All articles, tagged with “focus”

Yeah, I know, anything with “Ultimate” in it sounds like a huge promise. But we’ve come across a new way to help our students and anyone else who wants to achieve new levels of success. Those who are already using this plan are getting huge results!

Rather than trying to remember the details of the plan, print out this page so you can follow the steps.

We all know that consistency, focus and plans for action are keys to getting results from our creative practice, right? Our state of mind when we create plays an even larger role.

The “Ultimate Practice Guide” builds on these ideas with the following steps:

1. At the beginning of each week, write down a statement of intention on paper.

We recommend that you get a notebook that you’ll continue to use for tracking your practice process. Here’s an example of a statement of intention for practicing that’s short and simple:

“I intend to practice 6 days this week and my practice time for my first practice is 8:30 am.”

Setting a time is important because you’re less likely to put it off if you plan around your practice time. The time may change from day to day, but it’s still a good idea to write down the intended time. Note that everything is written in present tense, not future tense.

In addition, write out the specifics of your first day of practice. It’s preferable to do this the day before you practice. Why? Because you will process the plans in your subconscious mind while you sleep, making it much more likely that you’ll follow through the next day!

2. Begin every practice session with these short, but powerful steps:

a) Do a deep breathing exercise that allows you to clear your mind and body of any distracting thoughts and emotions before you engage in practice. After all, effective practice requires your undivided attention. (If you need ideas about breathing exercises, feel free to write to us at Greg@GCCreativeStudio.com)
b) turn off all electronic distractions in your practice space — TV, cell phone, computer, etc.
c) Look over your written practice plans for the day. Because you already wrote out the details of your practice, the plans are clear and you’re many times more likely to follow through with your intention.

3. Follow through with the plans you wrote down on paper. Experience supercharged creativity in your practice.

Here is the part of the plan in which you create or practice. Notice how it’s couched in the middle of all these supportive processes.

4. Put a check mark next to each item you complete from your written plans.

5. At the end of the day’s practice time, write out your plans for the next day.

If you want further fuel for this idea about writing out your plans the day before you actually practice, remember this quote from Jim Fannin, who is a coach of many world class athletes:

“Champions walk into the arena having already won. Others walk in and try to figure out how to win.”

Yes, we’re talking about a creative process, and the sports analogy is a good one. Why? Champions find time to practice in any field. Most people never get around to consistent practicing or creating. Life “gets in the way.” Also, many well-meaning people don’t actually conceive detailed plans about what they want to do or how they intend to do it. So, if you think this process seems too regimented for creative activity, give it a try first and see which creative pathways you open up for yourself.

Step 5 definitely helps you to “win” before you begin, but the final step takes the entire process to a higher level…

6. Visualize tomorrow’s practice session right before you go to sleep.

This is the crown jewel in the process, folks. Just before you go to sleep, your thoughts in that last hour of the day are processed in your subconscious many more times than everything that took place throughout the day. If you go to bed worrying, you will likely wake up not feeling very refreshed (and the worry from the night before will resume the next morning).

But imagine going to sleep visualizing your creative plans and your success with that process. You are then using your greatest ally, the subconscious mind, which will help you fulfill the success that you visualize with effortless ease. Creative visualization also makes you a more creative person.

Don’t just take our word for it. We’re not asking you to believe in this process without giving it a try. For maximum results, plan to use these ideas for three weeks. You will be amazed at what you can do in just 21 days!

Good luck and much success to you!

Are you looking for ways to sharpen your strategies for a creative project or a new skill? We gave these ten powerful tips to our piano students this year. Give them a try!

1. Establish a consistent practice time each day

• a consistent daily time turns your practice into an automatic success mechanism
• it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit

2. Prepare your mind before you begin

• breathing exercise: inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold breath for 7 and exhale for 8 (repeat this cycle three times)
• close your eyes and visualize putting your distractions on a rolling table that you can push out of the way while you practice
• read something that puts you in a good mood or look at relaxing images (this is why we created “Water Films”)

3. Write out your practice plans and goals in a notebook

• you may also use this notebook as a practice journal to keep track of your progress

4. Do it until you believe it

• with repetition comes confidence and clarity
• by strengthening your belief about the quality of your practice routine and your creative skills, you eliminate excuses (which are talking about or thinking about things you don’t want)

5. Transform distraction into focus

• use your practice time as an exercise to practice being fully in the present
• if you learn the skill of how to focus while distractions are present, you become more consistent (in the case of music, you become a better performer)

