You Are What You Believe

As Henry Ford so wisely said “whether you think you can, or you think you can’t… you’re right.”

I had to do a 15-minute presentation today in front of my business networking group and rather than just bore everyone talking about myself and my experiences singing and performing, I decided to have the whole group do a mock singing lesson and give them a taste of what my students experience. It was so much fun to see 40 people standing up, waving their arms, barking like dogs and hissing. I was happy to see that they allowed themselves to just play and have fun with it rather than holding back and being timid. One thing though that stood out for me was that a few of the people in the group commented that they “just couldn’t just sing”. When talking with them after, it turned out that someone had made a negative comment about their singing ability early on in their lives and they have held onto that belief ever since.

It is amazing the power adults have over children and how one negative comment can create a belief system within a child that can limit them for the rest of their life. How different things could have been if that teacher had of said “wow, you really have a fantastic voice there… how about if we tried this?” That very same person could be the lead singer of a rock band or the best member of their choir. The actual person is the same but the belief system would have been different and therefore all of the associated behaviours after that moment would have reinforced the belief that they COULD, not that they COULDN’T.

Barring any physical limitations such as damaged vocal chords or a collapsed lung, almost every human being has the ability to sing. Training the ear to find pitch, training the body to breathe properly, training the vocal chords to vibrate effectively and the numerous muscle groups to work in conjunction with each other can all be taught but undeniably the most important muscle involved in the entire process is the one between your ears – your mind. Your own belief system and your own desire to achieve your goal is the single most important and powerful component to your success. This truth applies to every aspect of your life – thoughts become things… choose the good ones!

Again, if you can speak, you can SING. No matter WHAT anyone else says. Period.