This past New Year's Eve I performed an impromptu set of magic for the group I was sharing the night with. They sounded totally amazed and delighted with what I did, but it was hard not to think of myself as a postscript to the important events of the night.

Why do most people take a large amount of convincing to bring a magician on the program when there are no children present? I miss the days when magic was a terrific thing to be doing. David Blaine -- regardless of what you think of him -- raised the bar of what magic could do for people. Personally, I don't like the current trend of shooting for the quick freak out instead of really connecting with audiences, but that cannot diminish the fact that our magic should be shared with everyone, everywhere we go.

Magic at its best is personal. Like music, it's about heart, and feelings and moving people and something beautiful about being alive. I still haven't grasped this as it regards my own show, but I intend to try harder this year to make myself the magic element. It shouldn't be about the tricks I perform, but about what makes me a magical person. Why am I interesting and fun? When I know and display that, I believe more success will come my way.