Regular readers of this blog will now that I’m a huge  fan of TED – a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. I enjoy being inspired and I have yet to visit TED.com and come away not being completely in awe by any of the speakers’ videos that I see.

In the following video from TEDMED (a medical technology and healthcare conference), magician and stuntman David Blaine describes what it took to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes – a world record (only two minutes shorter than this entire talk!) – and what his often death-defying work means to him.

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_for_17_min.html

For me, David Blaine is a genius who continually strives to push the boundaries of what is humanly possible. Even in his street magic, Blaine effortlessly makes the impossible seem possible. His oddness for me is all part of his unique determination which forces him to flirt with death and the very real constraints of biology and physics.

Followers of Anthony Robbins will bear witness to the mind over matter school of thought in which the first step of success begins with a single decision. Blaine takes this philosophy and practices it inwardly – deciding that he will succeed in whatever he sets his mind to.

Called a “modern-day Houdini” by The New York Times, David Blaine made himself a household name with TV special David Blaine: Street Magic — shedding the sweeping glitz and drama of other TV magic programs in favor of a simple premise: illusions done right on the street, in front of handheld cameras and speechless passersby.

With Buried Alive, Blaine was entombed underground for seven days in a transparent plastic coffin, visible to gawking pedestrians above, setting off a new trend in his performance career: the endurance stunt. The pursuit led to other spectacles featuring cramped spaces and extreme conditions: Frozen in Time, which saw him encased in a block of ice for almost three days, and Vertigo, where he stood atop a 100-foot pillar for 35 hours.

Blaine’s stunts continue to draw immense crowds and Nielsen ratings to match, but his appearance on Oprah was perhaps most stunning, when he broke the Guinness world record for breath-holding, staying underwater for 17 minutes and 4.5 seconds.

“His deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he’d razzle-dazzled.”

Time Magazine

David Blaine is currently collecting donations on behalf of the American Red Cross for their earthquake relief work in Haiti.

He was in Times Square, NYC from 9am Friday January 15, 2010 until 9am Monday January 18, performing close-up magic for thousands of people in a row over the course of 72 hours. The event is now over but you can still donate by clicking the link below:

Whilst I don’t suggest that we all attempt to recreate any of Blaine’s dangerous acts, I would love to see some of his ‘magic’ motivate more people – myself definitely included.

As Blaine’s hero the great Harry Houdini once said:

“My brain is the key that sets my mind free.”