6. Prioritize your day

• plan your upcoming day the night before and include creative practice in your plans
• planning your day makes your goals easy to accomplish with minimal effort – the more you do this, the more effective you become

7. Silence the inner critic

• “easy” always wins out over “struggle”
• affirm: “I approve of myself, no matter what anyone else thinks” multiple times every day
• celebrate your victories and focus on your strengths
• overcome insecurity by making an effective practice routine habitual and by fully engaging in each task at hand before moving on to the next task (in practice and in life)

8. Detailed in practice, free and easy in performance

• develop such an effective practice routine that you “trust” your process
• during a performance, job review or evaluation, “there is no evaluating [yourself]. There is no judging. There is no anticipating the result. There is only trust and acceptance.&rdquo
– Bob Rotella, The Golfer’s Mind

9. Enjoy the process more than the product

• “perfection” is both unattainable and stress inducing
• you benefit more by improving your process than simply learning how to get through one creative task (i.e., a single piece of music) in an effort to be “finished”
• accept partial successes and remember that you are on a journey

10. Let go of Fear

• fear is simply your mind giving attention to something that creates anxiety, and you have no guarantee that this object of your focus will come to pass
• talk or think about your life as you want it to be
• focus completely on the task at hand to engage your mind constructively

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.”
– Wayne Dyer

Here is “Calm Rain,” the track that serves as the introduction to a brand new CD that we’ll release soon, “Waterflow II.” As with the original Waterflow, this CD will provide you with ambience for calm focus, meditation, a massage or yoga routine. Fantastic new recordings of water from the beach, rivers and a high glacial lake are blended with soothing sounds to put you in a relaxed and creative state.

Just press play and relax while you read about our latest news . . .

We’re excited to announce that the first Waterflow CD is now available on Omstream.com, a fantastic online music websie that features ambient, meditation and world music. Check out our new artist page on Omstream.com.

All of us can use ways to find calm, right? Well here are just a few ideas that can help you experience peace and relaxation.

1. Calm your mind with meditation or breath awareness. When you wake up or just before you go to sleep for the night try one of these techniques:

a) Follow the movement of your abdomen as you breathe calmly. Just observe without feeling the need to control your breath. Whenever your mind drifts and you become aware that you’re no longer observing your breath, just gently come back to focusing on your breathing and the rise and fall of the abdomen. Start with 5 minutes and increase by one minute each successive day. Use a timer if you desire or just do it for as long as you want. With practice, you can get to 20 minutes each day. You will find that this practice will become a part of your active, waking day as well, bringing you tremendous calming benefits.

b) Practice visualization for five minutes a day. Create pictures in your imagination that reflect your life as you desire it to be. Feel the feelings of already having the life you desire as you imagine your mental movie in great detail. You can build details into your imaginary film every day. Try this for 21 days in a row and observe any changes you experience in your ability to think about things in your life as you desire them to be (even when you’re moving through your day). Also, remember Einstein’s great quote:

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”

c) Observe your thoughts without judgment. Pretend that your mind is the sky and that thoughts are like passing clouds. There’s no need to label thoughts as good or bad, just allow the thoughts to come into your awareness and pass through without you getting attached to them. When you resist the thoughts you don’t want, you give them power to stay around and become stuck in your field of consciousness. When an unwanted thought comes about, just observe it with a “there it is,” unattached approach. This practice is really great for helping you to develop greater clarity of focus. Try it for 5 minutes a day.

2. Fully engage yourself in a creative activity. Whether it’s practicing piano, learning a language, developing a business plan or playing with your kids, engage in these activities on a regular basis with your full attention. Turn off your cellphone and put away your electronic devices (unless your creativity is taking place on the computer) to help put you in a dedicated mental space. Plan time for this activity every day for 21 days so that it becomes an effortless habit.

3. Take a walk outside in nature. Few activities calm the mind more effectively than the act of communing with nature. You become connected to something larger than yourself when you open your focus to the variety and connectedness of the outdoors.

4. Listen to relaxing music or watch videos that make you feel tranquil. If you’re in the middle of a hectic day, music can be that “take it anywhere” elixir to help soothe your stress. As readers of the Studio Blog already know, we make videos specifically for that purpose called, “Water Films.” “GCMusic” is also a good resource for relaxing music.

We hope you find these techniques helpful as you journey toward greater peace in your everyday life. All of these ideas give you greater benefit with regular practice because you’ll find what works best for you. I find that something as simple as looking at a picture of a flower (like the one below) can immediately raise my vibration. Enjoy!

For more hibiscus photos, check out our Hawai’i Hibiscus album on our Facebook page. Click here.