Tag: music

See if you can spot the key lessons in this story…

The legendary founding father, Thomas Jefferson, planted a tree outside his bedroom window in 1807. We know that fact because he recorded it in his journal. Around 1870, a photograph of Monticello shows the poplar tree Jefferson planted, now healthy and tall. But by 2008, the tree became diseased and had to be cut down to protect Jefferson’s famous home.

But all was not lost.

U.S. President Thomas Jefferson

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation contacted two guitar builders in Virginia by the name of Huss & Dalton. They wanted to see if they could make guitars from the 200 year old fallen tree. This would be a bold and risky move, as poplar is not a wood normally used to create guitars (though some builders have done it). It’s considered very hard and difficult wood to work with.

Still, the builders wanted to try.

Monticello Edition OO Guitar #3

They succeeded.

Huss & Dalton worked hard and created three guitars from the historic tree. All three were being sold through the Jefferson Foundation at Monticello. The first two guitars left without my even knowing they had been built. But by the time the third one was in progress, I knew of it and wanted to be one of the first to see it when it was completed.

When it was ready, it was loaned out to Artisan Guitars in Nashville. Artisan was to introduce the historic collectible guitar to the guitar world. One of the first loyal customers they contacted was me.

I saw all the photos of the guitar, read the description, and knew it was for me. That 200 year old wood would have a resonance to it that would sing. The fact that Jefferson planted the tree made it even more significant. Plus I already owned two Huss & Dalton guitars and love them. (One guitar inspired the song “Ghost Train” on my fourth music album, The Healing Song.)

Some people buy stocks; I buy guitars. I knew this would be a sound investment.

Thomas Jefferson visits me

I wanted it.

But I also knew others would be seeing it, such as famed country western guitar slinger Brad Paisley. I needed to act quick. I did, by fed-xing a cashier’s check for the full amount for the guitar. I wanted it alright.

NOW.

When it arrived the next day, I was so excited I asked Nerissa to film the unveiling. (You can watch it below.)

“Do not neglect your music. It will be a companion which will sweeten many hours of life to you.” – Thomas Jefferson, 1790

The guitar is a small body size OO style, a little bigger than the 1867 parlor sized Martin I own. The Jefferson guitar’s wood is Red Spruce from Virginia on top, with back and sides made from the gorgeous tulip poplar Jefferson planted in 1807. The bridge and fretboard is persimmon while the neck wood is black walnut. The lower fretboard has a wood burned engraving of Monticello, and Jefferson’s signature, by artist Kenny Farmer.

Jefferson Monticello Guitar Close-Up

The sound of this little steel string is smooth, surprisingly loud, and resonant. Playing it is easy. Right out of the case, and after tuning it, I started playing it effortlessly, smoothly, pretending Jefferson was sitting in the room, eyes closed, smile on his face, soaking up the heavenly music in the air. Since Jefferson was a musician who played the violin and bought guitars for his family, I know he would love this special guitar and it’s magical sound.

Obviously, I love the guitar.

Mathew Dixon with "Jefferson"

But what does all of this have to do with the Law of Attraction and attracting what you want?

The brief answer is this: There’s nothing in me interfering with guitar collecting. I have no beliefs saying anything negative, limiting, or counter to my desire.

Of course, it wasn’t always that way.

When I was struggling in poverty in Houston, trying to get published and feeling frustrated, collecting guitars never entered my mind. I was into survival. As I kept working on myself — through countless books, seminars, audios, and finally with coaching — I was able to break free.

Daniel Barrett with "Jefferson"

And that’s the point.

People trying to attract something into their lives often don’t realize they first need to get clear of any unconscious beliefs about what they want to attract.

I’ve spoken and written about this insight for almost two decades now, but it doesn’t hurt to convey the same message through a different story. This story about my attracting the famed guitar reveals what it takes to attract whatever you want.

Here are some key lessons:

1. I knew what I wanted. (Do you know what you want?)

2. I took action. (Are you taking action?)

3. I kept clear. (Are you getting clear?)

That’s it. When you know what you want, take action toward it, and remove any limiting beliefs about having it, you will tend to attract (and move toward) what you want fast and easy.

