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  • George Mumford – Mental Coach To Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant

    George Mumford – Mental Coach To Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant

    Watch this interview I did with mindfulness and performance expert George Mumford, who worked with Phil Jackson and The Chicago Bulls team during the Michael Jordan era, as well as with The Los Angeles Lakers winning another 5 Championships.

    Now that I have been captivated by the extraordinary 10-part documentary series “The Last Dance” featuring Michael Jordan and The Chicago Bulls, it brings back my memories of the powerful insights George Mumford shared with me in this interview a few years back.

    I am reposting the interview, as it’s not only highly relevant with the release of “The Last Dance” documentary, but also because of high levels of stress than many deal with in life.

    You who have followed me know that a big part of what I do is teach awareness and mental skills for effective learning and high performance.

    As you can imagine, I was extremely pleased to chat with George Mumford. His insights benefit not only athletes and performers, but are vital for us in all areas of life.

    Listen as he addresses manifesting stress symptoms, processes of self knowledge, his view on meditation, mindfulness and performance, his own journey, and much, much more

    Legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson said:

    “George has “Mumified” the teams I’ve coached over the past 20 years. He has a style of mindfulness that goes beyond ‘just sitting/breathing’ to focusing while in action. For anyone needing to perform at the highest level, George’s book is for you.”

    Kobe Bryant said of George:

    “George helped me understand the art of mindfulness. To be neither distracted or focused, rigid or flexible, passive or aggressive. I learned just to be.”

    Watch the interview below.

    Then below the video please like, share and leave a comments of what your takeaways are from this conversation.

    See more of George at www.GeorgeMumford.com

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  • Mike Massé – 95mil YouTube Views – On Training His Singing Voice

    Mike Massé – 95mil YouTube Views – On Training His Singing Voice

    Does Mike Massé engage in singing training? If you’ve heard/ seen Mike Massé on YouTube, or even better seen him live, it’s hard not to be impressed by his incredible renditions of some of the world’s greatest rock songs.

    Toto called his rendition of their song Africa, the best cover they had ever heard. It now has over 13 million views! (More than 95 million views total.)

    Last week I got a message that Mike had posted this video below to his youtube channel. Wow, I was taken by complete surprise.

    I would like you to watch it. Then continue reading below as I go through some things that make Mike so great and how it can make you greater.

    WATCH THIS VIDEO:

    One Trait Among Successful People

    One trait among highly successful people, and which I truly admire, is their appetite for learning. Mike is a prime example of someone who not only has high ambitions, but who also deeply values constant learning and training.

    When it comes to the voice, many up-and-coming singers don’t have the awareness that Mike has (most pros don’t either), and they don’t recognize the tension that Mike mentioned that creeps into their voices (or that has always been there).

    Singers vs Athletes

    Most singers are also not as knowledgeable of strategies to release tension and improve coordination and functionality as athletes often are. Many singers still think singing scales is a warm-up. (In the not so distant past, hobby athletes thought jogging was a warm-up too.)

    So hats off to Mike for being someone who, although he is already exceptionally good a what he does, is still eager to explore ways to improve, and to want to operate at maximum levels.

    Athletes always need to take utmost care of their bodies and they train differently depending on if it’s off-season or in-season or if they experience tension, pain and imbalances somewhere.

    A singer is wise to adapt similar strategies and mindsets. We want to engage in singing training to build the voice to be able to sustain long studio sessions and long tours, to be able to recover effectively after gigs, to be able to express the song you want to express with less effort and more passion and freedom.

    The Art Of Giving / Sharing 

    Now the other thing that Mike demonstrates in this video is how he operates as a human being. Why does he make this video? Does he expect something specific in return? Of course not.

    He’s a great example of someone who expresses his gratitude and passion without expecting anything in return. He does it because that is who he is. Same thing on stage. He doesn’t expect or demand the audience to love him. He gets his instrument in the best shape possible to let his voice soar with the intent of creating a magical experience for the audience. And that’s exactly why they love him. Do we understand that we will likely experience tremendous returns somehow when we operate like that? Of course.

