3 Secrets To Making Your Music Shine
One of the biggest road blocks I’ve seen (and experienced!) is that artists (and non-artists) have been ingrained (not your fault!) with certain beliefs - who they are, their abilities, & who they ‘should’ be. When these thoughts serve our highest good, that’s a good thing
BUT when we hold onto mindsets that bring us down, they can erode both our potential and our creativity!
BUT when we hold onto mindsets that bring us down, they can erode both our potential and our creativity!
Let me start with the story of Dyana.
Dyana was a young girl I worked with. She came to me for piano lessons. She was a very attentive (and bright!) kid who loved music. She was sooo excited to begin piano lessons.
Fast forward a month….
It was obvious to me that she was NOT practicing (at all) Hmmmm….. Her parents were not forcing her to take lessons and she was always genuinely excited to be there. So I called her out and asked why she wasn’t practicing.
Her big eyes looked at me and she said, “Well, people who are good don’t need to practice, right? Only people who are bad at music need to practice. If I NEED to practice then that means I’m not good at playing music”
A-ha! That was it! She somehow had it in her mindset that if she Needed to practice to become better then that meant she was a hopeless musician.
I looked at her with sympathetic eyes and said, “Actually you have that backwards…. The people who are good, they are the ones who DO Practice – a lot – that’s HOW they got so good!”
I referred to a local amazing musician whom she admired and said “You know, Jon?, right?” Her face lit up, “Yeah he’s really good at both piano, guitar and singing!!” I said, “Do you know he practices everyday…. For hours.” (He was a friend and I knew this little fact ;) she looked at me shocked, “Really?” Yes, I said, he’s my friend too and I know this, he practices more than anyone I know!” Needless to say, she started practicing and even started becoming a YouTube addict, learning new things online between lessons!!
This story highlights 3 secrets of music success
1. The Power of how limiting beliefs can prevent us from growing
She thought she wasn’t good if she needed to practice – yikes!
2. The Power of how important it is to practice & show up for your art
Once she eliminated that belief she blossomed!
3. The power of having a team/coach/circle that supports your dreams
It took another person, in this case her coach, to bring awareness to the mindset and give her the tools to get to the next level!
I’ve included all the details of #1 in the article, but for #2 & #3 you can
CLICK HERE to Download the full PDF
1. The Power of Limiting Beliefs
Unfortunately most of us have them…… As we see in the story above, Dyana thought that if she had to practice, that meant she was a bad piano player. Ironically, this thought prevented her from practicing and actually becoming better!!! And by the way, I have witnessed this same mindset in a lot of kids.
Here are some other common ones that artists tend to have:
+ I’m not good at….. (insert the thing you are most passionate about)
+ In order to be a true artist, I have to be a starving, struggling artist
+ Either you have IT or you don’t
+ Good Performers don’t get nervous
+ I’m too old / too young
Here’s the truth. The biggest IT factor you can have is the passion to reach your musical goals. The most successful thing you can have is a positive mindset that says you CAN!
Rock Star Tip:
Listen more closely to your thoughts. NOTICE when you cut yourself down, tell yourself you can’t or criticize yourself. You might be surprised to discover that these thoughts happen A Lot! Your subconscious mind cannot distinguish between good and bad thoughts. It just hears the thought, good or bad, and thinks it’s the truth. Our job as Rock Stars is to feed our mind with the thoughts that encourage our creativity and our success.
When the thought happens, notice it & slow down…. Don’t criticize yourself (that gives your brain a negative subconscious message) Tell yourself something like
“I choose not to believe that” or “ That’s not true” and replace it with a positive one
“I am a good singer and I’m getting better and better each day”
“I can make a great income being a creative musician”
“I’m getting braver each time I go on stage”
Helpful Hints:
+ Wear a bracelet or a ring. Each time you catch yourself having the negative thought switch sides of the finger or hand. As you make the switch you can also think about your positive thought
+ Do some reading! “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” (Joseph Murphy) talks about this stuff in depth. The book was the precursor to The Secret, which is also a great read. If you’re not a book person? There is also a move version of “The Secret”
+ Journal! When the thoughts come up, express & explore them. For some people it’s helpful to figure out the root. Or use it as good fuel for a song! Writing about things can help us release them.
+ Surround yourself with people who support your goals and avoid those who don’t.
