than what one is currently doing now. That’s because we only see the things that make it better, as it is only an idea. In reality, work is work. Everything exists day after day. The only choice I have is my attitude and approach to this daily existence. I think a lot of people who are hard-working individuals, imagine a life where they can sit back and coast on their savings, or their extremely high-earning wages, and then just travel or relax. In reality, if you’re the type of person to get to that position, your brain and desire for challenge and work won’t stop when you’re “done”. You’re never truly “done” with anything, after all. You’ll still continue to live, to wake-up, and continue to have things to do. And personally, if it were me, I’d choose to continue to do exactly what I’m doing now. Because that’s exactly what I live for.

— J.R.