    When we give and express without expecting something in return, the returns actually become greater. Call it Karma. Call it just how the universe operates. Most importantly, it happens because we then open our hearts and minds to not only give, but also to experience and receive the abundance of the world. It’s a stark difference compared to living a lifestyle with expectations, demands and restrictions.

    What comes around goes around. 

    Experience the same Sing With Freedom / The Singing Zone training, that Mike and other singers around the world use.

    Recognize that Mike talks about me, not just for my benefit, but because he genuinely wants other singers (you) to feel confident and sing their hearts out.

    I want to help Mike, especially because of that mindset, and I also want you to be the best you can be.

    I also sincerely think you can learn a lot from Mike. Listen to how he approaches the songs. Watch him live and see how he engages the audience and you’ll be inspired to do it you too.

    As a final note, it’s funny that his recording of Africa was in a small place with a not so engaged audience quite some time ago. Instead, the video now has an audience of 13 million viewers. Isn’t that funny how things can happen? Amazing really. You just never know what happens when you sing with passion, whether it’s to a small audience or a big audience. Watch that recording and his other songs.

    If you ever want my help, my singing training is always available to you here.

    Keep on singing!

    Best,

    Per Bristow

    P.S. Feel free to LIKE and post a comment below

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  • When “Follow Your Dreams” Gets Tough

    When “Follow Your Dreams” Gets Tough

    Follow your dreams”! You’ve heard that all your life.

    And you’ve done so – maybe as an artist, athlete, or entrepreneur.

    But then you face challenges. And after some time with constant struggle, it’s not so fun anymore. You’ve lost the joy.

    And worse, you may feel bad, event guilty about it.After all, you’re supposed to love what you do and do what you love.

    This is actually a very common feeling for artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs.

    Creative people face rejection all the time. Financial struggles are often part of the game.

    Many artist love to create, but dealing with the business side of things becomes less inspiring.

    Dominic Cincotta is an amazing singer, but he lost the joy he once had for singing. I had the pleasure of meeting him at my Live Event in Melbourne, where he was gracious to come up on stage.

    Watch this video first. Then we’ll talk about how to ignite that joy again.

    Much of what my work as a coach is and has been to help reignite joy in artists and entrepreneurs. I want to help ignite that spark within to make their lives and careers much more fulfilling and successful.

    So what can we do to reignite joy? What can we do to achieve greater success?

    There are several aspect to this of course, but let’s begin by addressing one word Dominic mentioned:

    Awareness​

    Anyone who has participated in any of my live or online training knows that developing greater awareness is key to be able to effectively improve in any area. 

    It applies to effectively healing a voice problem, but frankly, also in order to achieve greater success in any area.

    Here’s why:The trap of the “results”.

    A big trap we tend to fall into is the drive for a “results”. It’s understandable. We all want results. Me too. I have high ambitions and big goals. But the question is how to achieve “result”. 

    After some time of struggle and you still haven’t achieved the result you want, more and more frustration sets in.

    If you feel expectations from the outside world, as well as from within, with time you feel more and more pressure.

    What are your dreams?

    There’s nothing wrong with having dreams and goals of course. But operating with a result oriented mind is something very different from having dreams and goals.

    Part of my training is to lead you through processes to awaken your awareness.

    When we do so we become better at living in the moment, and become better at being engaged in exciting processes. Through this you also begin to recognize progress that you would otherwise not have done.

    Yes, one big part is to learn the difference between…

    Result-oriented vs. process-oriented.

    It’s the process-oriented individual who actually gets the results.

    When you shift your awareness and mindset in this way, you experience the world differently. Practice becomes fun.

    It become exciting to get up Monday morning to explore and discover, rather than try and do something “right”, or live up to someone’s expectations.

