You are the Olive Tree.

Listen to the post here: The Los Angeles Method Podcast

Imagine you are a strong, rich, generous, beautiful and fruitful Olive Tree. olive Trees are loved trees because of the rich gifts they offer. They live for hundreds of years and offer food, shade, materials, life. Do not forget that the Olive Tree was the gift that Goddess Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, offered the Athenians as a symbol of life and abundance.

You are that Olive Tree. At first you are a small seed. No one can tell you are an Olive Tree, not even you. You are thinking "I am just a tiny dot. How can I offer food to so many people, olive oil and shade and protection for years to come? I will not make it! I am just a tiny seed!" And you get scared and overwhelmed with what lies ahead, all the responsibilities and demands. 

These are your limiting beliefs. These are your Confining Convictions, the false "programs you have downloaded" along your way.

The work we do with The Los Angeles Method reprograms all these Confining Convictions, these thoughts that you have accepted as facts, and liberates you from what weighs you down. 

That is how we plant the seed- You- into a rich and nourishing soil. Then we work on your values, anti values, habits and more- the nutrients that will help you rise strong and tall and rich. We work on releasing any unwanted elements that are weighing you down. 

Now that you have your "roots" well planted in a rich and supporting "soil", we work on your goals, in the most creative way- using a combination of Acting and Personal Development Techniques. 

We use Acting Techniques and games to give you the tools to create any "Role" you want to play in life and achieve any "scene objective" you want.

Are you looking for a Role Model? Check this out [Video]

Are you looking for a Role Model?

We all need inspiration, we all need someone to look up to and use as an example. I do not mean someone to copy and replicate. You need to be you, your authentic you, in order to succeed. I am talking about someone who can inspire you to become the person you were meant to be.

Manoj Bhargava is an entrepreneur with net worth of 4 billion dollars. He decided to give 90% of his fortune to charity and research for making the world a better place.

In the short film that follows, you can see what his work has offered so far. In the "shop" that he has created, scientists and innovators have build the "Free Electricity". A bicycle which you pedal for an hour and gives you back electricity for 24 hours. The only side effects, as Bhargava puts it, are you getting stronger and healthier.

Manoj Bhargava was asked what makes a successful entrepreneur, his answer: " Common Sense and a Sense of Urgency." 

Common sense comes from your Authentic Self. The way I understand Bhargava's words is that the common sense should stem from you, not from the confining convictions and the "programs" you have downloaded from society while growing up. Common Sense is the answer to the question "What do I want?". Not your mother, your school teacher, your friends or society. What do you want in your heart? Once you figure that out, the common sense is the only way to get to it. "Of course this is what I need to do!" That "A ha!" moment.

Knowing who you are and what you want, finding your voice as we say at The Los Angeles Method, is good but it is not enough. You need action, you need to act on your life. The action comes from the "sense of urgency". How much do you want it and WHY do you want it? 

"Achieving my goal is a matter of life and death. If I do not succeed I will lose everything". This is how high the stakes need to be for you. As the story goes: "The tiger was chasing the rabbit. The tiger was running for its food, the rabbit was running for its life. The rabbit won."

What is your goal and why do you want to achieve it?

Leave your comment below. Inspire us. We would love to hear what you have to say. 

Who are your role models?

The Los Angeles Method at the 4th International Scientific Conference.

A few months ago, after a long discussion about the Los Angeles Method and how the Arts can be therapeutic, I was invited by Ms. Dora Psaltopoulou-PhD, MA-CMT and the Aristotle University in Greece to join the 4th International Scientific Conference “Creative Arts Interconnection Paideia-Therapy” and present the Los Angeles Method.

The moment arrived.  On March 19th I flew from Amsterdam to Greece.  I was very excited to return to my country and present my work in such a distinguished environment.

Ms. Psaltopoulou runs the only Music Therapy Department in the country. Unfortunately the people responsible are not aware yet of the fact that Arts can be the solution to many challenges.  The Arts can cure practically anything, since all the challenges we are facing, whether they are physical or psychological, are based on the emotions we are having. Arts deal with exactly that; our emotions. They help us understand who we are and how we can achieve our full potential. This goes beyond therapy. Great multinational companies, pioneers in their field, are now preferring candidates with MFAs rather than MBAs. ( for more info you can check out our post “An MFA better than an MBA“).

