If you feel the quality of your music could be better in general—that you’re not fulfilling your artistic potential—you might be feeling stuck at a certain level because you can’t get past stubborn technical or musical limitations.

You may feel frustrated or embarrassed that your musical product isn’t up to the standards others set for you (which you’ve adopted for yourself), and you may have a niggling suspicion that things will never change and you’ll never be good enough, no matter how hard you try to get better.

Most musicians have some level of awareness that they’ve hit a “technique ceiling,” that they’re bumping up against some personal limitations in their skills. But even though they can sense they’re missing something, they rarely know what it is.

You have a tugging feeling deep down that there MUST be a solution . . . Why am I blocked? If I could just figure out what it is, I’d be able to finally break free of those limitations. I could finally play the pieces I’ve always longed to play, move audiences the way I know audiences can be moved.

If you’re like most people, you probably believe the solution is simply to practice more and practice harder.

One of the problems with thinking this way is that you can forget that the quality of your music is greatly affected and shaped by both your external and internal environments. In fact, your success depends much more on how you regulate your reactions to those influences than on how long or how intensely you practice.

Bringing The Art of Freedom Method and more awareness of your purpose into your life will help you realize how much your attitude to what’s happening within and around you affects the quality of your playing.

You’ll become more skilled at noticing how you react to things in your whole mind-body-self. You’ll start seeing over time and with practice whether those reactions are taking you in the direction of greater ease and joy, or more dis-ease, tension, and unhappiness.

Here are some external circumstances (past and present) that may cause you to feel insufficiently supported. The way you react to these circumstances may be preventing you from taking appropriate actions to create the life of your dreams. You may find that you lack . . .

• sufficient physical, emotional, spiritual, and/or financial support
• inspiring role models and healthy work situations
• adequate training and education
• financial resources and necessary instruments, equipment, etc.
• professional situations, organizations, and employers who give you what you need to thrive
• the freedom and energy to pursue your dreams, due to an excess of obligations

A lack of outside support can show up internally as a lack of self-knowledge and self-confidence. Do any of the following resonate with you?

• Is it hard to feel enthusiastic and motivated to work towards your goals?
• Are you unclear about the steps needed to get what you want or how to solve the problems getting in your way?
• Do you have a hard time establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries in your personal or professional life?
• Are you confused about how to find a balance between structure and freedom in your life or music?
• Do you feel spiritually off-course, ungrounded, lonely, or disconnected from nature?
• Do you feel the need for more time and space for self-care, self-reflection, and self-direction?

It’s clear that both your external and internal environments influence the quality of your life and your ability to evolve. Later in this book, I’ll be sharing some specific ways these deprivations can influence your musical practice and performance.

The good news is that, even if past circumstances weren’t supportive and your external situation isn’t exactly how you want it to be right now, when you work on how you react to both internal and external events, your external circumstances will automatically begin to improve, reflecting the more positive direction you’re taking yourself on the inside.

Love & Light,
Jennifer