Tag: self help

How can “self-help songs,” well, help your self?

My six singer-songwriter albums all contain original tunes of “song therapy.”

They often contain positive messages of motivation, transformation, and inspiration.

It’s my way of helping you through challenges and tough times with songs of encouragement.

In many ways, my songs are “coaches” in lyrical form.

My newest album, The Great Something – now on iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon, and more – contains the most advanced and memorable self-help songs of my career so far. But don’t take my word for it. Note –

Stephen Oliver said (used with his permission) “I just received my copy of your new CD, “The Great Something”. As soon as I got into my home office (I’m a freelance writer), I put it on the stereo. I’m listening to it as I write. Now I’m in a quandary. I can’t decide whether it’s incredible or ‘merely’ fantastic. Either way, I love it. I’ve already added it to my night time playlist, along with all your other CDs.”

 

And Jimbo Berkey said (used with his permission) “After listening to your newest album, “The Great Something,” I am convinced that it is the most powerful and compelling message that anyone who hasn’t begun this journey could ever encounter.” (Jimbo went on to buy 20 more copies of the CD to give out to people.)

Let me explain how you can use self-help songs like the ones on The Great Something in your life:

“The Hook”

When you are facing a situation where someone or something is about to “set you off,” take a breath. The self-help song “The Hook” (on my One More Day album) contains the message “Don’t Take the Hook!” It’s a reminder that you don’t have to take the bait. In general, whenever you get upset, it’s when you went unconscious. Something or someone flipped your internal switch and you got mad or sad. The song “Don’t Take the Hook” is your reminder that you have choice; you don’t have to get engaged or outraged. You can always walk away. You can even walk away singing, “Don’t take the hook!”

“The Glad Game”

But if you do take the hook and find yourself upset, you can always play The Glad Game to recover. I wrote this self-help song because of the famous book, and many movie adaptations of it, called Pollyanna. “The Glad Game” (on The Great Something album) is your reminder that you can find the good in any situation or person. You may have to really look. But it’s always there. Always. This upbeat swing-rock-dance song will show you the way.

“Look for the Light”

One way to find the good, or play The Glad Game, is to “Look For the Light.” This self-help song, also on The Great Something album, is a reminder that there is light (or good, or glad, or positive) in any and every situation. This song was born when someone asked me how to handle political fighting and opinion conflicts that split people. I spontaneously said, “Look for the light.” There are always people doing good things, and good causes you can find and support. But you may need to pause and look for it.

“Empowerment”

You’ll find yet another way to use lyrics as affirmations in my self-help song “Empowerment” on my album The Healing Song. This instrumental cried out for my voice, so I allowed inspiration to guide me in speaking hypnotic commands of inner strength. Listening to this track alone can strengthen your mental core, so you can have, do, or be, whatever you imagine and work toward. I listen to this song every time it shuffles up on my playlist. It’s powerful.

“There’ll Be Days”

After my private songwriting lesson with rock legend Melissa Etheridge, all of my music became more focused. The self-help song “There’ll Be Days” (also on my latest album, The Great Something) is my favorite song for conveying wisdom in a traditional singer-songwriter folk format. It’s a reminder that some days will be tough, and some will be tender, but you can get through them all if you smile and remember this song. I know it doesn’t sound humble at all, but I think this song is pure genius. At least I can’t stop listening to it. It’s hauntingly beautiful.

“The Great Something”

When you need reminded that you aren’t alone, and that the dark night of the soul will pass, you might listen to “The Great Something” (the title track on The Great Something album). This self-help song was directly inspired by my lesson with Melissa Etheridge. She advised me to write in the first person. I took her advice to heart and wrote the most personal, raw, and revealing song of my life so far. I listened to it earlier today to remind myself that “The Great Something” – what others might call Divine, Universe, Nature, Gaia or something else – is with you always.

“Some Thoughts”

Everybody has thoughts, but not everybody knows they are not their thoughts.  The self-help song “Some Thoughts,” on my One More Day album, is an upbeat tune reminding you that some thoughts serve you and some thoughts suck. But you can play the jukebox in your mind and just select a different song/thought at any time.

“You Gotta”

The self-help song “You Gotta” (on my album titled Sun Will Rise) is a pep-talk in song. With saxophone, guitar and an upbeat drum (by the drummer with the same name as me), this one is designed to urge you to get up, get moving, and move toward your dreams. “You gotta dream, dare, grow and go” is an affirmation and command. After all, any dream you want to attract requires movement from you, as life is a co-creation.