I created Miracles Coaching years ago to help people in this area. I’ve learned that it is way too easy not to see your own limiting beliefs. You are living within the beliefs, so unless someone points them out to you, you may never realize what they are.

“Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” – Thomas Jefferson

If you’re drooling to get a guitar like this of your own, Huss & Dalton plans to make two more. Go see their site.

Meanwhile, listen to the music of your soul – and act on what you hear.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS– You can hear the wonderful guitar being played (not by me) at http://artisanguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/images/H-D-Monticello.mp3 You can watch me receiving the Thomas Jefferson Monticello guitar made by Huss & Dalton right here:

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One of the most powerful ways to transform your mind and body is something I learned four decades ago from the classic self-help book, The Magic of Believing, written in 1948 by Claude Bristol. It’s called The Mirror Technique.

I’ll explain the basic method to you, and then give you my breakthrough hi-tech add-on to it. With this new combined and upgraded approach, you’ll feel like you have superhuman powers.

Imagine what you would aim for if you had the power of a super hero. Let that roll around in your mind as you continue reading…

Bristol wrote an entire chapter on The Mirror Technique in his famous book (which is still in print today). This excerpt gives you a clear idea of how the method works:

“Many great orators, preachers, actors, and statesmen have used the mirror technique. According to Drew Pearson, Winston Churchill never made a speech of importance unless he made it before a mirror first. Pearson also declared that Woodrow Wilson employed the same technique. It’s what I call a supercharging method of stepping up the speaker’s subconscious forces so that when he or she appears before an audience, those forces flow out also and affect the listeners. By using the mirror in rehearsing the speech as you are going to deliver it, you are creating a picture of yourself, your words, the sound of your voice, and your sight of the audience, to which the immediate future is to bring reality. By looking into the mirror, you increase the mental vibrations by which the force and meaning of your words will quickly penetrate to your audience’s subconscious minds.

“This mirror technique gives a possible clue to the power and personal magnetism of certain evangelists. I knew Bill Sunday in his heyday and often heard him preach, but in those days, knowing little or nothing about this Mind Stuff, I was puzzled as to how he and other great evangelists were able to influence people to such a remarkable degree. However, we now have proof that Billy Sunday was versed in the use of the mirror technique; it was given by Eric Sevareid in his book Not So Wild a Dream, published in 1946. Mr. Sevareid tells how he – as a young newspaper reporter – secured an interview with Billy Sunday: “’He bounded about the hotel room, now peering intently out of the window, with one foot on the sill, now grasping the dressing-table firmly in both hands while lecturing his reflection in the mirror.’”

In short, you stand before a mirror big enough to see your face and torso, stare into your eyes, and then speak out loud about what you want to have, do, or be. You give yourself the pep talk of all time. You reprogram your mind with your voice and your own authority.

Reveals Mirror Technique

I was reminded of the technique while watching J. Edgar, the movie by Clint Eastwood about FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. There’s a scene where Hoover’s mother coaches him to realize he can dance by urging him to look into his mirror and tell himself he could do so.

Believe me, this works. When you first look into the mirror, you may cringe or feel weak. But when you stick with it, and truly command yourself, you can transform into a powerful Law of Attraction super being.

But let’s not stop there.

Now, what could be better than The Mirror Technique?

Brace yourself.

During the recent making of my fourth album, titled The Healing Song, the band and I spontaneously created  an original piece of music that is so engaging, it is virtually entrancing. It’s mesmerizing.

Just listening to it can put you into an altered state. I can’t explain how we actually created the music, as it feels like we were guided by Divine inspiration. Whatever the case, it is a riveting, mood altering track.

When we played the music back in the studio, famous drummer Joe Vitale — who has almost five decades of experience with rock and roll legends such as Neil Young and Joe Walsh — said the track wouldn’t allow any other sounds or instruments added to it.

Except one thing.

Creators of The Healing Song

My voice.

“It wants you,” Joe told me.

At first I didn’t know what that meant. But that night, as I was driving home from a long day in the studio, I received even more Divine inspiration. I almost pulled off the freeway to write down my thoughts. But instead I turned on my iPhone and recorded the words coming to me.