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa

The chair of the conference, Ms.Psaltopoulou, has pioneered Music Therapy in Greece since 1992, and founded the Music Therapy Centre of Thessaloniki. She is a certified music therapist CMT (AMTA) and holds a PhD and a MA (NYU,NU,USA). Her clinical work includes neurosis, psychosis, autism and community music therapy.

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa photo by Thanasis Moutsianas

I am very honoured to have shared the stage with Pr. Barbara Hesser- CMT,LCAT, FAMI.  Prof. Hesser is the Director of the Music Therapy program at New York University.  In this capacity she coordinates the Master’s and Doctoral Degree programs of NYU. She is the program director of the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre and has served as President of the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT).

Prof. Hesser opened the conference. Her speech was about our “Healthy Potential”. We are all born with a healthy potential- our true nature. As Maslow states, we all need and have creativity and aliveness. If someone has mental, physical, emotional problems- these problems stand blocks to their Healthy Potential. It is those people, with these problems (mental, physical, emotional), that music helps them express their Inner Healthy Potential.

Prof. Hesser talked about the benefits and the life changing effects of the Arts and specifically Music Therapy; using as an example young Joshua. We first saw a short video of a young boy, 5 or 6 years old, in a room with a piano. A young man was playing the piano and another was singing, but the boy did not respond. The boy did not want to be touched and was completely secluded from its environment. The next video, shot some days later, shows Joshua being held by one of the therapists and singing along, even touching the piano and creating sounds.  Before we go on, prof. Hesser explains to us that Joshua is a blind autistic child.

Understanding the challenges that an autistic child faces and adding to that the blindness, one can realise the great progress that was achieved in a short period of time through music.  Through the videos, you begin to see a response, a vocalisation in tune with the music. Joshua is singing, Joshua is having a good time and Joshua reacts and does what the lyrics say.

In another video we see Joshua having a tantrum. The therapist playing the piano, follows through the music Joshua’s tantrum and gradually guides him to a more serene place, and Joshua follows and collaborates to the music. The music relaxes him. Joshua accepts the music.

Joshua, a blind, autistic kid, feels confident and allows himself to heal through music. He feels safer, accepted, calm and trusts himself and his environment. Joshua found a sense of rhythm, a desire to vocalise, an ability to play the piano, spontaneity, joy, pleasure and the ability to focus.  All that through music. He developed a new aspect of himself through Art. A new self concept was developed. He moved from wanting to control his environment to collaborating and improvising.

At the beginning Joshua would describe himself as disabled, unaccepted and unworthy.  Now all that has changed; he understands himself as being loved, accepted and able for anything.

Joshua experienced the Expansion of Being through the Arts.

If Joshua can do it, what is stopping you?

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa. photo by Thanasis Moutsianas

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa. photo by Thanasis Moutsianas

The next day I presented the Los Angeles Method. We talked about how our lives are the movies we write, direct and star in; how we are 100% responsible of our reality- since we are the ones creating it.

Acting is about our truth, it is not about pretending. I must first know who I am, what do I want, what kind of “tools” do I have- in order to be able to serve the role.  These are the techniques we teach “non actors” ( I am using quotation marks even though we are all Acting on our lives, we are all actors).

We play many roles throughout a day, we are not only one character. The techniques help you distinguish the different objectives and create different maps to achieve them all. (If you wish to read more on the Los Angeles Method, you can follow the link.)

We talked about our theatre project and how the Art of Theatre can be therapeutic and liberating. ( You can read more about the Theatre Project here.)

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa. photo by Thanasis Moutsianas

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa. photo by Thanasis Moutsianas

It was a wonderful experience working with all the participants in the Los Angeles Method Workshop. Their commitment and dedication were memorable. Most of the participants are studying towards the degree of Music Therapy. It makes you feel happy and trustful knowing that such able, committed and devoted individuals will be “released” into society soon to help others. The world is about to become a better place, and we can all be part of the process.

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa. photo by Thanasis Moutsianas

It was a very rewarding experience.

My gratitude and appreciation to Ms.Dora Psaltopoulou-PhD,MA-CMT, Mr. Nikolaos Zafranas-PhD,MA,BA, Ms. Margarita Hatzinassiou-MA-NRMT and everyone on the organising Committee of the 4th International Scientific Conference of the Aristotle University, “Creative Arts Interconnection Paideia-Therapy”.

