How To Make 2009 Your Best Singing Year Ever
Posted on 12. Dec, 2008 by Per Bristow in Health, Performance, Singing
How has 2008 been so far? How about making 2009 the best year ever?
I know. It’s one of those things we always say, isn’t it? However, what if, one year from now, you really felt that 2009 was a one-of-a kind extraordinary year for you?
I’d like to share with you a little different slant on traditional goal setting. (As you know, most New Year’s resolutions are forgotten after a couple of months (or weeks) and there is a reason for that – we’ll talk about that later.) So what about goal setting?…
Well, as you may have heard, or been taught, goal setting is more effective if the goals are specific, have time limits and are measurable.
However, follow along here and let’s see what we discover…
Fast forward a year. Imagine it’s the end of 2009. What would you like to come out of you when you sing? How would you like to sound? How would you like to feel when you sing? What kind of pain would you like to be released? What kind of effect would you like be able to have on an audience when you sing?
What kind of confidence would you like to experience when performing? What kind of power and authority would you like to have when you express, present and communicate? What feeling of accomplishment would you like to experience – knowing you can now do something that you couldn’t do before… knowing you have grown and learned from a challenge?
As you realize, it would be absolutely impossible to accurately measure these experiences. This is non-measurable growth – yet very real. The non-measurable growth is a prerequisite for measurable growth – such as income, pounds on a scale and so forth.
Now, here’s the real interesting question: What is going to stop you?
In a moment of pumped-up confidence we might exclaim “Nothing! Nothing is going to stop me!”
But the real truth is that there is plenty that is going to hinder you. You will face a tremendous amount of resistance. What kind? And more importantly; what do you do when it happens?
What do you do if you were out walking and suddenly faced three feet of snow? Trod through and get deeper and deeper into it? No. You go back, get your skies and glide on top of the snow.
What do you do when you’re caught in a riptide? Swim like maniac against it? No. You back off and swim around it.
What do you do when you really need something from someone and meet resistance? Push through with your agenda? No. You back off and figure out how to solve the other person’s problem.
What do you do when you run out of money? What do you do when the weight-loss plan hits a brick wall? What do you do when you are rejected? What do you do when you can’t come up with any good ideas? What do you do on the day your voice doesn’t work?
The great athletes are not the ones who don’t get tired, but the ones who have trained themselves to perform well when – not if – the pain sets in. A marathon runner doesn’t hope that he won’t become tired. He knows he will meet enormous resistance – i.e. pain – and he prepares for it. (And the real strange thing is that he enjoys it and wants to do it again – crazy, isn’t it?)
Part of my job as a coach is to help the client move through to a new level. We all meet resistance. It’s part of daily l
Some people have so much mental resistance that they are constantly swimming against the riptide, getting nowhere. Naturally, the feeling of getting nowhere leads to more resistance. (Believe me, I’ve been there.) Much of my coaching is to help people release resistance and immediate get a greater sense of empowerment. This way, physical vocal power goes hand in hand with mental/psychological power.
Whether in private or via my home study singing course, my coaching is to enlighten the person on how to reduce resistance and gain more strength, power and freedom. Because of this, we experience significant and many times instant results. All the claims and success stories about the fast results are not marketing gimmicks. It’s the reality. (I just got another phenomenal email today.)
So, what kind of resistance are you feeling right now? What kind of resistance do you feel when thinking about your dreams? What kind of resistance do you feel in your body when you think about what you really want to experience a year from now?
It all starts with an awareness of the now, which leads to mental preparation – mental preparation to fulfill your dreams and make 2009 your best year ever.
Your thoughts?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
10 Responses to “How To Make 2009 Your Best Singing Year Ever”
Leave a Reply
Samantha
12. Dec, 2008
Oh man oh man have I been there…still am. Chronic muscular resistance and the crazy psyche. They go hand in hand where I cant tell anymore which came first, the chicken or the egg. And man have I been frustrated. Where is all this stuff coming from? I never used to experience any of this. Per you’re amazing in getting me to release, it’s like magic! Lets see if I can take that through the new year with healthier vocals, muscles and nogginl. What do I want for 2009? To sing my butt off and perform while I’m at it…with power and no more pain!!