    It’s interesting that it’s often the driven, ambitious person who is the one who falls into the trap of becoming more and more results-oriented.

    Think about this:

    If time passes and you’re still not achieving the “results” you think you should, it becomes very easy to feel “I’m not good enough”, doesn’t it?

    Unfortunately, we’ve been conditioned to be result-oriented from an early age, through school, and through a lot of “training”.

    Let’s look at traditional singing training as an example:

    No discipline I am aware of tends to use words such as “proper”, “correct”, and “right” vs. “wrong” as much as in the world of traditional classical singing training.

    We should realize that effective sports trainers don’t use such nonsensical words.

    In the world of effective training, there is no such thing as “proper”.

    The only thing that matters is what is EFFECTIVE for you in your stage of development and depending on what you want to improve.

    That futile search for “proper”, for “perfection”, for what you “should accomplish”, is a surefire way to sap the joy out of you. 

    The feeling/fear of not being “good enough” hampers many. Probably you too, 

    The day when you are doing it “right” is a day that will never come. It’s a fantasy. 

    In fact, most “results” people strive for are fantasies because they actually aren’t aware of what they really want.

    The most common feedback you get.

    The most common feedback we get in life is when someone points out what is wrong. Why? Because that’s easy.

    we’ve been conditioned avoid the spelling “mistake”, avoid the math “error”, avoid making a fool out of yourself, don’t “miss”, don’t be flat, don’t be sharp, don’t crack, don’t do this and don’t do that.

    The fear of making mistakes, the fear of being wrong, the discomfort of messing up, the feeling of not being good enough, etc., takes a toll.

    Artists tend to get into the feeling that they always have to prove themselves.  Have you ever felt that?And the more successful you become, the more critiqued you’ll become on social media, for example.

    Athletes compete all the time and are benched the day they don’t do well.

    Entrepreneurs have to constantly fail and reinvent themselves, and struggle all day long. And many get into these fields with a deep desire to prove themselves. (This can be turned into beautiful fuel for the benefit of mankind.)

    So it’s very easy to become caught up in the feeling that “I’m not good enough”, and that “I’m not doing enough”. And with that pressure, joy quickly becomes absent.

    What is joy really?

    Joy comes from engagement in the process.

    Once you become deeper engaged in processes and develop deeper and deeper awareness, you develop at far more rapid speed, and experiences greater success as a results from that.

    Yes, “results” are actually a bi-product from how effectively you can engage in the process.

    So here are questions for you…

    Do you judge yourself or others in terms of “correct” vs “incorrect”, or “right” vs “wrong”, or “good” vs “bad”?

    What and who’s expectations are you trying to live up to?

    Do you feel you are not good enough? Do you feel life “should” be different?

    Yes, life COULD be very different when you become engaged in beautiful processes where you are engaged in exploration and discovery, and then experience rewarding progress from it.

    Post your comment below​.

    “Follow your dreams”! You’ve heard that all your life. And you’ve done it. Maybe as an artist, athlete, or entrepreneur. But now with all the struggle… the challenges… it’s not so fun anymore… you’ve lost the joy…

    It’s a common feeling for artists, athletes, and entrepreneurs.

    Dominic Cincotta is an amazing singer. But he lost the joy he once had for singing. I had the pleasure of meeting him at my Live Event in Melbourne, where he was gracious to come up on stage. Watch this video first. Then we’ll talk about how to ignite that joy again.

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  • Peak Performance: A Lesson From Tom Brady

    Peak Performance: A Lesson From Tom Brady

    Those who watched the Super Bowl Sunday witnessed something absolutely extraordinary – a remarkable display of peak performance that became the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

    Now let’s see what we can learn from this…

    I’ll be honest, I’m not a super fan of American Football. And however much you love or hate Tom Brady is irrelevant in regards to this subject matter. We should realize though that Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots, who by many is now considered the greatest quarterback in history has, in fact, often been derided for his far from exceptional physical skills.

