Lesson 14: Music makes the world go 'round

Music: the universally understood medium that breaks all social, economic, & cultural barriers. It's known to grasp the deepest parts of the human soul to uplift, depress, inspire... or to even just make you get down witcha bad self. Sometimes the messages and distinct sounds music puts forth can be so powerful that they leave you immersed in a world encompassing that temporary theme. Visions become tangible. Emotions surface. Reality becomes surreal.

For the past month or so, I have been so inspired by music that I delayed my schoolwork just to listen to it. It's amazing how so many different musicians can portray their own interpretation of their feelings or life's circumstances within their songs and make it sound so good. I've always been inclined to write my own, but it's such a difficult task, so it makes such talented musicians all the more inspiring. One thing I know for sure though: music brings me happiness.

Today, a friend came over and we had our first jam session together. He rocked the acoustic guitar while I sang and played the keys. Our goal this summer is to get good enough to do a few open mic nights, then maybe get signed after graduation and work as part-time floater pharmacists and part-time rockstars as we tour the country. =P But for now, we're just focusing on a few covers to get us into the gist of making music. We got through 2 full songs today, and there are a few more we're planning on doing for our practice next week.

It's exciting to finally make good use of a hobby I've had for so long! Hopefully that excitement will be transposed into work and determination so we can produce some awesome results.

Lesson 13: The Secret Motivation

"If you think you can or can't, you're probably right." -- Henry Ford

Last night, I watched a video called "The Secret Motivation." They revealed a secret that was kept for thousands of years among great leaders about the key to a prosperous life. I'm about to tell you that secret right now. The secret is....

The Law of Attraction.

If you believe and feel something is going to happen, it will happen. It's basically a different way of thinking. Thoughts may not be physical things, but they contain energy and attract everything that you experience in your life, whether you think they do or not. How it happens is not a factor-- how it happens is under the control of the universe. It's somewhat related to Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." When I'm late for work, that's when I hit all the red lights, that's when I get stuck behind all of Florida's senior citizens, that's when a damn goose decides to cross the road. Why? Because I keep thinking about what I do NOT want. The universe does not sense that you don't want it. It only senses the negative energy. If you give off negative energy, you attract negative things.

We often talk about things we don't want or don't like in our lives. If you shift your focus from what you don't want to what you DO want, if you think about it all the time, if you envision it, if you believe it, if you feel it, it will eventually come to you. The things you attract and experience are physical manifestations of your thoughts and feelings. We can almost control our entire lives by using our mind and emotions as a magnet to get us to where we want to be.

There are a few guidelines with this new way of thinking:

• The main two things you need are thoughts and feelings. You can't just set a goal and think about it to be able to have it -- you must feel it, you must believe it and envision it like you already have it.
• When you have distractions or things that make you feel bad, surround yourself with something that leaves you feeling good (e.g. relaxing music, a pet). That way, it will reinforce the good feelings and it will keep you focused on what you want.
• Say things in the most positive way possible. Instead of being anti-war, be pro-peace. Instead of not wanting debt, say you want income. Say you want an excellent presentation instead of wanting to not make mistakes.
  
• Things don't come right away, so don't be discouraged when you don't get them instantly.
• Appreciate what you already have every day.
• You must believe that you deserve what you want.

If you really think about this idea, it's pretty much taught in every religion. If you erase the word "universe" and call it "God" instead, then it's Christianity or Judaism. If you're atheist, "universe" is just fine because there is no higher being described in any of it -- it's just undiscovered science. Steve was just telling me he was reading a Bruce Lee book and everything I was telling him about this video is basically what Bruce Lee was teaching in his book.

Another point is... don't define yourself by where you are right now because that's only RIGHT NOW. "Ugh, my girlfriend left me, my boss wants me fired, I'm $7,000 in debt. My life sucks. I'm such a failure." Where you are right at this moment is a result of your old way of thinking. If you change your thinking now and start thinking positively, get your crap together and keep telling yourself that you can get out of this, you WILL get out of it.