+ Most importantly honor how you feel. Don’t add gasoline to the fire by criticizing your own feelings.
I’ve seen, time and time again, how these 3 simple ideas can help you to
Make Your Music SHINE!
CLICK HERE to Download the full PDF
Here’s to your Authentic Voice!
Love, Meredith
Dyana was a young girl I worked with. She came to me for piano lessons. She was a very attentive (and bright!) kid who loved music. She was sooo excited to begin piano lessons.
Fast forward a month….
It was obvious to me that she was NOT practicing (at all) Hmmmm….. Her parents were not forcing her to take lessons and she was always genuinely excited to be there. So I called her out and asked why she wasn’t practicing.
Her big eyes looked at me and she said, “Well, people who are good don’t need to practice, right? Only people who are bad at music need to practice. If I NEED to practice then that means I’m not good at playing music”
A-ha! That was it! She somehow had it in her mindset that if she Needed to practice to become better then that meant she was a hopeless musician.
I looked at her with sympathetic eyes and said, “Actually you have that backwards…. The people who are good, they are the ones who DO Practice – a lot – that’s HOW they got so good!”
I referred to a local amazing musician whom she admired and said “You know, Jon?, right?” Her face lit up, “Yeah he’s really good at both piano, guitar and singing!!” I said, “Do you know he practices everyday…. For hours.” (He was a friend and I knew this little fact ;) she looked at me shocked, “Really?” Yes, I said, he’s my friend too and I know this, he practices more than anyone I know!” Needless to say, she started practicing and even started becoming a YouTube addict, learning new things online between lessons!!
This story highlights 3 secrets of music success
1. The Power of how limiting beliefs can prevent us from growing
She thought she wasn’t good if she needed to practice – yikes!
2. The Power of how important it is to practice & show up for your art
Once she eliminated that belief she blossomed!
3. The power of having a team/coach/circle that supports your dreams
It took another person, in this case her coach, to bring awareness to the mindset and give her the tools to get to the next level!
I’ve included all the details of #1 in the article, but for #2 & #3 you can
CLICK HERE to Download the full PDF
1. The Power of Limiting Beliefs
Unfortunately most of us have them…… As we see in the story above, Dyana thought that if she had to practice, that meant she was a bad piano player. Ironically, this thought prevented her from practicing and actually becoming better!!! And by the way, I have witnessed this same mindset in a lot of kids.
Here are some other common ones that artists tend to have:
+ I’m not good at….. (insert the thing you are most passionate about)+ In order to be a true artist, I have to be a starving, struggling artist
+ Either you have IT or you don’t
+ Good Performers don’t get nervous
+ I’m too old / too young
Here’s the truth. The biggest IT factor you can have is the passion to reach your musical goals. The most successful thing you can have is a positive mindset that says you CAN!
Rock Star Tip:Listen more closely to your thoughts. NOTICE when you cut yourself down, tell yourself you can’t or criticize yourself. You might be surprised to discover that these thoughts happen A Lot! Your subconscious mind cannot distinguish between good and bad thoughts. It just hears the thought, good or bad, and thinks it’s the truth. Our job as Rock Stars is to feed our mind with the thoughts that encourage our creativity and our success.
When the thought happens, notice it & slow down…. Don’t criticize yourself (that gives your brain a negative subconscious message) Tell yourself something like
“I choose not to believe that” or “ That’s not true” and replace it with a positive one
“I am a good singer and I’m getting better and better each day”
“I can make a great income being a creative musician”
“I’m getting braver each time I go on stage”
Helpful Hints:
+ Wear a bracelet or a ring. Each time you catch yourself having the negative thought switch sides of the finger or hand. As you make the switch you can also think about your positive thought
+ Do some reading! “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” (Joseph Murphy) talks about this stuff in depth. The book was the precursor to The Secret, which is also a great read. If you’re not a book person? There is also a move version of “The Secret”
+ Journal! When the thoughts come up, express & explore them. For some people it’s helpful to figure out the root. Or use it as good fuel for a song! Writing about things can help us release them.
+ Surround yourself with people who support your goals and avoid those who don’t.
+ Most importantly honor how you feel. Don’t add gasoline to the fire by criticizing your own feelings.
I’ve seen, time and time again, how these 3 simple ideas can help you to
Make Your Music SHINE!
CLICK HERE to Download the full PDF
Here’s to your Authentic Voice!
Love, Meredith
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