When I went back into the studio, I told my music producer, Daniel Barrett, to cue up that mesmerizing track and turn on the microphone. I then recorded the most empowering commands of my entire hypnotic career.

These statements go beyond mere affirmations and feel-good self talk. These are truths about the almost supernatural power you have inside yourself to attract By-God miracles.

These commands move your attention from your little self to your all powerful big Self — yes, the Self with a capital S for Superhuman or Spiritual Human.

At the end of my spoken words, Daniel said, “Oh My God! That was phenomenal!”

With the original enchanting music and the empowering commands combined, I knew we had a track that could change lives. I knew it would be a stand-out on the new album.

But I wasn’t done.

I was inspired with one more step.

The morning I was to pick up drummer Joe Vitale from the airport, I told Nerissa how he is proof of a parallel universe. She was still half asleep and didn’t process what I said. She thought I was talking about some sort of mirror. I had to explain that since the other JV was coming, it was proof a mirror universe existed.

But her confusion led to a breakthrough idea.

I thought, “What if I created a mirror that you could look at yourself in, but that also had speakers and that empowering music track already in it?”

You could step up, look in the mirror, push play, and then listen to the most empowering commands of all time as the most entrancing music of all time riveted you on the spot.

This would combine the best of all self-help and self-improvement methods to truly re-wire your brain to attract and achieve amazing results.

And all you would have to do is look in the mirror!

Talk about easy!

Whew!

Right then and there, I knew this was a hi-tech improvement to Bristol’s famous Mirror Technique.

I knew I wanted “The Empowered Mirror” — the name I coined for it — right then and there.

When I told the idea to a couple of select friends, they said the same thing: “That’s brilliant! I want the mirror, too!”

I then did some in-depth Google searching but couldn’t find anything even close to my idea. I found some baby monitors that had mirrors and played soothing music, such as the Brica Day and Night Light Musical Mirror. That was for babies.

And I found a couple shower mirrors that could play your music via a wireless transmitter, which seemed complicated. And that was for in the shower.

Neither was what I wanted.

I wanted a portrait-sized mirror with built-in speakers and pre-programmed with my empowering music track. It might even have the capability to allow people to record their own commands, or to upload their own music. But my basic idea was to have a vanity mirror that could play Empowered!, the incredible track from my new album, The Healing Song.

What I needed was a manufacturer.

I then went and contacted the people behind the fitness equipment I love — the Nexersys — to ask their advice on how to create such a mirror. Terry Jones, developer of the Nexersys, is a genius at developing products and bringing them to market. I had interviewed him for my Hypnotic Gold subscribers, and knew he could point me in the right direction. So I told him my story.

Terry told me about the Alibaba site at http://www.alibaba.com, where I could post my need and manufacturers in China and other places around the globe could respond. I did just that. I received two dozen emails from people who didn’t know how to type or understand English. It was funny and frustrating.

But one woman in the pack of oddities seemed professional, persistent, and polite. I decided to wire her $120 to make a sample of what I had in mind. It took four weeks just to get the wire exactly right so her bank would accept the transfer. But you and I both know persistence is a key to success. I kept at it.

When her company finally made the prototype for me in China, and shipped it to me, I was disappointed. It was a clunky woman’s makeup compact case with a USB port and built-in speakers. I didn’t think people would want yet another heavy item to carry around. And the USP wasn’t as easy to use as it sounds to transfer music tracks. I decided to pass on the idea.

While there are still ideas I might play with — like creating an app that does what I want and plays the Empowered track for you — probably the best straight line to success is to simply suggest you go buy the album and transfer the Empowered! track wherever you want it. You could then play the track on your phone, or iPad, or any device you preferred. And you could look at yourself in the mirror as you did so.

Again, this is one of the most powerful tools you can use to transform yourself. Just look at yourself in the mirror and give yourself a pep talk as you listen to the music that inspires you the most. For me, the Empowered! song off my new album does the trick. But you can use whatever music makes your heart sing and your feet dance.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

Check out The Healing Song.

