ariaready.net

An Indian guru appeared, clad in a loincloth. As he began to adjust my spine like a chiropractor, I protested, "Stop, you're giving me a lot of pain." "No," he responded... "I'm giving you change. It's your resistance that's giving you the pain." — Unknown

How much of a real commitment have you made to getting the job done when it comes to working with an agenda when you practice, perform, audition, or even think about music and the industry of performance? I venture to guess that it is in reality more of a wish or want rather than a desire that burns you right down to your toes. You play at it and love to indulge yourself in your emotions when singing through a piece rather than just doing the work necessary to put your vocal technique in place and do this over and over again as you work through a piece of music and then perform it with the same passionate agenda in mind. What happens to take you off track and keeps you from actually doing your job?

Fear is a big factor. Admit it! We spend lots of time in our heads talking to ourselves about resisting and then rationalizing our resistance to just doing the work. Its one thing to lie to ourselves about this but it is another to actually believe the lie we are telling ourselves when we rationalize.

"Maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid changing it." — Elaine St. James

Are you a pro or an amateur? Until you turn that corner in your mind, and decide to be a pro, nothing changes. The amateur plays for fun, and only does the work part time even when he/she is supposedly doing “the work”. There is no real commitment, no focus, no dedication, and no bona fide love for the process of perfecting that vocal technique so one can make “honest” music.

"This is the beginning of a new day.God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good.What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.When tomorrow comes,this day will be gone forever,leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss; good not evil; success not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for it." - Author Unknown

Renunciation – rejection – repudiation – abandonment – denial; these are very powerful words that often accompany how we feel inside after an audition that might not have gone as well as expected. Or perhaps you presented an amazing audition but still didn’t get the job or win the competition and start questioning what happened; what you did wrong. Or it could also show up at a family gathering during the holidays when the old emotional buttons start getting pushed.

Are you free and responsible enough to live by your belief in what is right for you without trying to conform or conversely over indulge in your emotions when something along your career path or life seems to take a dive? Being responsible doesn’t mean being held to account for the thoughts and actions of others. It means using your energy to continue being who you are at your very core; always continuing to look at each new situation for what it is, choose to take action or not as necessary, and never,never become attached to the outcome.