Anything is Possible BUT How far is too far!
Anything is Possible by Cosentino
I recently read Cosentino’s book, “Anything is Possible”. Cosentino is “Australia’s premier illusionist and escapologist – a magician to his fingertips, a man who constantly challenges our notions of what is possible”. I had seen some of Cosentino’s television performances and had been pretty impressed so I thought I would read his book to see what it was that inspired him to do what he did. I was somewhat surprised to find out how many trials and tribulations he had been through prior to my first viewing of his performance on Australia’s Got Talent. His professionalism had also tricked me into thinking that he wasn’t really in any danger.
The book includes key learning for life and education, it inspires and it raises some important questions closely aligned with learning and education.
School wasn’t easy for Cosentino, he records that at age 12, “school was torture for me”. He had extreme difficulties with literacy, particularly reading. This caused him great anxiety and he went to great efforts not to be found out. “Every week I spent hours in the school library laboriously copying answers from my friends’ work, feeling humiliated and hating every second of it. I longed to feel normal but too much of the time I felt strange, inadequate, isolated and alone.” [16] There are many children like Cosentino in our schools today and sadly not all of them find the pathway to their dreams. Not all of them even have a dream. Cosentino’s book inspires others to find their dreams and identifies the things required to achieve them. It highlights the need for teachers and other adults to believe in their children and to support them in the development and pursuit of their desired pathway.
A trip by Cosentino to the library led to an interest in magic and provided a purpose for reading and ultimately the development of Cosentino’s pathway. Cosentino began to devour books because he now had a desire to find the knowledge and skills he required to learn magic. His first performance to his dad was incredibly empowering: “To have him ask me how something worked was an incredible, powerful feeling.” [22] The very fact that he now had a skill that others didn’t was a great motivator. Of course, Cosentino’s success didn’t just happen.
It is clear that Cosentino followed the mantra: “Follow your own path. Commit to doing what you love. Believe in yourself. Then magic will happen. (35) He was lucky to find his pathway at an early age. If he hadn’t found that book in the library his career path would have been totally different. In Cosentino’s case magic literally did take place but “magic” can be seen in any school if a student has a clear pathway and is pursuing their dream. Early in my career, I was fortunate to work in a school for dancers and musicians. They were amazingly focused and had a clear direction. When I moved from this school to another school situated in a beach side suburb, this wasn’t the case for many students; they were just floating. At another school I worked at there were many students who did not believe in themselves or their ability to achieve anything. So, schools and teachers have a crucial role to play in supporting student achievements. There have been many policies, frameworks and programs created to assist student pathways. Some are successful, some not so successful. I believe that success is found in ‘relationships’. Teachers need to know their students and pay a genuine interest in them and their lives. They need to show that they “believe” in them and they will support them in pursuit of their dreams.
Cosentino often had barriers placed in his way by people who didn’t believe in him but his family and other experts along the way combined with his passion and drive brought about his ultimate success. His family supported him, made sacrifices for him and did everything they could to support his passion. This included things such as sewing costumes, building apparatus, marketing and management and providing honest feedback. And above all else loved him no matter what happened. Experts in the field demonstrated their belief in him by asking “how can we make it happen”, rather than saying, “it can’t happen”.
To say Cosentino had to work extremely hard and for a considerable time for his success is an under-statement. He experienced many set backs. Even when he had incredibly successful shows where his audience became BELIEVERS, he could not do the same to powerbrokers of the entertainment industry. It was not until he had participated on the show Australia’s Got Talent that they began to take notice. His book clearly outlines the misperception of what it takes to be successful.
“From the outside, success seems easy. Most of us have been guilty of underestimating what it takes. We look at people who are at the top of their game, whether it’s Serena Williams on the tennis court or Cate Blanchett on the screen, and think, “how lucky they are to be doing something they love, how good they’ve got it. What we are forgetting is the incredible effort it’s taken to get them to this point. Their grace, elegance and skill distract us from the sweat and commitment that made them so good at what they love to do.” (82)
I was certainly guilty of this in my judgement of Cosentino and reading his book was quite thought-provoking. As I read about each hurdle and the effort he put in to get past obstacles I recognised Cosentino’s tenacity and his resilience. If you want to get anywhere you have to learn to bounce back, however hard it feels at the time. [132] Resilience is something that many of our students struggle with. There are always going to bullies, there are always going to be pitfalls so students need to learn how to “bounce” back. Fortunately there are resources available to schools to help their students in this respect.
The main question that arises from the book is “how far is too far”? How far should we push, how far should we support that pursuit of a dream? I love the fact that Cosentino is a pioneer and trail blazer. I love the fact that he frightens the life out of us by his miraculous tricks and escapes BUT I want him to continue to do this, I do not want the pursuit of his dream to result in his death. I found myself questioning how difficult it must have been for his parents to continue to believe in him and support him as his performances got more and more dangerous.
To some people what I’d achieved so far would have been satisfying enough. But I’ve always been hungry for more. Not bigger for the sake of it but better because I feel duty bound to make the absolute most of whatever talent I’ve been given and to help give magic its rightful place. [178]
Cosentino was extremely fortunate that he had a family that loved him and would provide him with advise. His family was not focused on money or marketing they were focused on supporting him as an individual. They wanted him to be safe. Cosentino acknowledges that danger comes “when you ignore the red flags and go from taking carefully calculated risks to taking wild chances. That’s when people get hurt or killed. [286] His family were there to wave those red flags. “Dad waited until we were alone to let his feelings rip. He was really angry now. No-one knew why the electronic system controlling the rotation had failed, but it was obvious to him how near I had been to a critical injury. He said with force, “This is too much, it’s just getting stupid now. These risks are too high.” As teachers we need to care for our students and we need to provide them with a safe environment where they too can take calculated risks in their learning. Just as Cosentino continued to take risks in the pursuit of his dreams his family and supporters supported him in making his work environment as safe as it possibly could be.
On reflection Cosentino says, I’ve come a long way from the withdrawn, self-doubting kid I was when magic found me at age twelve…But as far as I’ve come, to me it feels like this is only the beginning. I was once asked what keeps me awake at night. I spoke from the heart when I said it was the fear that I won’t have the opportunity to show the world my full potential.
To find out more about Cosentino buy and read his book:
Anything is Possible by Cosentino, Harper Collins, 2016 or check out his website: