Kenny Answers Your Effortless Mastery Questions #001

Kenny,
Thank you so much for writing your book. I’ve about worn mine out. It has helped me immensely with my 5 string banjo playing. I have the meditations copied into my cell phone and listen to all 4 nearly every night. For anyone who is really serious about being the best they can be on their instrument, Effortless Mastery is the book to have.

Tom Williams
Raleigh, NC

Wow, great answer, Kenny!

If I could say something from my own experience: I think the meditation is about relaxing and creating a positive mindset. There is no wrong way to do it, and it’s impossible to screw up the “I am great” meditation. If you sat there and did it, you succeeded! No matter what happened.

I often don’t get to an enlightened state when I meditate. But I always practice w/more patience afterwards. More patience = more progress and then the words “I am great” really do start to come true. Just listen to the words “I am great”, say them to yourself, and notice what happens. Don’t pressure yourself to ‘feel great’. That’s the same as pressuring yourself to ‘play great.’

A response to Henry:
It seems you and Kenny are in concordance, the essence of your message is the same. There is nothing to disagree on save that you are using a Christian vocabulary and Kenny is using a Zen/post-religion/spirituality vocabulary. If you want to educate yourself further on what bugs you about some of Kenny’s language, I recommend learning more about current post-religious spiritual movements around the world. Although you’ll have every right to disagree with what some people think about the nature of God, it will at least be good to get some different perspectives.

All best,

eric

As human beings we cannot but create, or co-create if you wish. If we watch closely we can see that affirmations do work. The problem is that we’re often not aware of the the negative affirmations we’re thinking at a subconscious level. These very often have much more emotional import than the simple uttering of verbal affirmations. We need to recognize these deeper lying negative affirmations and approach them in a non-judgmental way. Perhaps then we can “detonate” them and allow a healthier state of mind to unfold.

Kenny, Thank you for the amazing book and meditation CD. I’ve had the book for sometime now, but, have been taking a series of classes at Christ Church Unity in Orlando, Florida on ABUNDANCE, so, I’ve not gotten very far into the book (your book was and is recommended to all musicians by the pastor, Alice Anderson). What I’ve experienced from the book has been very inspiring. I’ve always had an inferiority complex in most areas of my life due to a fundamentalist Christian background. I certainly don’t blame all of those feelings on my church, but, it didn’t help. I’m slowly working my way through the negative stuff and finding out how much the positive affirmations are necessary to healing and that at 65 I still believe in and look forward to growing in all areas and that’s exciting but scary at times. I’m getting wonderful reinforcing comments when I perform since I’ve begun doing my spiritual work and practicing the principals in the book. Thank you again for the helpful book and website.

I totally get the book and love it. It has changed my life. Corky Siegel’s book most certainly compliments yours too and practicing his techniques the effortless mastery way has taken my playing to the next level as well.

What I want to know is how do you deal with the situation of playing with other musicians who are playing wrong changes or form when you are trying to create a solo or play a head? So many times I can get derailed by what is going on around me. It makes what I am playing at the moment sound messy. Even though yes, everything I play is great , how do you recover? If that is explained in the book, I missed it. Thank you.

Rick

PS I was raised fundamentalist Christian like Eric also.
The dogma certainly did put a lot of negative messages in my head
about being not worthy etc. Or when bad things happened it was because
I was a sinner etc. And even limited the music I was allowed to listen to.
Jazz was the devils music. etc. So Kenny’s meditations certainly helped
with the self-judgement. How can you play your best if your constantly judging yourself?

Hi Guys,
This is one of the most wonderfully positive post sites I’ve ever seen.

Effortless Mastery was one of a handful of very important puzzle pieces in my life. I have done a lot of self-education (not self-help, but self-learning..;) Where we’ve meditated, found “answers” or things that could help, and do very much help – and Kenny’s musical aproach was the final thing I needed, to KNOW this was very healthy for my whole being, and just (if not more) as important as practicing my instrument. (I’m a classical singer, currently taking a master in Contemporary music) Feeling whole, happy and healthy/growing is the most important thing to me now, not whether or not I will have sucsess, or whether or not I’m a perfect enough singer. But, as Kenny says: these things kinda come as a bonus when you stop bugging yourself with those tormenting thoughts.

I love that you help eachother with some doubts that can come from religious or cultural backgrounds, it’s moving. I grew up in a small town, where everybody is made worthless, and your personality is shut down in the early years because you can’t stand out or else the tiger will eat you…that’s off course not true, but you get what I’m saying. I was working on the worth (and still am) issue for a long time – and during my first “I am Great”-meditation I had tears flowing down my cheeks, effortlessly, a quiet and beautiful reunion with that child that had to hide who she was and live by the rule: I am nothing. She could not belive that this change had arrived, that she was now not just worth something, but she was absolutally necessary for me to be whole and feel good about myself. I love her!

My experience with affirmations are: when they seem absurd and really untrue, that’s when they can be very powerful. Things you already know/feel are true aren’t that powerful. So the fact that the “I am Great” feels conflicting with something is a super thing! Because then you have found a conflict inside yourself, and just the fact that you notice that it is there is a great step! Conflicts only exists inside (in my opinion)and I find it useful to ask myself (about anything): does it help me to believe this? Is it fruitful/effective to think like this? And if not, I find the currage to change it, and stick with changing it for some time until I see results/fruit of my change in thought/mood in real life. Sometimes this work goes in shifts over many years, but it still works.
Just like Kenny’s “I play effortlessly”, it’s more and more true every day. A true blessing. I’m not saying it is wrong to belive that God is the master, that is a great affirmation too, I just find it very exiting to remember that: it is just thoughts, they can be changed and still there you stand, no lightning was struck. I think we sometimes give words too much respect in an unhealthy way, it’s nice to play with them sometimes, see what happens. Try things that are “not true”, what does that do to me? really? just to say them to myself, think them. It’s just words, thoughts. Not rock. Which is probably also why thoughts can be so much powerful than rocks… Now…. I’m just playing here… I’ll stop now…:)
Thank you all for all the wonderful words and thoughts you have shared.
Kjersti K.