Tag: self-improvement

Well, I did it again.

I wrote about attracting Grammy nominated saxophone sensation Mindi Abair last November.

I attracted her again the other night.

Mindi Abair likes my sax album

While Mindi performs with the legends – from Aerosmith to Bruce Springsteen – and is a legend herself, she rarely if ever performs private acoustic house concerts.

She’s done it twice now for me and my friends.

And we all love her.

Mindi and my friends

I can’t say enough good things about Mindi.

Not only is she beautiful and mega talented, but a warm, loving, fun, generous person, as well.

Her seventh solo CD, Wild Heart, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category. Featuring special guests such as Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Max Weinberg, Booker T. Jones and Waddy Wachtel, Wild Heart is my favorite of all her albums (so far).

She played tracks from the recent album: raw, acoustic, and steaming with emotion. And she and her keyboard player, Dave Yaden, a Grammy winning songwriter, hung with us for almost six hours.

They didn’t have to.

They wanted to.

And everyone was amazed, happy and grateful.

Mindi with keyboardist Dave Yaden

A highlight for me was having Mindi teach me how to control my breathing for better saxophone playing.

The basic idea is to make a slip of paper stay stuck to a wall by focusing your breath a few inches away and keeping the air flow out steady, so the paper doesn’t fall.  (You can watch that lesson at http://youtu.be/LQDUS9tFbAk)

Like most women, Mindi swoons to my sax album

Another highlight was Mindi sitting on my lap, swooning to the thought of my own saxophone album, Afflatus.

And both Mindi and Dave answered our questions, which was remarkable and educational, as they openly discussed music, improvisation, and breathing, to where to get hot pants and sexy boots. We also learned about hack-sawing a mouthpiece to get it in tune, the musician’s crush, and more.

As in the last private concert, Mindi introduced each song with a story behind it, which brought the songs to life in a more intimate way.

A poignant story was about Mindi’s sax, which was stolen last January.

She had a custom made alto saxophone which was her baby, her pride and joy, and her workhorse. She took it everywhere, used it daily, and relied on it for her income.

It was stolen out of her car.

Mindi approves of the new album "Higher Octaves" by Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon and myself

While she was devastated, it turned into something great, as she attracted a new Yamaha Custom Z alto sax and her own signature Theo Wanne mouthpiece.

While the theft was not perceived as good at the time, she later saw it as the Universe kicking her into her next growth spurt.

As she put it, she was an instant Buddhist – learning non-attachment on the spot.

I love this woman.

To nourish us all, Nerissa made pizza and brownies from the grain-free, gluten-free, all natural recipes in her bestselling cookbook, Bread-Free Bread.

All in all, another unforgettable evening with the astonishing Mindi Abair.

Please go get her albums and enjoy this terrific woman’s gifts.

Her site is right here.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – You can see the first private house concert with Mindi Abair (and guitarist Randy Jacobs) online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEZahXwrTeQ

NOTE: Just a friendly reminder: you can still pre-order my fifth singer-songwriter album — the one where the songs are like 3-minute self-help books — and with Grammy nominated singer Ruthie Foster on one steamy track — at a dramatic discount at One More Day: Life Lessons in Hypnotic Song. This will be a limited edition collectible booklet and CD package. You’ll want it. I’m no Mindi Abair, but I also play sax on the album. 

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Elsie Lincoln Benedict.

Recognize her name?

Neither did I until I found a copy of her 1928 book, Brainology.

Elsie Lincoln Benedict

Turns out this remarkable woman was the most popular self-help author in the world in the 1920s – seen by over three million people during her lifetime – before radio, television, and of the course the Internet.

The only person maybe more well known as a speaker was the former athlete turned fiery evangelist Billy Sunday. (I’ll pause while you Google him.) But even his extreme popularity shrunk in the 1920s as Else’s grew.

Elsie was an American suffragist leader, international lecturer, and popular author on psychology, self-improvement, and more.

She created and ran the Benedict School of Opportunity and founded The International Opportunity League, a book and correspondence business.

She traveled the world with her husband, Ralph Benedict, visiting at least 55 countries, and wrote about their adventures in a popular book, Our Trip Around the World.

She was born in 1885.

She was a millionaire by 1920.

This amazing woman wrote numerous books, such as Practical Psychology (1920), and with her husband, Unlocking the Subconscious (1922), How to Make More Money (1925), and their standout bestseller, How to Analyze People on Sight (1921).

