Absolutely Yours

The Day Honey Came To Class

Honey (not her real name) maintains this tip changed her life. I can’t vouch for that, but what I do know is that when I met Honey, she was a part-time blues singer and a full-time government worker. Now, she is a much in-demand blues singer, and that takes all her time.

I met Honey when she attended a class I was teaching. Somehow we got off course and started talking about performing – a subject I know a lot about. As a child and teen, I enjoyed showing my skills at the piano. The years went by, and stepping into adulthood I also stepped into a fear of performing.

Eliminate This Duality and Enhance Every Performance

As a child, I rightly imagined people were impressed with my skills. Later, my perception flipped and I imagined that every time I sat down to play, people were looking for finger and memory slips and interpretive bungling. You see, reader, I was functioning from a false duality – (1) me and (2) the audience.

Once I caught the duality, everything changed. What I learned and shared with Honey, I keep in mind before every speaking engagement, and every piano performance.

Sometimes Talent Is Not Enough

Before I tell you the “secret,” let’s go to a concert. You’ve been there. You’ve seen some performances that grabbed you and wouldn’t let you go for weeks. And, you’ve also seen some performances you forgot before the curtain closed. For some reason you and the performer did not connect. What separates a good performer from a great one is connectability (not in dictionary).

I remember listening to a young girl play in a recital. Her fingers flew up and down the keyboard. She hit all the right notes. It was a dazzling display of virtuosity. Later her teacher asked a friend what he thought. “Unless she connects with the music, and then connects with the audience, she can forget a career.” Technically, this young lady improved by the hour, or so it seemed, but she couldn’t win first prize in any competition. Why? Because she didn’t connect.

It’s Better Than Connecting With An Audience

I’m writing this post for professional and lay speakers, musicians, and other public performers. Here’s the “secret” I shared with Honey. “When you go on stage, look around at the audience and know I AND THE AUDIENCE ARE ONE INSEPARABLE MIND, LIFE AND PRESENCE.” I call it hugging them with Truth. Better than connecting is the acknowledgment of ONENESS.

You can take this one step further by looking around and knowing that “Right here is one Indivisible presence and I am It.” This not only includes the audience, but the walls, floor, chairs and all.

Before your next performance, try it! It works!