Mark O'Meara
12. Dec, 2008
Per,
Thanks again for your insights. As I start your DVD set (it arrived yesterday!) I look forward to what you have to offer. We’re very lucky to be living in an age when the technology allows great teachers like you to reach a wider audience (not possible 5 years ago!).
I would like to comment on one aspect of goal setting. Sometimes the goals we set are not the goals we need. Years ago I started to write a book on How to Buy a House. I started writing and found the subject very dry, and in between doing the outline I did some renovation work… I wrote another story about building foundations, then another and another and then completely switche directions, writing a book on emotions and healing which became a Canadian bestseller. So set some goals, but if life takes you off in another direction, so be it! It may be for the best.
With my singing, my goal was to improve my range. With that in mind, I went to youtube because a friend mentioned I’d find some videos there. Up popped an ad for your program and I clicked and really connected with what you are doing and ordered the DVD series.
So has my goal changed? Yes! Perhaps improved range is the benefit that I am seeking, not the goal. My goal is now to build my ability to sing completely freely. I may get better range, I may not. But I am certain that when I get going on this program (later today) I will get benefits that I could not have imagined.
Its important to be flexible with goals and the vision of what they look like. Sometimes the best thing to do is get out of my own way.
No matter what, get started and see where it leads you!
Mark O’Meara
author of The Feeling Soul -A Roadmap to Healing and Living
Mo
13. Dec, 2008
oh yeah, i’m doing track and field again this year and i’m sure i’m going to suffer a lot on the track…but yeah, i’m not going to hope that it’ll be easy, i just hope that it will be worthwhile…
same with music!! XDDD
Jeff
13. Dec, 2008
What if you have vocal scaring? Is it possible to sing with clarity?
Regine
15. Dec, 2008
Wow 2009! I feel all these questions about where we want to be at the end of the year are great ones to ask ourselves periodically, to see if where we are at or what we want has changed a little, a lot, or not at all. So is it okay that I feel a little discouraged by the fact that I’ve been doing voice lessons for 6 months now, at home, mostly be myself and I sometimes wonder why and if I’m still making progress? Is it just resistance I will overcome? Although I still haven’t really sung in front of people, there has been talk of having a jam night with people I work with who play music. Maybe the new year will bring with it some new opportunities that I will feel trained and prepared for? As for now I am very glad to have this time to learn with Per’s coaching.
Victoria
15. Dec, 2008
Great post and great advice…I would advise anyone here to see a vocal coach if at all possible, face to face, and work with that person for at least a little while. The video lessons and all that are fine, but you need individualized feedback to really make breakthroughs. That’s my experience. I went from shower singer to gigging singer after two solid years of weekly lessons with a top vocal coach. It cost me every cent I could muster, but it was worth it. I still do the lessons but now I supplement that with good video and audio lessons from other coaches. Everybody’s got a slightly different method and there’s something to learn from them all. But if you can possibly swing it, do that one on one, and above all, be patient. It takes time and discipline, just like anything else worth doing.
Soniko
18. Dec, 2008
I’m really thankful that i founded Per at this point in my life, case’ it’s really helping me a lot. No just in my singing but also in my daily life. Every word i’ve read so far is empowering me more and more no mentioning my voice!… I really apreciate!
christine
01. Jan, 2009
wasnot blessed with a singing voice is it still possible to attain one?
Bob
07. May, 2009
Hi Per, I am on my third Lesson And can already feel a difference. Went to Karaoke and sang “House of the Rising Sun” And it felt great. My cohorts said should add that to my list. I am 65 years old, retired, and having a ball thanks to you in making my favorite past time into a lot more fun.
Singing Lessons In Dan
30. Jun, 2009
okay this was great post.Many people start off th year with renew hope of meetin gnew goals. yet by the end of it they have forgotten what it was. Giving the advice of setting specific goals within a specific time period is priceless. This should cutout a lot of uncertainty when it comes to goal setting. It’s very difficult to reach a vague goal.