I thought about how it related to me and I came to a realization of both negative and positive results:

• Negative: Ever since high school, I didn't want to be a pharmacist. I had such passion for not wanting to be one that I even wrote poems about it in my Creative Writing class, I wrote diary entries about how much I'm not cut out for it... and here I am, about to complete my second year of pharmacy school.
• Positive: For a few weeks, I've been musically inspired. I learned a new song on the piano, I YouTubed many musicians that made me more inclined to sing and play the piano, and deep down I really wanted to show people how much I loved it. Well... two blogs ago, I was unexpectedly signed up for an open mic night for the first time. How awesome is that?

Yeah, all this may sound like a bunch of garbage... hell, I'm still kinda skeptical. I don't understand it all that much. But saying just that ties into itself: if you don't believe it, it won't work. If you do believe it, it will work. But I'll see if I can give it a try.

Maybe you can too.

Lesson 12: First time in the spotlight -- me, the keys, and my voice.

(Taken from my Xanga.)

Tonight was almost a cornerstone in my life.

After our exam, a bunch of my classmates decided to go out to Dick's Wings at Tinseltown. It was open mic night. I enjoy open mic nights just because I like seeing what kind of local talent there is out there. I had to go home first so Gail and I met up with my classmates later. When I got there, Megan greeted me at the door excitedly and said, "I signed you up!"

Oh ffffaaaack.

I went inside and she was a little too eager to show that my name was written on the list, ending with "pianist extraordinaire." Great. They're way too excited now-- I can't let them down. She only knew I was into music after I posted a song on Facebook. I've never formally sung AND played the piano for a live audience before. (If that's considered formal.)

I was pretty much the last performer (out of 5) so the place had almost completely cleared out by the time I was up, so it helped me a little with my nervousness. My friends were giving me encouraging words and saying things like, "Don't worry, you'll do awesome!" which is something we're not supposed to do in Communications class because it gives the other person false hopes. (What does my professor know anyway.) Michael -- I'm guessing the manager -- was very courteous and friendly and came up to me a few times asking what I'll be playing. I told him I was nervous, that "THEY signed me up," and I named a few songs I thought about playing. He asked me if I would feel more comfortable with someone playing drums and bass, and maybe they could adlib a few things to fit my performance. He didn't know how to play any songs I knew, so we both decided it would be best if it was just me and the piano (*GASP*).

I had to play a few notes to warm up, then I went to play my newly-learned song, "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles. I messed up once or twice and had to restart, mostly because the keyboard was out of tune. (I still don't understand how a KEYBOARD could be out of tune.) As I played, I warmed up a little to the keys and the mic and I found that it was a little easier to press things and sing things. My band of groupies stood in front of the piano, but I only saw their silhouettes because the spotlight was aimed directly at me.

The song was over before I knew it and I heard my classmates cheer. They wanted an encore and Megan suggested "that Michelle Williams" song, which I translated into "that Vanessa Carlton" song and it figures we were talking about the same thing... lol. My hands almost glided over the keys that time and my voice was a little more at ease.

The last song I played -- which they also encored for -- was, almost embarrassingly, "Part of Your World" from the Little Mermaid. Don't get me wrong, I love that song-- I just didn't know if it was what the people in the room wanted to hear. But eh, who else was listening anyway?

I would've played it brilliantly if it weren't for those kids and that dog. The damn keyboard tunage was annoying. I kept wondering if my voice was off key, so when I took a breath before the verse, I listened to the keyboard, and when I sung the verse in tune with the notes, it sounded like I was off b/c of a few keys, but I wasn't. I WASN'T, I tell you! It was the keyboard!

We'll see when the video gets back.

After it was all over, my classmates were congratulating me and individually told me how "awesome" I was, which made me feel really good to know that they thought that. My friend Adam was giving me hints that I should be in the band he's trying to get together this summer. I was flattered. Michael came up to me as I was leaving and he told me I did a great job. "Every Thursday night is open mic night, so you're more than welcome to come sign up again." Very nice guy.

Music for me will probably never be more than a hobby because I don't think I have enough talent to actually make it out in the music business, but that's not to say I can't have fun with it. Doing what I did tonight inspires me to try to be better at what I do and it taught me that I have more confidence than what my little mind thinks.