Self-Help from 1928

I found Brainology: Understanding, Developing and Training Your Brain, and couldn’t believe it was written in 1928 but as useful today as it was when it first came out. She was way ahead of the modern fields of positive psychology and neuroscience.

Who was Elsie?

Apparently she was a cutting-edge leader, a petite woman with a commanding presence and charming personality, speaking and writing on what Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie and a long list of men would do later.

Elsie Lincoln Benedict

In many ways, while Elsie was just as upbeat as Hill or Carnegie, and just as subtly metaphysical, she was more practical. She gave people the nuts and bolts of how to succeed by teaching them practical psychology.

Hers was a common sense approach to a happy, healthy, prosperous life.

And she championed women’s rights.

She spoke — in the 1920s, remember — on such topics as Sex Psychology, How to Choose a Mate, How to Get Anything You Want, How to Succeed in Business, and more.

In 1922 she told an audience, “Most people use less brains in selecting the person with whom they are to spend their lives than they do in choosing an automobile, a bicycle or a cut of steak. Love isn’t enough; there must also be understanding.”

She made money even during the Great Depression. Her talks (usually free) inspired people. She urged them to think right, take action and take care of themselves. She also wrote, Outwitting the Depression.

She believed in the “work cure,” which was a new way to handle nervousness and hysteria and other psychological problems of the early 1920s.

The idea was to get you to do useful activities, like taking a college class, learning carpentry or music, or running an office.

The “cure” for what ails you was in the “work,” or the doing, of something meaningful.

Instead of disconnecting from life, you re-connected to life.

In 1923, the Oakland Tribune called Elsie “Wonder Woman,” explaining that “..she actually MAKES OVER THE LIVES of those who follow her wonderful, powerful teachings.”

When Elsie was asked, in 1920, how she attracted 3,000 people at a time to her talks, with hundreds being turned away due to lack of room, she replied, “Because I talk on the one subject on earth in which every individual is most interested – himself.”

Ad for Elsie

I got so excited discovering Else that I went looking for more of her books. I found a pristine 1920 edition of Practical Psychology.

What a treat!

I was impressed at how her clear, direct, conversational writing style communicated practical insights about everything from how to stop worrying, how to build self-confidence, to how to make money.

Elsie's 1920 genius

I of course jumped to the How to Make Money chapter, which was the last one in the book.

Knowing all her readers would do what I did, there’s a line in parenthesis in that chapter where she says, “You are reading this chapter first!”

Elsie knew people.

While I haven’t seen her use the phrase “Law of Attraction” – yet, as I haven’t read all of her books yet – she certainly knew the power of the mind to direct action, which attracted results.

In that last chapter in Practical Psychology she writes:

“All men and women who have climbed to the top of life’s ladder climbed up mentally first.”

When her husband died in 1941, Elsie withdrew from public life.

She was heart broken.

She stayed plugged into life by traveling and visiting family.

1921 course by Elsie

But her public appearances and books were over.

She died in 1970.

I’m glad I discovered her.

She was one of those pioneers who paved the way for many others, including me and other Law of Attraction authors, by stepping forth in courage to share her message of self-help and self-improvement.

“Make a rule to dwell on nothing but the strong and good in life and people.”- Elsie and Ralph Benedict, Brainology, 1928

Thank you, Elsie.

I love you.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Heather Mickelson, Else’s great granddaughter, is bringing the “forgotten wonder woman” back into public awareness by reissuing her lost books, writing a biography, and carrying her work into the modern age with humanitarian efforts. Heather’s site explains it all. See http://www.elsielincolnbenedict.com/

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What I teach is that when you change your inner beliefs, your outer life changes.

In other words, what you are attracting today is due to your mental programming, whether you consciously realize it or not.

Your beliefs set up a “filter” in your mind.

Your brain then only allows you to perceive what is a match to your existing beliefs.

Given that, how do your change your beliefs – especially when you may not even know what they are?

There are lots of ways, but here’s a new one that is easy, fun, and a joy to do http://www.OneMoreDayCD.com

Here’s the story —

Brain Change in 3 Minutes

Every song on my forthcoming new album is a type of “3-minute self-help book.”

In other words, each song delivers a powerful message, and in about three minutes.

This is a breakthrough new way to get the positive messages I teach straight into your mind, by simply *listening* to this music.

The messages are the ones I spend entire books writing about, whether how to “Nevillize” a goal, or attract what you want, to songs designed to motivate, inspire, and awaken.

So, each song is a self-help book in about 3 minutes.  🙂

I posted a video on Facebook of me talking about one new song and over 12,000 people went to see it and many wanted that one song right then and there.