“Everybody’s Going thru Something”

The most popular music video I ever had created is the one made to breathe life into the self-help song, “Everybody’s Going thru Something” (on my very first album, Strut!). I wrote this song to remind us that we all have dreams and we all have pains. If we can be more understanding, we can bring more peace to the world. (See the music video at the end of this post.)

“Remember”

The smokey-bluesy-jazzie self-help song “Remember” (on the album Reflection) is a hypnotic-poetic ballad revealing the creativity technique I used to make numerous albums. The technique is called The Remembering Process and Daniel Barrett, my producer, and I wrote a book explaining it called, naturally enough, The Remembering Process. With baritone saxophone and a smooth groove, this spoken word song offers you another way to enjoy creativity. For some reason I want to say this song is really hip.

With six albums of self-help songs out now, I am giving you lots of choices in what you can listen to that feeds your mind and moves your body.

If this intrigues you, please see All Healing Music, the portal for almost all of my healing music (many recorded with Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon) and self-help songs (all recorded with my band of legends: Daniel Barrett, drummer Joe Vitale, Glenn Fukunaga).

Remember, what you listen to also programs you.

Choose wisely.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Audio samples of my singer-songwriter albums are here: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JoeVitale1

PPS – You may also be interested in a blog post I wrote last year about Motivational Songs at https://www.mrfire.com/music/motivational-songs/

My latest music video is a six minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of my sixth singer-songwriter album, The Great Something. There are lessons in it about going for your dreams, asking for what you want, hanging in there, and more. You’ll meet my band of legends, hear a little of my new music, discover the unusual creative process that helped me write songs, etc. You’ll also find me talking about the person I dedicated the new album to: rock icon Melissa Etheridge. I’m proud of this new music video. I hope it inspires you, too. Here it is:

It’s hard to believe The Secret book and movie came out more than ten years ago.

They’re still cooking, still circulating, and still changing lives.

I’m forever grateful for The Secret, whether I was in it or not.

It triggered an awakening, a conversation, and hope.

But it also created confusion.

Many people watched the movie or read the book, tried what they learned, and felt “It didn’t work.”

And that’s the problem.

The Secret was only an introduction to a principle. It revealed the basics of the Law of Attraction to the masses.

But that’s all it did: introduce the idea.

It didn’t offer the depth you need to understand the law or use it to create a new reality.

Even today, ten years later, I see people not fully understand what I call “the missing secret.”

In short, you get what you unconsciously believe, not necessarily what you consciously say.

In other words, intentions are one thing, but you also need to know about counter-intentions.

Let me explain.

Intentions are what you consciously declare.

“I intend to increase my sales” is an intention.

“I intend to create a bigger business” is an intention.

“I intend to attract my soulmate,” is an intention.

Intentions are powerful; they engage the mind, rally the emotions, and help create momentum.

Intentions are good.

But.

Counter-intentions are in the subconscious/unconscious mind.

If you unconsciously believe “money is evil” or “money is bad” or “I don’t deserve good things,” then you will veto your intentions.

You will block them.

You will unconsciously sabotage your own success. You won’t even know it.

You’ll blame your lack of success on other people, or politicians, or the current economic climate, or even The Secret.

And that’s the missing secret.

You can sit and meditate, visualize, affirm and wear amulets all day long, but you won’t attract what you want while the limiting beliefs remain operating in your deeper mind.

The unconscious is far more powerful than the conscious. Numerous books on neuroscience prove this fact. So, in order to attract what you consciously want, you have to clean up your unconscious/subconscious beliefs.

The movie and book never addressed this issue. Again, they were only introducing an idea. We need the sequel to the The Secret to understand how to actually begin to manifest the reality we want on a consistent basis.

Since there’s never been a sequel to the movie (there have been numerous follow up books, such as The Magic and the recent, How the Secret Changed My Life), I’ll give you a formula to help you make better use of the Law of Attraction.

Ready?

Here’s The Formula:

First: State your intention.

What do you want to have, do, or be?

Be clear.

Be specific.

Declare it.

Own it.

Write it down.

That’s your goal/intention/outcome.

It should ignite the fire of desire in you.

Second: Note what objections surface.

What thoughts come to mind?

Do you have doubts?

Fears?

Concerns?

Be honest.

Really look within.

Stating your intention will trigger limiting thoughts about attracting it. Those are clues to your limiting beliefs. Welcome them.

Write those down, too.

Third: Clear the limiting beliefs.

Ask, “Do I believe this?”

Or, “Where’s the evidence for this belief?”

Act like a good detective and unearth the reasons you may have for the beliefs, doubts, fears, or concerns.

Then question the evidence.

Question the reasons.

What you are doing is dismantling your own belief system.

You will weaken it, and eventually clear it.

You will deprogram yourself.

