As a little girl, I regularly heard the words that I could achieve the goals that were laid out before me, but I did not believe I could.  I daydreamed about being a singer, but I did not think it was possible. Whenever I allowed myself to leave my daydreaming bubble, and think about actually getting on stage and singing in front of an audience, fear would grip me and I would feel ill.

When I tell people “we are all programmed” most everyone will agree.  

Outside forces and events influenced me and molded me into who I am today, and at a certain point, I had to take responsibility for the past.  It is the past, I cannot change it.  BUT! I can change what I do right NOW.  What does this have to do with singing, EVERYTHING!

I had to realize that it was I who was propelling my past into my future when I made statements about how I wanted to stand on stage and sing but keep saying I cannot.  No one else was stopping me but myself!  I had to let go and move forward… but what does that mean?  At the root of the matter, I had to change my perception of myself as a singer because it was based in fear.

Today I am a vocal instructor at Carleton University.  I give workshops on discovering and using your voice.  I help people understand and use their power.  I stand in front of thousands of people and share who I am with them through the songs I sing and the stories I tell.   
 

How am I able to do these things today? Programing through commitment, consistency, and repetition.  Now when I think of singing on stage, I can’t wait for it to happen and have to stay calm. 

If the world can assist in programing you in a direction that you do NOT want to go in, know that you have the power to program yourself to go in the direction YOU DO want to go in.  

The two statements I hear over and over in my line of work is, “I have always wanted to learn how to sing but I was too shy”, or “I was told I did not have a good voice”.  Deep down inside you KNOW that feeling of wanting to sing has never left you. When these courageous souls arrive at my doorstep they are ready for the change they have been yearning for.  They are just looking for someone to give them permission.

Go ahead and give yourself permission to sing.  YOU have the ability to program yourself.  You are the only one who can do it.   If you want to sing, allow yourself to see this desire as a journey and take it one step at a time. You will never be disappointed if you choose to press on.  You will develop more than just your voice.  You will blossom.  You will be able to achieve your goal of singing in front of an audience because you choose to be courageous through commitment, consistency, and repetition.  YOU do the programming, go for it! 

Keep on Singing,
Roxanne Goodman
The Confidence Booster