That song – called ‘Deep Within’ – and all the others, will be on my new album.

Another song, called ‘Some Thoughts,’ teaches you that some thoughts are crappy, and some are wise – but also teaches you how to change your thoughts “like a jukebox in your mind.”

That song’s on the new album, too.

The album is called One More Day.

The subtitle is “Life Lessons in Hypnotic Song.”

http://www.OneMoreDayCD.com

Besides my band of legends – like Daniel Barrett, Glenn Fukunaga, drummer Joe Vitale and G-Monk Mathew Dixon – I’ve also added Grammy nominated singer Ruthie Foster. (!)

The new album will come on audio CD, with a booklet containing photos and lyrics.

It will be a limited-edition collectible.

It will ship (around April) with a surprise gift.

You can pre-order one or more (at a dramatic discount) right here — http://www.OneMoreDayCD.com

This will be a fun and easy new way to change your brain so you can begin to have, do, or be more of what you really desire.

You deserve it, right?

Invest in *you*.

Expect Miracles.

Ao Akua,

joe

PS – You can also see that famous Facebook video of me in the studio talking about one of the songs at http://www.OneMoreDayCD.com

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My brand new self-help music video was just posted. It’s the dance friendly title song off my last singer-songwriter album, Reflection. You can see it right here:

http://youtu.be/jLwQk1LgxKg

And the first video, which has been seen by more than 100,000 people so far, based on the song ‘Everybody’s Going Thru Something’ off Strut!, my first singer-songwriter album, is here:

http://youtu.be/YzT_yljj-SU

Enjoy!

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — The songs and their albums are on iTunes. A portal to all of my albums (so far) is at http://www.allhealingmusic.com

Saxman Joe

Every month I answer questions from people in my Miracles Coaching program.

Been doing it for years.

The questions are always raw, in depth, fresh, sincere, and often surprising.

For example —

• How do I stay positive when people around me are negative?

• How do I discover my life purpose when I don’t know what I want?

• How do I attract money in this terrible economy?

• How do I attract my soul mate?

• How do I improve my self-image?

• How do I help others?

• What can I do when everything looks hopeless?

Every call is recorded, and the best of the questions and answers get put into a series of books called, The Miracles Manual. There are currently two volumes in the series with a third on the way. (All are free right here.)

Recently I had this question tossed at me —

“If you were forced to set all learning aside and could only teach one principle for the rest of your life – what one principle would host the most importance to you?”

“I can answer that question in only two words, ” I replied.

“Oh?”

Click image to get Vol 1 and Vol 2 free

“Active Gratitude.”

“Active Gratitude?”

I went on to say, “If each of us would practice gratitude in the moment, all worries would vanish, all problems would resolve, all miracles would come easily — in fact, if we really were in gratitude in the moment, we’d realize we are already happy, already peaceful, and already living the miracle.”

Active Gratitude means noticing the good in every moment. When you actually come from gratitude, you wouldn’t judge the moment as good or bad because you’d realize the jury isn’t in yet and so every moment can be seen as good.

Active Gratitude means you live in a spirit of thankfulness, realizing all you have right now is a gift and a miracle in itself.

Active Gratitude means your meditation is gratitude, your process is gratitude, and your “technique” is gratitude.

Active Gratitude means giving thanks in each moment for the moment.

If each of us practiced Active Gratitude, we’d change ourselves and the planet and probably invite instant enlightenment.

We’d realize that in each moment the Universe is giving us so much that we rarely acknowledge — It is keeping us alive without our paying or doing a thing — that we would feel overwhelmed with love.

Active Gratitude would open our eyes to see the miracle of right now.

And from practicing Active Gratitude, we would have raised our vibration so all we attract in the future moments would be better and better, always raising the bar on the incredible beauty of the now.

Why don’t we practice Active Gratitude?

We are afraid.

We subconsciously think some version of this belief:

“If I’m happy and accept this moment as good, I won’t do anything to make my life better.”

But is that true?

I’ve discovered that when I am happy, content, and at peace, I tend to pursue my calling, my life path, and my life mission.

When I lived in fear, desperation and survival, all I attracted was more of the same.

The secret door to escape the mental torment of suffering is to begin the practice of praising.

In other words, look around and find what you are thankful for, and express it.

Yes, if I was backed into a corner and told I could only teach one thing, it’d be Active Gratitude.

And I’d be grateful for that, too.

Any more questions?

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Check out Miracles Coaching by clicking right here.

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