You will rewire your own mind.

You will be free.

This last step is something you can use a wide variety of techniques to accomplish. I’ve written many books to help, such as my newest, The Miracle: Six Steps to Enlightenment. You can use EFT (the tapping method). You can use the Hawaiian spiritual tool called ho’oponopono, which I wrote about in Zero Limits and AT Zero. You basically say, “I love you, I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you” to your connection to the Universe, as a type of prayer for cleansing. You can get into my coaching program, you can work with another person, you can write out a dialogue with yourself, questioning your beliefs in writing.

Modern brain sciences prove that you can change your own mind.

Read books like Shad Helmstetter’s The Power of Neuroplasticity or Jeffrey Schwartz’s You Are Not Your Brain.

The ways and means to “get clear” of counter-intentions are readily available to you.

And proven to work.

But it’s essential to do this step in order to attract what you intend, or something even better.

Again, I’m grateful for The Secret, and you should be, too. It may not have revealed the “missing secret” but it paved the way for a whole new world of transformation, including your own.

“Train your mind to see the good in every situation”

Dr. Joe Vitale, a star in the movie The Secret, is a bestselling author, musician, speaker, coach and more. His latest book is The Miracle: Six Steps to Enlightenment. You can have his free e-book, Attract Money Now, at www.AttractMoneyNow.com His main website is www.MrFire.com

When my drummer was here recently for the recording of my sixth self-help singer-songwriter album, titled The Great Something, he talked about how much he loved the old 1960’s hit television show, The Twilight Zone.

It’s Twilight Zone-ish enough that my drummer has the same name as me, grew up in the same area of Ohio as me, and went to the same college as me – but we never met until five years ago, for the making of my first singer-songwriter album.

Drummer Joe Vitale with author Joe Vitale

But it gets even stranger when one night an episode of The Twilight Zone aired on television – one I don’t recall ever seeing before.

As I watched, an idea for an “instant change” self-help technique came to me with a jolt.

Oh, this is good, I thought to myself, laughing.

Wait till I tell everyone about this!

And this is where the story gets really interesting.

But let’s start at the beginning.

William Shatner in The Twilight Zone

I’m a huge fan of The Twilight Zone TV show.

I was five years old when it first aired in 1959, but I saw virtually every episode after that, and still watch them today. Each show was genius. Great acting, great stories, great lessons.

Over half of the 150 episodes were written by the man who created the show: Rod Serling.

Serling deeply influenced me when I was a teenager.

I studied his scripts, short stories, and movies to unlock his mastery at writing.

I loved his screenplays for Seven Days in May and Requiem for a Heavyweight.

Talk about hypnotic writing!

Rod Serling’s Advice to Writers (1962)                   

DON’T LET SENTIMENTALITY REAR ITS UGLY HEAD!!!

MAKE PEOPLE THINK… STUN THEM… GRAB YOUR AUDIENCE IMMEDIATELY

DON’T OVERLOAD DIALOGUE

HAVE A POINT OF VIEW… DON’T ACCEPT SOMEONE ELSE’S CONCEPT

OVERALL THEME LEADS TO CHARACTERS THEN ON TO PLOT

RESEARCH BACKGROUND FOR ANY STORY

CONTINUITY… TIE SCENES OR PARAGRAPHS TOGETHER

I almost signed up for the Famous Writers School, as Serling was on their board (as was John Caples, another writer who would influence me decades later).

It didn’t happen. I was still in high school, and my parents couldn’t or wouldn’t swing the tuition for the correspondence course.

But something even better happened.

I met Rod Serling.

He was giving a presentation in Youngstown, Ohio, not far from my home. Two friends and myself went to hear the great one speak. It was around 1970.

I was too excited to sit still.

I was star-struck and eager to meet the icon.

He walked out on stage, cigarette in hand, tanned, tiny, unshaven, tight lipped, and uncomfortable.

I was instantly disappointed.

Serling was a chain-smoking little man with darkness and insecurity in him.

He said if there was a thump at night, he’d be the first one outside in his shorts.

He said he was the only boxer who had to be carried into as well as out of the ring.

He was articulate, self effacing, and entertaining.

But I wanted to see a super human, not a mortal.

Though I was shy and nervous, I managed to ask him a question.

I raised my hand.

He nodded at me.

“Do you plan to write your autobiography?” I asked.

“No,” Serling replied. “Nothing much has happened in my life. It’d be boring.”

I was shocked.

Here was one of early television’s most influential writers.

A creative mind on the level of genius.

He wrote screenplays for some of the most haunting TV shows and movies ever.

He won several Emmy Awards for his work.