    But there is something extraordinary that he has: His mental ability.

    The main reason I wanted to watch the game was to see what Brady, known for his peak performance skills, would do. How would he react in various situations?

    So how did the game begin for Tom Brady and his New England Patriots?

    Disastrous.

    Absolutely disastrous.

    After the first half they were down 3-21.

    But the questions I’d like to ask you is this: If you were in that situation, how would YOU feel? How would YOU respond?

    Now, we should realize that a “peak performer” is not someone who performs well all the time. The true essence of a peak performer is someone who is able to rise to the occasion, to be able to unleash the greatest capacity within when it matters the most, to be able to turn things around and find solutions when things aren’t going well.

    Improving this skill (and it is a developed skill) is not just important for athletes and performers, it makes all the difference in every area of your life.

    So the second half begins. Do things turn around for Brady and The Patriots? No, it gets even worse! Suddenly they are down 3-28!

    How would you feel? How would you respond?

    Now I’m in a room with about 100 people, and how do you think people react? Well, as usual, most people predict the future. Some leave, assuming it’s over. They may not realize this, but likely this is what they do in life too. That’s understandable.

    However, peak performers, high achievers, innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, are always about doing what hasn’t been done before, are always exploring what others may deem impossible.

    And then it began…

    Tom Brady and his teammates staged the greatest comeback in the history of the Super Bowl and perhaps in American Football history… perhaps one of the greatest comebacks in sports overall in a final performance…

    It was one of the greatest displays of peak performance I have ever seen… Brady and his team… intense, yet calm and poised… methodically moving forward… one play at a time…

    It’s about having the mental capacity to be calm, cool, poised, focused. It’s about getting into “flow state” or “the zone” where there is no rush of adrenaline (fight or flight), even though fear and anger can be powerful triggers. Your sensory experiences become heightened. You see possibilities in the toughest of situations. And you are able to unleash something remarkable from within.

    Well, when you watched the game, were you jumping up and down from excitement, feeling nervous, becoming emotional, yelling at the umpire, looking at the clock, thinking about the future and what must happen, reflecting on the past and how different it could have been if this or that had happened?

    Did those emotions increase the closer the Patriots came? Did you become more and more excited, more and more nervous as the game came to the final moments? Did you become more and more frustrated if you were rooting for the Falcons? Of course you did.

    But what if you were a player and not a spectator? Would it be different?

    For most people it would likely be marginally different. Increased anxiety with more pressure is common. That’s how most people react in life. Why wouldn’t we? It’s how the nervous system has been trained to operate. Reacting differently is a developed skill.

    I would argue that far too often we live our lives being spectators. Most have trained their nervous system to react based on being spectators. We get excited, angry, frustrated, ecstatic, and miserable from watching sports. We get excited, scared, angry, and violent by watching and reading the news. This is the training we have had, to be reactionary.

    I have often, from when I was young, played a mental game with myself to take on the role of a person in a specific situation. I want to live their lives in that moment, and I play out how would I want to be able to respond in that situation.

    Not only does that train you to take on challenges in your life, to become a higher “performer”, but it also serves to become more empathetic and understanding of other people.

    So as I watched the game, I play I’m in Tom Brady’s situation. I became cool, calm, poised, determined, feeling a deep sense of love and gratitude for being in that moment – the moment I love, the moment when I know I shine, the moment when I become one with my teammates, the moment I become unstoppable.

    Try it next time. Instead of just reacting to news, sports, a crisis, or any tough situation, imagine how you would like to be able to respond.

    What if you in that moment of “pressure” became calm, poised, bigger and stronger?

    What if you in that moment feel a deep sense of love, you embrace fears, and start seeing amazing possibilities and opportunities, knowing that you are unstoppable?

    This is what Brady is so good at. This is why he, like other peak performance masters, are always the best when the game is on the line. When it’s on the line, that is exactly the moment when he becomes the most calm, the most focused, the most poised, and why it rubs off on his teammates as we saw happen Sunday.

