A Self-Talk Tweak to Boost the Odds of Achieving Your Goals
My daughter and I have been binge-watching past seasons of The Amazing Race for some months now, and the psychology nerd in me has become increasingly fascinated by one particular aspect of the show.The participants’ self-talk.As in, what do participants say when they run into a task that feels impossible or beyond their abilities?“I can’t”When participants start saying “I can’t,” they often stop trying and appear to be on the verge of quitting altogether. After all, “can’t” is a pretty disempowering word.The reality of course, whether it’s eating snake meat or swimming laps in a bog or bungee jumping into a ravine, is that when push comes to shove, they discover that they absolutely can do these things.So how much of an effect does self-talk like this have on us, actually?Well, a 2011 study found that when participants replaced the word “can’t” with 🫢🫢🫢🫢, they were eight times more likely to achieve their goals!Get all the nerdy details here:A Self-Talk Tweak to Boost the Odds of Achieving Your Goals* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure. Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
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6:50
Linda Chesis: On Cultivating a More Beautiful Sound and Becoming a Better Practicer
Ever get that overwhelmed feeling in the practice room? Where you know there’s a ton of work to be done, but you’re not quite sure where to start or what exactly to do?Maybe you’re not happy with your sound, or your intonation is sketchy, or perhaps it’s one of those days when it feels like everything needs attention?We only have so much time and energy, so what are we to do?Flutist Linda Chesis is a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and festival director. She was a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal at the Paris Conservatory, a top prizewinner at the Paris and Barcelona International Competitions, and has been a longtime faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music and Chair of the Woodwind Department.In this episode, Linda shares insights on how to cultivate a more beautiful sound, walks us through a checklist for what exactly to listen and look for when listening back to recordings of ourselves, and how to manage and organize our practice time when we have too much music to learn and not quite enough time:Get all the nerdy details and connect with Linda here:Linda Chesis: On Cultivating a More Beautiful Sound and Becoming a Better Practicer* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure. Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
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53:30
Finding Your Optimal Anxiety Level: Why Calm Isn’t Always Better
Even from a young age, I was always confused by the relationship between nerves and performance. There were times, for instance, when I’d be nervous and sound pretty terrible. But then there were other times when I’d be nervous and play better than ever. And then there were times when I’d be calm and sound very uninspired and mediocre.It all felt like a crapshoot, and none of it ever made sense. Like, why were nerves sometimes helpful and sometimes not helpful? Should I be trying harder to calm down? And even if I could, given some of my subpar calm performances, was that even the answer?If you’ve ever had questions like this, today’s article has some answers!Get all the nerdy details and learn where the optimal anxiety level might be:Finding Your Optimal Anxiety Level: Why Calm Isn’t Always Better* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure. Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
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10:01
The 70% Rule: Why Practicing Shouldn’t Be Too Easy
Somewhere along the line we learn that mistakes are bad, and perfect is good - but what if this is actually not true when it comes to learning?What if mistakes are actually an essential part of learning? And what if we actually learn faster when we're in a challenge "sweet spot" and playing nowhere near perfectly?If that were true...where might this sweet spot be?Get all the nerdy details and learn why you don't want practicing to feel too easy right here:The 70% Rule: Why Practicing Shouldn’t Be Too Easy* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure. Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
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7:21
Sight Reading: The Ideal Error Rate for Optimal Learning
When you're practicing sight-reading, how difficult should the music be?Should it be easy enough that you can read it more or less perfectly, without any mistakes?Should it be difficult enough that you're making lots of mistakes, and feeling really challenged?Could there a specific "sweet spot" or Goldilocks zone where your sight-reading skills improve at the fastest possible rate?Get all the nerdy details here:Sight Reading: The Ideal Error Rate for Optimal Learning* * *Have you ever wondered why it is exactly that things often sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas. You'll also get the Pressure Proof Practice Challenge, a free 7-day email course where you'll learn specific practice strategies that will help you perform your best, even under pressure. Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa
Ever wonder why you can practice for hours, sound great in the practice room, and still be frustratingly hit or miss on stage? Join performance psychologist and Juilliard alumnus/faculty Noa Kageyama, and explore research-based “practice hacks” for beating anxiety, practicing more effectively, and playing up to your full abilities when it matters most.
Österreich