He served in the war and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, as well as trauma and wounds that would give him nightmares his entire life.

He was known as “the angry young man” of Hollywood, fighting with TV executives over censorship, racism, and war.

He was also unhappy.

“I was traumatized into writing by war events,” Rod Serling explained. “By going through a war in a combat situation and feeling the desperate sense of terrible need for some sort of therapy. To get it out of my gut, write it down. This is the way it began for me.”

And he thought his life story would be boring???

It was a turning point for me.

I decided if this insecure man can become a scrip writing legend, than there was a chance for me to make it as an author, too.

And now, before I get to the point of this entire article, let’s pause for a commercial break….

Preorder today! I dedicated my sixth singer-songwriter album to the great Melissa Etheridge

Be the first! Preorder my new album “The Great Something” as a limited edition collectible audio CD. All original transformational songs. All dedicated to Melissa Etheridge. You’ll get a surprise bonus gift when it ships in March. See http://www.thegreatsomethingalbum.com/

And now let’s continue with this article….

Back to the episode I saw the other night.

It took place in an office.

A businessman is talking to his secretary.

He is preparing to go on a trip.

He goes to his phone, starts to dial his wife’s number, when suddenly someone shouts, “CUT!”

The man freezes.

He watches as his office walls are moved.

And then he sees an entire film crew looking at him.

He is on a movie set.

The yelling of “CUT!” caused him to freeze.

He is almost traumatized by this turn of events.

He didn’t know he was on a set, or in a movie, or was an actor.

Imagine how you would feel if right now you heard a booming voice yell “CUT!” and then you saw the walls around you move apart, only to reveal a film crew that has been watching you the whole time.

The episode is from 1960. It’s #23. It was written by Richard Matheson. It’s called “A World of Difference.” Howard Duff is the key actor. Find it and watch it sometime.

And now let’s get to the point:

Here’s how I discovered a self-help “instant change” technique:

Whenever you notice anything not going the way you want it to, mentally or out loud yell, “CUT!”

And then do, think or say something different.

Use “CUT!” as a command to change your mind or even a situation.

“CUT!”

For example:

A friend was complaining about her day.

I listened for a moment. 

Then I blurted, “CUT!”

She stared at me.

“Let’s redo this scene,” I said. “Say your lines differently this time.”

I had to explain the entire Twilight Zone episode to her before she understood what I was doing, but my “pattern interrupt” caused her to smile and begin a new conversation.

Another example:

I was served dinner at a restaurant.

I was about to complain about the dish when I remembered that complaining doesn’t help. It’s far wiser to state an intention instead.

So I yelled “CUT!” in my head.

“State what you want,” I told myself, “not what you don’t want.”

I then stated that I wanted my food heated up a little more, and the server smiled and handled it. No one was offended by a complaint, and I got what I wanted from the intention.

Do you see how this works?

I’m simply pretending that life is a stage play or television show.

As long as “the show” entertains me, fine.

But if I or someone in my real life reality show gets “out of tune” or goes “off script,” I can simply say “CUT!” and “Let’s do the scene again!”

“In almost everything I’ve written, there is a thread of this: man’s seemingly palpable need to dislike someone other than himself.”- Rod Serling

My own philosophy of life states that life is an illusion, anyway.

We’re all actors and actresses on the stage of life.

The problem is, we are all in a hypnotic trance and believe our roles.

“Awakening” is all about realizing you are acting out a script, though unconsciously.

By saying “CUT!” and pausing, you start to awaken from the trance and redirect your life.

In a real sense, you become the scriptwriter of your own life.

How cool is that?

I’m having fun using this self-help method in my daily life.

If I notice my thoughts start to go downhill, I just yell in my mind, “CUT!”

And then I choose to “redo my lines” by thinking more upbeat thoughts.

I doubt anyone involved with the making of The Twilight Zone ever thought of this way of retraining your brain and interrupting patterns, but I like thinking Rod Serling is smiling from above.

If not, then “CUT!” and “This time put a smile on your face, Rod!”

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — One of my favorite screenplays by Rod Serling was titled, Patterns. It was a live television drama in 1955. It became a movie in 1956. Yelling “CUT!” is a great way to break a pattern. Just sayin’.

A secret message for you

I’m going to share a hot off the press story with you here. Then we can look at how to apply the principles in it to your life.

Ready?

I just finished recording my sixth singer-songwriter album. It’s called The Great Something.

I dedicated my new singer-songwriter album to the great Melissa Etheridge

While the previous five albums all reveal a musician growing in confidence and ability, each one better than the last, this latest one broke all boundaries.

The songs are better than ever.

The singing is hands down the best ever.

