Magic Markers
✦ Ed Reif’s Magic Every Single Day Workbook ✦
A 30-Day Cycle of Magic, Reflection, and Practice
Presence Curiosity Agency Practice
ENTRY 1
Energy, Frequency, Vibration — tune to wonder
“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” —attributed to Tesla
The universe hums, and I’ve heard it everywhere—on storm-shaken decks in the North Atlantic, in Afghan deserts, in the rhythm of a Scottie’s paws on cobblestones. Energy is not abstract; it’s the pulse of life. When I tune my frequency to curiosity and presence, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. That’s when the magic shows up.
ENTRY 2
Create the Future — captain your course
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Peter Drucker
At sea, we didn’t predict weather—we set a course through it. Life works the same way: destiny isn’t forecasted, it’s authored. Magic isn’t waiting for tomorrow—it’s shaping it now.
ENTRY 3
Excellence in Repetition — sculpt with habits
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Aristotle
I’ve seen soldiers drill until exhaustion and musicians rehearse until their bones ached. Excellence hides in repetition. The question is—what sculpture are you chiseling with your habits?
ENTRY 4
Happiness as Action — engineer joy
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” —Dalai Lama
On cruise ships, happiness wasn’t on the itinerary—it was built in conversations, sunsets, and shared meals. Happiness isn’t delivered. It’s engineered by the choices you stack, moment to moment.
ENTRY 5
Make Luck Land — prepare for opportunity
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” —Seneca
I’ve been called “lucky”—but I know better. On poker tables and in warzones, luck belongs to those rehearsing unseen. Luck is probability taken personally.
ENTRY 6
Leave a Trail — author your map
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
From Fair Isle sheep paths to Gibraltar’s hidden stairs, I’ve walked routes no guidebook held. That’s where the magic happens—when you author your own map instead of following someone else’s.
ENTRY 7
Cracks & Constellations — let in the light
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” —Rumi
In Kabul hospitals and on personal battlefields, I’ve learned: pain is not the end of the story. It’s an opening. Cracks let the light in—and light is how we find magic in broken places.
ENTRY 8
Lose Sight of Shore — sail to new worlds
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” —André Gide
On my eighth circumnavigation, the horizon always called—but only when I let go of shore’s safety. Courage isn’t reckless; it’s faith that the sea carries us to new worlds. Magic lives in the uncharted.
ENTRY 9
True Voice — originals over copies
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” —Oscar Wilde
On stage as a cruise lecturer, I once tried to play the expert role too perfectly—and it fell flat. Audiences leaned in only when I spoke as me. Authenticity is magnetic. Pretending is noise. The magic is always in your true voice.
ENTRY 10
Portals in Disguise — thresholds not walls
“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” —Albert Einstein
When COVID stranded me in Gibraltar, it looked like a dead end. Instead, it became a portal: new writing, new presence, new magic. Obstacles don’t block the path—they are the path.
ENTRY 11
Begin With What You Have — perfect starts now
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” —Theodore Roosevelt
In Afghan bases, we didn’t wait for perfect classrooms—we taught English in dusty tents. Magic never needs perfect conditions. It needs your presence, right here, right now.
ENTRY 12
Make the Days Count — mileage of meaning
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.” —Muhammad Ali
Time isn’t measured in calendars. I’ve circled the globe eight times, but the real journey was making each day alive with story. Magic is in mileage of meaning, not miles of travel.
ENTRY 13
Take the Shot — sit at the table
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” —Wayne Gretzky
On poker tables and job hunts, I’ve seen this truth: the only certain loss is hesitation. Magic happens in risk. You can’t win if you don’t sit at the table.
ENTRY 14
Value the Uncountable — beyond spreadsheets
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” —Einstein
I’ve seen leaders tally budgets down to pennies yet miss the human spirit in the room. Magic lives in what resists spreadsheets: love, courage, authenticity.
ENTRY 15
Ripples Become Waves — act as if it matters
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” —William James
In Qatar, teaching a single pilot a phrase of English was life or death in the sky. Every action echoes. Magic lives in the small ripples you don’t see.
ENTRY 16
Grace Under Pressure — calm as courage
“Courage is grace under pressure.” —Ernest Hemingway
I’ve watched sailors in storms and soldiers in firefights—calm as the world shook. True courage isn’t loud. It’s steady. It’s grace that steadies others. That’s the magic.
ENTRY 17
Continue Anyway — persistence over perfection
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill
I’ve been on bestseller lists and in rejection piles. Both passed. The only constant? Continuing. Magic isn’t in victory or defeat—it’s in persistence.
ENTRY 18
Shift the Lens — perception as portal
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” —Wayne Dyer
From Fair Isle sheep pastures to neon Vegas poker rooms, perspective was the magic lens. Shift your angle, and the world reveals new doors.
ENTRY 19
The Inner Frontier — what lies within
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” —Emerson
I’ve lived on five continents, but the longest journey was inward. Magic doesn’t live in geography—it lives inside, waiting to be tapped.
ENTRY 20
Dream Awake — vision plus action
“All men dream, but not equally.” —T.E. Lawrence
I’ve dreamed in deserts and on ocean decks. The dreamers who shape reality are the ones who act awake. Magic requires both vision and boots on the ground.
ENTRY 21
First Step — journeys begin by beginning
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —Lao Tzu
Eight circumnavigations began with a gangway step. Magic multiplies only after you take the first step.
ENTRY 22
Meaning in the Fire — transform pain to fuel
“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” —Nietzsche
In Afghanistan, I saw loss and still saw laughter. Suffering wasn’t erased—it was alchemized by meaning. Magic is forged in that fire.
ENTRY 23
Reflect to Navigate — look inward first
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” —Socrates
Reflection has been my compass—on seas, in classrooms, in journals. Without it, I’d just drift. Magic requires looking inward before outward.
ENTRY 24
Be the Change — start in the mirror
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Gandhi
You don’t wait for governments or systems—change starts in your mirror. Magic isn’t out there. It’s embodied in your next step.
ENTRY 25
Grow Bigger Sails — strength over escape
“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” —John F. Kennedy
The world doesn’t shrink its storms. You grow bigger sails. Magic comes not from escape, but from strength expanded.
ENTRY 26
Start to Make It Possible — motion kills impossible
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” —Tony Robbins
Impossible evaporates once you start. I’ve stood on shores that seemed unreachable—until I sailed. Magic hates hesitation. It loves movement.
ENTRY 27
Stand Up Eight — resilience as routine
“Fall seven times and stand up eight.” —Japanese proverb
I’ve folded in poker hands and manuscripts alike. Each loss became compost for the next rise. Magic is in the standing, not the falling.
ENTRY 28
Author Your Destiny — write your story
“You must be the master of your own destiny.” —Napoleon
In dangerous jobs, I learned: surrendering authorship is surrendering life. Magic belongs to those who write their own story, pen in hand.
ENTRY 29
Make It Hot — strike first, then refine
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” —William Butler Yeats
Waiting for perfect timing is procrastination in disguise. I learned at sea—storms don’t wait. Neither should you. Magic comes from striking first.
ENTRY 30
Give It Away — purpose in the giving
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” —Pablo Picasso
My travels gave me stories, but my purpose came when I shared them. Magic is never hoarded. It multiplies when given.
Workbook © Ed Reif. Designed with the Decision Science template vibe.