FREE Vocal Tips for Reaching Your 2009 Goals!

Dear Dot,
"I want to make 2009 a better year, but every year I fall into the same rut. January I stay on top of my game and it just goes downhill from there. How can I reach my vocal goals in 2009?"
~K.B.

ALIGN WITH YOUR INNER DIVINE IN 2009!

In my last Vlog, entitled, "Beliefs About Your Voice" I spoke of identifying the limiting beliefs we have about our voice. I also taught on my Singspiration page how to "fire the inner critic" and develop "vocal gratitude." Now it's a new year. A time to let go of the things that aren't serving us, and create what we want, keeping in mind that, "no good can come out of negative thinking-only the same." It amazes me how negative people's thoughts are about their singing.

The reason why most people's New Year's resolutions don't work is because they try to unrealistically change the effect, ("I want to be a rockstar") instead of changing the cause, the inner core beliefs that enable their behavior. ("I don't feel like practicing every day because really, I don't have what it takes to be a rockstar.")

What were some of your beliefs about your voice? Did you write them down? Are you willing to take the next step and create new "inner divine" beliefs that will help you achieve your goals?

Throughout the years, I've heard everything from:

"I should be famous by now!" to "Trust me, my voice is probably one of the worst voices on the planet."

Now is a time for us to decide how our beliefs are serving us. How do they make us feel? Are they really helping us and bringing us closer to our goals? Are they really true? What kind of empowering beliefs can we replace them with in order to help us achieve our goals?

The system I created for singers works because it helps them learn how to approach each day, releasing everything they don't want to bring into the day, and thinking about what they do want to create. This is pertinent for singers to know and practice, because before a singer performs a powerful song, they must have a plan. If they haven't planned what they want to CREATE during that song, then their mind will just "default" to whatever they're used to thinking about. Many people zone out when they sing: sometimes they get self-conscious and nervous, and sometimes they deliver - exactly how they wanted to or even better! Obviously practice plays a huge role in the process. But if every time we practice, we're stressed out, and our underlying core belief is that we're no good, then we might be setting ourselves up for failure.

Wouldn't it be nice to just open the mouth to sing, and have it feel like a natural part of our amazing expression? Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to go into "singing mode," but our voice was free and open because we are authentically free and open and have changed our limiting beliefs about our voice to empowering ones?

An experiment

1. Take one limiting belief you have about your voice and replace it with a new empowering belief. You must agree with this new belief at least 50%. (We have to be realistic here!)

Example:
Old Belief:"My voice is flat and dull sounding"
New Belief: "I sing with ease and power."

2. Don't try to change how you sing or do anything unnatural. Every morning, say your new empowering belief with a feeling of conviction, as if you embody this desired skill. Imagine what it would be like to "sing with ease and power."

3. Monitor your thoughts throughout the day if you default back to the old negative thought, kindly replace it with the new one and don't beat yourself up for being negative.

4. Reflect about what you experience daily in your vocal journal.

5. Be sure to complement your positive thinking with the right kind of vocal exercises. If you haven't bought my "Practicing with C.O.R.E. Power" CD yet,visit my website for more support.

6. Practice this for one month. In a month's time, see if anything has changed for you. Feel free to write us here at info@dotsvoicestudios.com and share your experiences with us!

I've had nothing but success practicing this process and watching my students grow from it as well! Remember:

"We can only receive what we can conceive."

We sing because it is FUN! Singing is to tell a story, share our energy and hopefully take people on a journey that touches them forever. What kind of journey would you like to create for yourself?

Are you ready to ALIGN with your INNER DIVINE and REFINE in 2009?

I certainly hope so, and I will be cheering you on, providing you support and more interactive tools along the way!

May you have a happy, inspiring, productive New Year!

Sing to me soon!

Dot Todman,

Vocal Empowerment Coach

Dot's Voice Studios
Los Angeles, CA
310.497.6193
"Empowering Voices Everywhere"


SINGERS - want to fill out a Special Goal Sheet designed by Dot for 2009? Become a member, login and click the 2009 goals link!

Related Articles:
"How to Overcome the Inner Critic"
"How to Create Inner Vocal Gratitude"