The music is stellar, going from swing to ballad to rock to (as my drummer put it) “improvised symphony of genius.”

Why is this album so much better than all the others?

What happened?

I used everything I teach about self-help, goal-setting, and manifestation to create this album; from setting a clear intention to gathering my band of legends, to taking action on the ideas and opportunities that arose as I moved toward the recording date.

Singing my heart out

While all these elements are part of what make The Law of Attraction work in your favor, clearly the biggest turning point for me was attracting my private two-hour songwriting lesson with rock icon Melissa Etheridge.

I’ve already written four blog posts about my time with her. (See PS below for links to those “Attracting Melissa Etheridge” articles.) I won’t repeat myself (much) here, but I openly declare that my time with Melissa deeply influenced this entire album.

In fact, I’ve dedicated it to her.

Let me explain:

First, I used some of her music dynamics to create new songs.

The song “Melissa Said” is, as my producer called it, “The greatest thank you card of all time.” It’s an original song I wrote for Melissa, using some of the arrangements she shared with me about making music. My band got goose bumps listening to my homage to Melissa. It is stellar. It is three minutes of gratitude. (Wait till Melissa hears it!)

My band of legends: me, producer Daniel Barrett, Glenn Fukunaga, drummer Joe Vitale

Second, the title track song was directly influenced by my time with Melissa.

While Melissa was too wise to tell me what to do, her feedback helped me learn lessons for myself. It was the Socratic method. Socrates didn’t give you the answer. He helped you think of it on your own. Being with Melissa helped me realize the title track song (and the album) needed to be called The Great Something, my phrase for God or the Divine. (It was originally going to be called The Miracle.) That insight redirected the entire album.

Third, and more importantly, Melissa urged me to write from the first person.

“The Great Something,” the title track song, is raw. It’s from my view of life, my hard times, and my discovery of The Great Something. The band was blown away with the power and depth of it. It is riveting. It is revealing. That is a direct result of taking to heart what Melissa told me about writing in the first person.

Fourth, when I was with Melissa, I shared the opening lines of a song that had come to me in my sleep.

Melissa liked what she heard. Because of that, I felt encouraged to complete the song. I did. It is the most hauntingly beautiful thing I’ve ever penned. It’s called “Hey You,” and it’s designed to heal any hurting heart. Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon added his sweet guitar on it and it is deliciously healing.

Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon

Fifth, Melissa taught me to feel my message when I sang.

As a result, my singing on a singer-songwriter ballad I wrote was, as my producer called it, “Sinatra-est.” It was probably the highest compliment he could give me. My voice compared even remotely to Frank Sinatra’s was enough to make me speechless. I just followed what Melissa taught me and felt the song as I sang it.

With Melissa Etheridge (!)

Obviously, I absorbed Melissa’s wisdom and vibe and infused it into this new album.

But we aren’t done with the album yet.

I’m hoping to have Grammy nominated saxophone great Mindi Abair add her happy sax to my “Glad Game” swing song.

I’m hoping Grammy nominated singer Ruthie Foster will add her soaring vocals to the spiritual I wrote called “Look for the Light.”

And I’m hoping Melissa Etheridge will add voice or guitar to any track.

I have big dreams for this new album. As Daniel Barrett, producer (and coauthor of the book, The Remembering Process) told me, “You can’t think average thoughts and expect extraordinary results.”

So, I’m thinking BIG.

This post isn’t about getting you to buy my new album. It isn’t completed yet, let alone ready for sale.

Instead, I’m sharing all of this with you to demonstrate how the Law of Attraction, magic, and miracles work.

Here’s a quick recap:

1. I set an intention to create a new album that surpassed all my others.
2. I visualized and felt the end-result, already done and a mega success.
3. I cleared any limiting beliefs along the way, freeing me to be my best.
4. I took action by writing songs, gathering my band, booking the studio.
5. I seized opportunities, such as grabbing my music lesson with Melissa.
6. I let go and went with the flow, while keeping my intention in mind.

I’m sure you can do this, too.

You have a dream, don’t you?

You could set an intention for it, gather allies, and start to move toward it, right?

Are there any real excuses or limitations for doing what you really want to do, if you really want to do it?

Isn’t today a good day to begin?

The Great Something says YES!

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Here are the links to my four blog posts about my songwriting lesson with rock icon Melissa Etheridge:

https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/attracting-melissa-etheridge-part-4/

https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/attracting-melissa-etheridge-part-3/

https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/attracting-melissa-etheridge-part-2/

https://www.mrfire.com/law-of-attraction/attracting-melissa-etheridge/

Note: In case you are curious, samples of my five singer-songwriter albums are here: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JoeVitale1

A secret message for you