Ao Akua,

joe

PS — You can listen to samples of all 11 tracks, download the title track, and/or buy the entire album on CD by going to The Healing Song.

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Now that my fourth music album (The Healing Song) is complete and ready for the world, I thought I’d give you a little background on each song. This one has three Grammy winners involved, legendary band members, and is a true labor of love.

Credits for "The Healing Song"

You can hear samples of the 11 songs at The Healing Song and of course you can order the audio CD there, too.

“Ghost Train” came from playing around with a brand new Huss & Dalton acoustic guitar made in part from 100 year old “sinker” mahogany, meaning the wood had been under water in Belize for a century. All guitars have something to say. I was holding this Huss & Dalton, fooling around with chords and words, and suddenly a unique strumming pattern emerged, along with my moaning. I never realized the moaning was a train whistle until weeks after recording it. This is a protest song, about ending war, and came from the depths of me. I don’t consciously focus on war, but apparently my unconscious does. When we recorded it, both famous drummer Joe Vitale and renown bass player Glenn Fukunaga said if they heard this on the radio, they’d stop whatever they were doing and turn it up. It’s haunting.

“Pray the Devil (Back to Hell)” erupts from my soul as a type of catharsis. It was almost the title of the album. The idea is to truly beat the devil back into the bushes with rock music and prayer. The rock tempo and impassioned lyrics are a healing in music form. You’ll feel it. It’s intense.

“Faith” came as a tie-in to a book I have coming out in 2013 titled, well, Faith. I don’t seem able to control music, but I can request it. This song came from my prayer to write something that would co-promote the book. The muse honored my request and gave this upbeat yet stern song. The beach music vibe is in stark contrast to the minor key chorus asking you where’s your faith when things turn bleak. Who needs faith? You do.

CD for "The Healing Song"

“Glow” came to me as I worked with my guitar teacher, Mathew Dixon. I wanted to remind people that joy was in them and with them no matter what the world presented. You could “glow” no matter what. This is the kind of song I feel a parent could sing to a child, to convey wisdom about life. It has a Jim Morrison or Black Keys feel. I love it.

“What’s your Name?” is a long and in your face terse song about a woman who betrays you. But the woman is really the muse. She messes with you. You ask for one thing, she gives another. You play a certain style of music, she makes you play another. I’ve learned to obey her, but I still wonder who she really is. I’m the puppet and she pulls my strings. Disturbing yet freeing.

“Empowered!” is a stand out. It triggers inner strength. I’m talking walk-on-water power. Listening to it can make you feel superhuman. It began with me playing a 1960s Danelectro amp-in-the-case vintage electric guitar, trying to improvise the opening of the famous Janis Joplin song Summertime. You won’t hear Janis, though. You’ll hear my band — Glenn, Joe, Daniel Barrett, me — improvising some of the most mesmerizing music EVER. Glenn played the most hypnotic ukulele I’ve ever heard. I then went back and added my vocals; statements of empowerment that are addressed to your big Self not your little self. These are reminders of your God-like power. I’m telling you, this track can change your life FOREVER. The result is hypnotic. I play it daily. Whew.

Cover of "The Healing Song"

“Sunny Side” is my version of the public domain classic, “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life.” Daniel and I kicked around ways to record it. Almost everyone does an upbeat rockish gospel version. I wanted something different. My spoken word, then softly sung chorus, is the ticket. You’ve probably never heard such a soothing version of this famous song. Healing.

“Smile” is a step in the direction of my being a crooner. I love Dean Martin’s approach to this 1954 hit but wanted my own. This is it. While it can be seen as a song of despair, it’s actually a song of hope. It’s barely a minute and a half long, but its message warms my heart and makes me, er, smile. I’m proud of it.

“The Healing Song” is a hypnotic ode, created with my spoken words and the cello playing and original music of Grammy winner David Darling. I kept a lot of things in mind when composing the poetry to this, from the healing mental treatments of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby to what I’ve learned from my forty plus years in hypnosis. This is a powerful track. We recorded this one first, not knowing what the other tracks would be at the time. You can listen to it whenever you have a challenge, and let it help you vanish the issue. It’s magic. (It’s also free to download at www.thehealingsong.com.)