    So here’s a suggestion:

    Don’t just be a spectator. Practice mentally. Then do for real.

    Imagine that people will ask you afterwards “How were you able to that that?” Whereupon you respond: “Because that is what I do”.

    Please post your thoughts below.

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  • INFLUENCE: How To Get The Job, Sale, Or Win Your Audience

    INFLUENCE: How To Get The Job, Sale, Or Win Your Audience

    How can you have a far higher probability of being hired, of succeeding in a negotiation, winning a sale, succeeding with a presentation, winning the audition, and more?

    In short, how do you become more influential and get the outcome you want?

    Well, it’s actually far easier than you might think. But very few people know how…

    Right now, I’m hiring. I have an ad out looking for a person with writing and marketing skills to join my team. Tons of people have applied.

    But shockingly few know the “secret” I’m about to tell you. Most, I would say 95%, shoot themselves in the foot and lose opportunities because they simply don’t know this.

    (Why it is that so few know is amazing in and of itself. You would think we would learn this in school, but no…)

    Now, I will direct most of those 95% to this a page, and here’s a fair warning if you’re one of them: Reading this might at first upset you. (I’ll address why below.) However, when you read the last section, you might realize that this could be an extraordinary blessing.

    So here we go…

    Did you know that for any business owner finding and hiring good people is incredibly difficult?

    I’m part of several high level business networking groups, and I know many extraordinarily successful entrepreneurs and business owners. They all agree: It’s extremely hard to find “A level” people.

    And yet, so many are looking for work. This seems strange, doesn’t it?

    Have you ever gotten angry when someone less qualified is hired, or gets a pay raise instead of you? I know many nice people, with great experiences and high level qualifications that can’t get an interview. Many grow bitter and feel their years of experience and their expertise should qualify them.

    Well, here’s the shocker: Your experience and expertise is not what matters.

    Here’s what matters…

    What is the most fundamental and important part in any communication, in any performance, in any situation where you would like to influence the outcome?

    In fact, what do you think the most important word is for any copywriter?

    What is most important if you want to create a connection with anyone? Whether it is to make a sale or have a great first date?

    That’s right, it is “know thy audience”. It is the word YOU.

    It’s funny, because the position I’m looking to fill right now is for someone with good writing and marketing skill. And even among these, 95% fail. Isn’t that interesting?

    Every cover letter tends to be about me me me me. Very few address “you” – the person they are writing to. The cover letter is almost always generic talking about themselves. Big mistake.

    In my ad, my name is mentioned, and there is a link to one of my sites. How hard is it to do a little research?

    A letter that talks about me me me me, shows that you have not bothered to do any research whatsoever. You haven’t bother to find out who your audience is. You therefore come across as not understanding the most fundamental part of writing, copywriting, marketing and sales, or even communication.

    Why do you think my business is successful? Why do so many buy my products? Because I talk about me me me? No, because I understand your dilemma, such as when your voice isn’t functioning, when those high notes feel squeezed and you go flat, or when you experience performance anxiety.

    I understand the fear of not feeling loved, of not sounding good enough, and the desire of wanting to become more charismatic, attractive and feel more confident.

    If you have a performance coming up and your voice isn’t functioning they way you want it to, I know the enormous stress and anxiety that creates. The idea of performing is no no longer fun. I also know how amazing it feels when we release the tension, so your voice soars like never before and the audience goes wild because of it.

    I can help you with this. You know I can, because you’ve seen many others with similar issues having been helped.

    You know I offer you a way to experience profound improvements within yourself by trying the Sing With Freedom or Speak With Freedom programs without any risk what-so-ever. (Yes, you get a 100% refund, which few ever ask for.)You know you can come to my live events and have a tremendous experience like so many in 4 countries have had in the last year. You’ll learn about the power of influence, how to become a super effective communicator, a rapid learner, and a high performer in life.

