I have to tell you… The breakthroughs were pretty remarkable but not unexpected!
Well first things first – I practiced more this week! I’m not going to lie, previous to now practicing or doing anything that regularly requires my 100% focus for more than 20 minutes, didn’t come naturally to me.
By adding the simple technique of writing a list of what makes me happy before drilling in singing technique or practicing my scales, meant that I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more. Not only that, I honestly started to look forward to doing my practice this week, which was a major shift for me.
I was also a lot more gentle and forgiving towards myself. Previously, I had a tendency of getting annoyed for not getting things straight off the bat. So now singing technique and music practice has become another opportunity for me to exercise self-care.
I also started doing something that I would previously make some ridiculous excuse not to do… I kept a detailed practice journal! And oh my goodness – does this make a difference! Previously, any kind of practice journal for University assessments were pure work of fiction. If only I had employed this powerful tool earlier! For example, last Tuesday I practiced the Phrygian scale on the piano in all 12 weeks but found that playing it in G flat, D flat and A flat was a little tricky for me. So I wrote it down and worked on it the next the day and the day after that. It’s a concept so simple, yet one that I had resisted. And now I have an exciting, achievable game plan in place.
Gratitude helps us align with our inner guidance…
Jamie Smart, author of the The Little Book of Clarity, states: “Love, peace and clarity often carry the information you need to solve the more challenging issues in life.”
He also says: “Your wisdom will guide you from wherever you are now to your most fulfilling, inspiring life.”
The way I see it is, I always knew what I should have been practicing but I would often let negative beliefs and emotions blur my vision.
This negativity also meant that I was not always in the best mindset to be taking on new learning and would be oblivious to any small improvements I was making. Practice then became a self-flagellating session. Ouchy!
This small but powerful practice of writing down a list of things I was grateful for right now, even if the road to becoming in the same league as my jazz idols seemed like a slow boat to China (see what I did there?), meant that I was putting myself in a good place before taking on a serious endeavour. And this allows our inner intelligence to take over.
Lindsey Agness, author of Change Your Life with NLP says: “Our ability to choose the best emotional state for a particular situation is one of the most powerful and yet most overlooked and underused skills that we have. We may not be able to control external events and yet we can learn to control the way that we respond to them.”
It’s a simple equation, really.
Happy feelings = inner genius running the show.
Are you convinced yet?
Here is a challenge for you! If you haven’t already started - how about you join me on a 21 Day Gratitude Experiment?
You can sign up here!
Before embarking on any kind of practice – singing, music, art, writing, exercise – spend five to ten minutes writing down a list of what makes you happy and grateful right now.
Let me know the results!
As a reward, I’ll email you a free downloadable Fearless Singer Practice Journal.
Lots of Love,
Mel β€οΈπ₯π΅