My band for "The Healing Song"

“Perfect Love” is for fun. I had it when I recorded Strut! (my first singer-songwriter album) but didn’t feel it was worthy of being recorded. It seemed silly and confusing. But when I performed it for my music peers, they loved it. So it went on this album. It’s not about anything more than self-delusion and then self-acceptance. You are good enough.

“Put Your Pants Back On” is all fun but with a message. I wanted to warn parents that if they weren’t careful in April, they’d make a Christmas baby. I’m a Christmas baby (born December 29) and know the pain of growing up getting two presents on Christmas day: one for my birthday, one for Christmas. You may think that’s no big deal, until on your birthday there isn’t a gift or a party. People think there were several people in the studio when we recorded this one but it was just Daniel Barrett and myself. It’s spontaneous and fun, and I chuckle whenever I hear it. I dare you not to enjoy it.

You can hear samples of the songs over at The Healing Song and of course you can order the CD there, too.

All four of my albums were created out of my fiery passion to enjoy life and create music that can heal. I’m hoping it inspires you to pursue your own dreams.

After all, isn’t that what life is all about?

Ao Akua,

joe

PS — My other healing music albums are at —

http://www.GetUpandStrut.com

http://www.HealingMojoMusic.com

http://www.AligningtoZero.info

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You may remember that Daniel Barrett and I are coming out with a book tilted The Remembering Process (Hay House, Feb. 2013).  It’s the first ever description of a breakthrough new creativity method for stretching your mind and altering time. It’s an advanced Law of Attraction technique. Recently I gave my first presentation ever on the subject, to my peers in the Transformational Leadership Council. You can watch the entire 45 minute talk right here. (It ends with a track from my new music album, The Healing Song.) I remember you loved it… 🙂

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Before a recent massage session, my massage therapist (Mary Rose Lam) told me how she made a horrible mess that morning.

She accidentally spilled her blueberry smoothie all over her gray carpet.  That left a big green stain. She was frustrated but told the story with a smile. I hadn’t been feeling well and the story made me laugh out loud. It shifted my mood.

“I’m really glad you spilled that smoothie,” I told her.

“Why?” she asked, looking surprised.

“Because you just brought a lot of joy to my morning.”

She laughed, knowing her sharing the story — even though it was a disappointment to her when the event happened — was pure entertainment to both of us when she related it to me after the fact.

I then told her I had somehow caught a bug and became sick earlier in the week. I rarely get ill, but this was alarming enough to cause me to cancel appointments and consider going to the hospital.

She looked concerned until I told her the rest of the story.

“On Wednesday — which would normally have been my time in the studio — I felt the urge to play the guitar. But when I picked it up, I didn’t have any strength for it. I was too weak. I put it down. But then I noticed my Dean Martin songbook. I flipped through it and saw the song called Smile. I put it on my music stand and sang it. To my amazement, it sounded great. I then pulled out my iPhone and recorded myself singing it. I emailed the song to Daniel Barrett, my music producer, and he said we should record it.”

I went on and explained that my new album, The Healing Song, is essentially done. We had just recorded ten songs and felt it was complete. Adding this new song would get it in under the wire, but that’s cutting it close. Yet I suspected and felt that I got sick to slow me down, so I could allow this new song to be noticed, and then added to my album. It would add something mystical and very different to the tracks. I felt the song was being pushed into my awareness by something greater than me.

What was pushing it into my awareness? We’ll look at that in a moment. Meanwhile…

My massage therapist was in awe.

“Every little thing is a miracle to you,” she said. “Even when you’re sick, you are led to a song that is going to transform your new album. You’re just so in the flow.”

She got me thinking.

Her spilling her blueberry smoothie seemed like it was “bad” to her, but the story an hour later made me laugh so hard I almost cried.

And my getting sick earlier in the week seemed “bad” to me, but it led to my discovering a song I am adding to my new album.

Well, what’s really bad then?

I’m sure you can come up with a list of things that most people would agree is bad, but what about these little snags and stumbles in your life?

Is getting sick bad?

Is spilling a smoothie bad?

Perhaps they’re all just miracles.

