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Create Magic in Someone's Life

Written by: Noah Learner Tags: community, newsletter

Published: Jul 22, 2025  |  Last Updated: Oct 6, 2025

I am not one to quote Gary V, but the man was right when he said, "serendipity is where the magic happens."

In my neighborhood, I'm the bike guy.

A few weeks ago while tinkering outside I noticed my friends' son across the street getting his helmet on and taking his bike out into the driveway.

He's 4.

And then I noticed those damn training wheels. Still.

I knew he'd been ready for a while, and you know what? Today's the day, I thought.

Let's create some magic

As he rode by and waved I asked him if he wanted to get a lesson and take those training wheels off. He said yes. Little did he know, I started my career in bike shops and have taught tons of kids how to ride a bike.

1. Knowledge brings confidence and can take away fear. I explained to him each step of the process before we started it. I told him what to expect, what it's going to feel like, how the bike mechanisms work, and the physics behind riding and turning and braking.
   
   
2. Fundamentals first. I took both the pedals and the training wheels off and lowered the seat. With his feet on the ground, he can learn what it feels like to balance with nothing in the way at all. I taught him how to scoot scoot and glide. Gliding teaches balance and once we got balance down, we learned how to stop using the handbrake.
   
   
3. One step at a time. By the time he was coasting back down the block, I knew he was ready to get those pedals back on. This is it.

We then linked the two steps: Scoot scoot and put feet on the pedals and pedal.

No big deal. Little dude got it on his first try. Because he prepared, followed the process, and believed in himself. And, because I believed in him too.

It was magical. He was stoked and I was so lucky to be a part of his journey.

All I did was offer to help.

Helping others is a superpower

"You changed that kids' life," someone told me at SEO Community office hours. "They're going to remember that forever."

Were you part of an inflection point of someone's life, where you helped them permanently gain more freedom and power because you empowered them or supported them for absolutely nothing in return except for the satisfaction of knowing you did it?

It doesn't have to be teaching.

Have you helped someone, shared something, made an intro, thanked someone, or encouraged someone, just to do it?

Some of my sober pals reminded me that in Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12th step is helping others because helping others is one of the only ways to step outside of yourself and remember that you are part of a bigger, vast, world that needs your help.

Serendipity is where the magic happens

Moving through the world in ways that generates more magic – meeting people at conferences and having a chuckle, collaborating on a thing, sending a real thank you card – leads to more friendships, relationships, ideas, and opportunities. That's the serendipity of it all. And if giving is getting, that's just one way to create a little magic in the world.

So go be the helper, the giver, the sharer, the tinkerer, the weirdo, the jokester, the creative, the biggest fan, the teacher, the connector.

Share your haikus, your Friday jokes, your puzzles, your stories, and your kudos.

You won't always hear the thanks or get something in return, but that's not why you're doing it.

You're doing it to create magic in the world for no other reason than it might help create magic for someone else.

For some it's movement

I created a Strava group for the SEO Community because being a little more active every day is a hoot. We all give each other kudos to keep the magic rolling and you might just love it.

Jump in and let's move: https://strava.app.link/cSrSXLOubVb

Here's the full clip: