We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fred Becker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Fred, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
There is no one answer to this question. It requires a multiple phase approach. Here are my top three techniques to overcome that nagging sensation that you might not live up to expectations.
The best way to build confidence is by doing what you do so often that it becomes a reflex. In aeronautics, people are required to accumulate a certain number of flight hours for each rating to become considered proficient as a pilot. Flight hours are measured only as time in the air. Likewise, I always look for ways to put “flight time” on routines that I am working on.
A lot of things can only be learned by doing them. This is very true in performance. Practice and rehearsal only take you so far. At some point, you need to put in repetition under fire in front of live audiences.
One of the best things I ever did was to get a job entertaining in an amusement park. Early in my career I worked at a park and performed five shows a day and each show was completely different. I was able to run through my entire repertoire on a daily basis in front of live audiences. In no time at all, I got the routines and timing down and developed material that I’ve used the rest of my life. Also, I worked for two years in a restaurant doing close-up. The opportunity to perform constantly was very valuable. At the time I didn’t make a lot of money, but the experience was its own reward.
Secondly, follow a goal setting system. If you create a roadmap of task managements that you can follow and track. There are systems out there that are simple and others that are very complex. The best one is the one you will actually use. The important thing is not just to keep you on pace to achieving your goals, but also so you can look back at all you accomplished along the way. It can be a real motivator!
Finally, I try not to compare myself with others. It is far too easy to fall into the mental trap of feeling inadequate about oneself when looking at someone that is farther ahead. Yes, it’s important to know what the competition is doing, and to understand trends in your industry. But harboring feelings of jealousy or envy does not help your personal growth. Instead, focus on your goals, readjust them if needed, put the time in to build your competency and follow your passion.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
This year marks thirty-five years that I have worked as a headline entertainer. The majority of my work takes place at corporate events/meetings, at performing arts centers and aboard luxury cruise ships. It is milestones like thirty-five years that make you pause and reflect. Thirty-five solid years. Staying in demand isn’t easy. Entertainment trends change as much as fashion, always looking for something new. I’ve seen a lot of specialty acts come and then go. Yet, it took an actual pandemic to put a dent in my track record of being in continuous demand.
Looking back, I don’t think my career should have ever happened. I grew up before the internet and all the easy access to information we have today. As a young person, I had no real exposure to magic. There were no magic shops or magicians for me to hang out with where I lived. Furthermore, I didn’t know anything about cruise ships. Heck, I’d barely even seen the ocean.
Cruise Ship Entertainer? The whole thing seemed highly unlikely.
Yet, I don’t think the teenage me would have listened to how outlandish my prospects were. You see, I had plans…
I remember it like it was yesterday. I would lay in bed at night unable to sleep because of the visions of performing magic and illusions in front of hundreds or thousands of people. I would spend hours each night visualizing my grand show. I dreamed of travel, adventure, and most of all entertaining people with magic. My mind could not relax, and mornings came much too quickly.
Yet somehow, in the years that followed, I have starred in productions shows at casinos, with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, had my own theatre show in a resort, performed at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, on more than 100 luxury cruise ships, on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and even entertained a President of the United States. My work has included much travel and adventure such as safaris in Africa, climbing Mount Fuji, Easter at the Vatican, elegant dining and ballet in Russia, wine tasting in Australia and a birthday dinner on the Seine in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. I perform more than a dozen large illusions as well as comedy magic and close-up. I’ve even been recognized in trade magazines and have received awards from my peers. I authored several books as well as “Gigs on Ships,” a comprehensive internet-based course about entertaining on cruise ships. During all this I managed to raise two children.
In the immediate future I’m looking to write and perform a one-man show that can play in intimate theatre spaces. So much of my current work is in large venues and I think a more personal connection will be highly fulfilling for all.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
DREAM I don’t believe it is possible to really achieve something without first knowing what it looks like. Sure, there may be happy accidents that pop up, but overall, you need a clearly defined target to aim toward. That begins with a dream.
Of course, I’m not talking about the unconscious asleep kind of dream. It’s more about creating an overall purpose. You need to be able to imagine yourself being and doing something, perhaps on a grand scale. It is very important to carry deeply within you exactly what your destination looks like. That will let you define what success means to you and recognize it when you get there.
Without that destination to work toward, you may meander all through your career. It leaves your life up to chance. You may get lucky and find something fulfilling. Or you may end up settling for something because nothing else came along.
Go ahead and visualize yourself doing the things in your heart and mind. And most of all write them down. Try to create the most vivid picture of you doing or being these things. Motivational guru Paul Meyer said, “Whatever you sincerely believe, ardently desire, and enthusiastically act upon, must inevitably come to pass.” Let that sink in. It may not be easy. It may not come quickly. However, if you really want it, work endlessly to get it, it will happen. Let it become an obsession.
READ
Read everything you can about your subject. Knowledge is power. You want as much power in your (career) engine as possible. You will go farther faster.
Early on I read stories of a man named John Booth, He was a magician, journalist, and explorer. Also, John Calvert; illusionist, movie star, and adventurer (imagine if Indiana Jones was a magician). These books were fuel for my fire. They were magicians and world travelers. That was the life I wanted. My dream. I concluded that the best way I could accomplish that was a career on cruise ships. Then I began setting my goals to make that happen.
Read on a wide variety of subjects, too. Being exposed to a large base of knowledge will allow you to draw inspiration from fresh perspectives. This will help you grow in new and original ways.
Reading is better in this regard than video. It requires active participation by your brain rather than passively watching. Read.
NETWORK
As I look back on my career as an entertainer, I realize one area I could have leveraged so much more: Networking. Highly successful people build a network around them that works synergistically toward their goals. Teamwork covers much more ground and lets people shine within their specialties. They hold each other accountable, and amazing things can be accomplished if the group dynamic is correct.
Because of stubborn shyness or downright stupidity, most everything I did in my career I did solo. Although I can claim that, “I did it my way,” I sometimes regret “what could have been” if I had had a collaborative group that I belonged to.
Napoleon Hill authored a groundbreaking book titled, “Think and Grow Rich.” He studied some of the most successful people in the world to see what they had in common. He was looking for a recipe for success. One of the principles he uncovered is what he termed the “Mastermind Alliance.” There is no way you can attain success alone. You will go farther faster by getting other people to help you reach your goals. But it doesn’t end there; you must also help them attain their goals. By creating these strategic alliances, you build a team and momentum. Search out coaches and mentors. When you can afford it, hire directors and consultants. You will be better for it.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
In the past few years, I’ve learned how dependent my industry (meeting and entertainment) is on outside forces. My biggest worry is that another crisis will impact my ability to operate my business. Another pandemic, international conflicts, or a deeper recession can put me back on the sideline. And that thought isn’t comfortable.
Being a self-employed entertainer has a lot of rewards that others might envy. However, it doesn’t include a retirement plan (401k), health/dental insurance or even unemployment insurance. Which means you must plan for any and all contingencies yourself. Most entertainers or artists would rather ply their craft rather than worry about such things. But worry, you must!
For me that means spending a significant time setting up side hustles and doing a lot of retirement planning.
My advice to everyone is to start as early as possible to begin making yourself financially independent. It takes discipline but eventually you’ll be way better off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fredbecker.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realbeckermagic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Beckermagic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckermagic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealBeckerMagic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/fredbecker4
Image Credits
Richard Faverty Ryan Hunt