(Or am I “bad” in suggesting so?)

While you’re thinking, let me continue the story…

That Wednesday when I was ill and led to the song, Guy Monroe’s name kept coming to my mind. He had helped me with his vocal coaching for my album, Strut! His name was occurring to me again as I felt he could help me smooth out my singing for the song, Smile. I’m used to writing and singing songs that “holler and rock.” Smile is slow, relaxed, soft and meaningful. I felt I needed help with it. But I resisted the idea. (I was sick, remember.) It was easy to dismiss calling him.

But then something happened.

Guy sent me a text message.

He never texts me.

But he sent me a text message, just to say he was grateful for me being in his life.

That’s how the universe works. You get the messages internally first. But if you don’t listen, the messages start coming from the outside.

I’ll repeat that:

That’s how the universe works. You get the messages internally first. But if you don’t listen, the messages start coming from the outside.

I finally listened.

I called Guy. I told him about the Smile song. He instantly agreed to see me. We worked on Smile for three hours. And when I went into Daniel Barrett’s studio to record it, Guy met me there for support.

We recorded four versions of the song. The last seemed to be the best, and we left the studio that day feeling it was “in the bag.”

But something kept nagging at me.

Back home, I kept singing the song. I love the words and message and melody. But I don’t usually keep singing the same song over and over and over again. The only other time was with the acoustic version of the Rob Thomas hit song, “Lonely No More.”

Why was this song still haunting me?

When I went back into the studio with Daniel, and we listened to the version we thought was it, we both realized it wasn’t quite right. There was a word or two “off” in the song. Daniel is dedicated and persistent, so he kept trying hi-tech ways to correct that one word. Nothing was working. Neither he or I were going to settle for second best, either. We wanted this to be perfect. After all, three Grammy winners are involved with this album. I didn’t want anything less than the best.

So I did something new for me as a musician, especially at the point where the album was essentially done.

I offered to re-sing that song.

But wait.

Did that mean my sessions with Guy were bad?

Did that mean the previous four takes of the song were bad?

No. If nothing else, the sessions and takes were rehearsals. They prepared me for the best and final take.

Daniel was instantly agreeable to my recording the song one more time. He’s a joy to work with and goes with the flow. He set up the equipment and turned on the mike. I sang Smile.

One take.

When I was done, Daniel looked at me truly moved, totally quiet, with a tear in his eye.

“That was some of the best singing I’ve ever heard from you,” he said.

I’m usually critical of my own music the first time I hear it, but I had to admit, singing Smile that time around felt right even to me.

Now stop and think about this:

It appears that “something” was directing me to this song, and “something” was urging me to continue rehearsing it, even after I thought it was recorded and done. That “something” kept with me until I re-recorded the song and got the take we all agree is stellar.

So here’s my question for you:

What is that “something”?

When you get a “feeling” or a hunch or an inner nudge, where is it coming from?

When you have an intuition, what sent it to you?

Who sent it?

For me, it’s the Divine directing your life. As Dr. Hew Len (coauthor of Zero Limits) has often said, we aren’t in control. Either unconscious programs are or the Divine is.

We have to keep cleaning and clearing as most of what operates us is our programming. We’re run by our beliefs. What we want is to be so clear that all we hear is the Divine whispering direction to us.

I followed the whispered signs and signals and ended up with a masterful version of a famous hit song.

The end result is a song that will send chills up your spine when you hear it on my new album: The Healing Song. (Available in August.)

Back to my massage therapist.

I told her all of this and she again smiled and said, “Joe, every little thing is a miracle for you, isn’t it?”

Hmmmmm.

It’s a miracle for all of us — including you — we simply don’t acknowledge it.

We judge it as “bad” or “out of flow.”

But is it?

So if you get sick, or spill a smoothie, or get a nudge from within to sing a song or call a friend, note they are important signals.

Divine signals.

They are the miracles.

And it’s all good.

Smile.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Lots of stars have recorded the song Smile since it was written in 1954 by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, which they based on an instrumental in the Charlie Chaplin 1934 movie, Modern Times. Here’s Dean Martin singing it on his TV show in 1974:

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