In truth, you don’t “DO” being yourself—you simply “BE” being yourself. ✨

As a child, there were many times when I would lie on my bedroom floor and “just BE”—especially if listening to Indian music and meditating without realizing it. I remember knowing with the core of my being, deep in my heart, that this “BE-ing” was in fact the real Me—my true Self. Everything else seemed superimposed, egotistical, and selfish. ❤️

It was this Me that could so easily and fearlessly express herself through music. But it was another matter altogether to “just be” this true Self, feeling at ease, free, and fearless under any circumstance! 🎻

Even though I had the intuition and experience of my true Self within my heart, and I could express this well through music, I still held the strong belief that I couldn’t really “be myself,” and I didn’t understand how to get there.

I was under the fundamental misunderstanding that there was always something wrong to fix, something missing, or something that wasn’t “good enough”—beginning with “myself.” 💭

If “myself” wasn’t good enough, then it seemed logical that I must have to DO something to rectify that! It’s easy to see where I got that idea; after all, everybody in my life was DOING things to try to improve or correct things—from home to school to music lessons to rehearsals to performances.

It seemed to me that violin practicing was by definition about looking for, finding, and fixing what was “wrong” by DOING something different and working hard to get it “right.” Learning how to make better music was rarely about being fully present with my experience and learning how to enjoy myself and the process of making music, independently of any goals to be achieved. 🌿

Everyone around me, including many of the spiritual teachings I found through books and conversations, seemed to be teaching that we always need to be doing something to change or improve ourselves, and I accepted this belief as true. 📖

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Care to share?

With Love & Light,
Jennifer ❤️

The above is an excerpt from my award-winning, best selling book: ‘Make Great Music with Ease! The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life'

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