    Yes, it will have a profound impact on your singing, speaking, performing and your life, as you become more empowered and confident. With these newfound skills you’ll be able to wake up every morning being more inspired, creative and productive.

    See, I just sold my products and my events there, didn’t I?

    But I spoke about you, not me. And I am sincere about wanting to help you, and have developed skills in order to be able to live up to that promise.

    Now if you had submitted an application and you realize you only wrote about yourself in your cover letter (some don’t even send a cover letter and seriously think anyone cares about a resume), the initial reaction might be that you now feel embarrassed or dumb.

    You might even feel anger and resistance to this article. Your brain goes “oh well, he doesn’t deserve my skills anyway”, and you become bitter like a lot of people.

    And this brings us to a vital part of the art of Peak performance that I teach at my live events. How are you conditioned to react to “failures” and “mistakes”?

    What if you react with “Aha, I made a mistake. This is awesome”, and then you write back and say “Hi Per, your article was really fascinating, and it made me realize how you…. etc., etc. What if you write back and say “Hi Per, I watched your video about… and I really like how you…etc., etc…”

    See now you have become a potential winner. Now you have shown that you are someone who rapidly learns from mistakes and grows from them. Now you have shown that you are willing to do research, that you care about and respect the company/person, it’s product and it’s message and that you realize how you could be a wonderful addition.

    THAT is the person one wants to hire!

    Any business owner want the person who is not afraid of making “mistakes”, who is not afraid of “failing”, but who quickly learns from them. It is the person who can effectively learn from every experience who becomes a superstar for the business.

    The last person a business wants to hire is the person who thinks he/she is an expert, who thinks many years of experience is what counts. Yes, the worst person to hire is the person who think he/she knows it all. A business owner wants someone who is creative, innovative, and someone who loves to learn.

    The dilemma among many who have been in the work force for a long time is that they forget that. They think it’s unfair that a young person with less experience is hired.

    But people aren’t hired because they are young. They are hired because they have a young mentality. We want the person who is hungry, who wants to learn, grow, and be challenged, who is not stuck in seeing something one way, but who is flexible, open-minded and therefore learns any new skill rapidly. That is the person who is valuable.That is the person we want!

    Is that you?

    (If you are a great writer and communicator, good at social media and marketing or want to be part of my team in some other way, then you are welcome to email [email protected]

    So here’s what to do: Next time you communicate with someone, be curious and be there to learn about that person. What is their dilemma? What is holding them back? What do they love? What inspires him/her? What makes him/her happy? How can you help? How can you make him/her feel better and loved? How can you help someone become more successful?

    This applies to whether you are on a date, in business meeting, or on stage. If you know your audience and you are there to do something for your audience, you instantly become far more attractive, charismatic and influential.

    Feel free to click the like button and post your insights below.

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  • Taylor Swift’s Former Manager Shares Powerful Insights

    Taylor Swift’s Former Manager Shares Powerful Insights

    Do you want a bigger and more enthusiastic audience when you sing? What if you had a bigger following on social media and could have a bigger impact on your world?

    In the video below you meet Rick Barker – Taylor Swift’s former manager. I had the pleasure of having Rick attend my live event in Las Vegas and I truly appreciate him as a person and what he does for artist.

    Yes, Rick was Taylor Swift’s manager and was instrumental in launching her career. He has also been the social media mentor for American Idol contestants, and has been advising and helping many artists and record labels. Most of all he is a human being with a big heart wanting to help people.

    Navigating the industry, getting work, getting seen as an artist is tricky. Many up-an-coming artist approach it backwards and lose out on enormous opportunity. But with skills and good guidance things become so much easier. And this applies to any field, not just artists. Watch this video:

    Click to check out Rick’s Social Media Challenge Click to check out Rick’s Social Media For Music

    Please like and share this post.

    Add a comment or ask a question below, and Rick and I will respond.

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