My special thanks to Mr. Yiannis Kaminis for taking care of all the important details that make the difference- and Mr. Th. Moutsianas for the photos and assistance.

thelosangelesmethod.com © Copyright 2009- 2015, Theodora Voutsa

Art can save Lives.

5 Ways to Get what you want in Life.

You are unique and precious! I can not stress this enough! The number one tool you have to accomplish anything in your life is your Self Confidence. Without your self confidence, the sense that you deserve the best things in life, you can not do much. You can not plan your life without that ingredient. If you do not plan your life, someone else will use you for their plan. As Jim Rhon expressed it perfectly:

“Someone else will use you for their plans, and guess what! They do not have much planned for you!”

— Jim Rohn

This is something I experienced from an early age. This is what I want to share with you. I understood early in life the importance of self confidence, of the sense of worthiness. I am not talking about being "loud" or "cocky" or "selfish". I am not referring to the "I, Me, Mine" part of you. I am referring to the part of you where your creativity, your vulnerability and your faith reside. Once you truly believe that you are one of a kind, precious, that you are a very important member of this Universe and that without you the entire system will collapse- then, through Empathy, you will be able to accomplish anything you want!

Here are the 5 ways I have discovered so far, that help me turn my ideas and inspirations into action:

1. BE IN THE PRESENT.

The present is exactly what the word implies: a Present! Do not worry about the Future, or live in the Past. Worrying about the future "What  will happen next?" "Where will I be?" "What will I do?" puts you in a state of anxiety and stress. You can not be creative in such a state. Being stuck in the past reveals that you afraid of Life. Think of dogs (I love dogs and I believe we should all live our lives like one- but that is another post!), they can smell fear. Have you been around an animal that smells fear? It is not a good site! So imagine what you attract in your life if you "transmit" fear most of the time.

Be in the Now, present. Think of this moment only. TRUST that everything will turn out the way you want them to. Trust in the same way you trust that the floor will be there when you get out of bed. You do not wake up in the morning checking underneath your bed, making sure everything is there and then jump out! You just get up and go! You KNOW the floor will be there  to support you, no questions asked. The floor does not care what you look like, what dreams you had or what you are wearing. Put the same FAITH in to YOU!

2. "NAME IT EASY".

What is in a name? How do we understand the world around us? With words. We name things so we can understand their meaning and act accordingly. To give you an example, if I introduced you to Gloria, and told you she is the Queen of Mozambique, you would create an idea of Gloria. You would imagine where she grew up, where she lives now, how much money she has, what her status is, what kind of people she meets and all these ideas would create a broad system on how you would treat Gloria. You would treat her differently if I told you she was 25 years old than if I told you she was 68 years old.

Another example is this. Imagine we are on a University campus. We are in an auditorium waiting for a lecture to begin. A student next to us tells us to be quiet. We do not pay much attention to him; he is just a student. The professor enters, asks everyone to be quiet- he is an authority figure- we obey. We received the same request, but our reaction was different.

This automated behaviour comes forth in all aspects of our lives. Your brain, your conscious and your sub conscious are your best friends, and your most loyal servants! They do whatever you tell them to. So if you name something "difficult", they will create all the circumstances to prove you right. You are, after all, the ultimate authority figure for them. They will obey to your every command.

Pay attention to the expressions you use. "You need to know people to succeed in this business." "You need to work hard to make money". "This is difficult". "I do not know". "I am afraid I do not understand". Every word you use is a command for your brain, which takes everything you say literally.

Change the words you use for 48 hours and see what happens! Just for 48 hours, name everything "Easy".

3. FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE.

There are two sides to every coin, in everything in Life. Duality exists everywhere you look. Everywhere there is light and there are shadows. We love focusing on the "shadows".

We enjoy, in a way, to talk and think about negative stuff. We do because it is familiar. It is part of the "programs we have downloaded", it is part of our confining convictions. We are all born perfect, and as we grow up we adopt convictions from the people and the environment around us. Convictions ( we have written posts on Convictions if you want to check out more details) are thoughts that we have accepted as Facts, and we live our lives by them. Convictions are easy to reprogram. That is what we do at The Los Angeles Method. 

The convictions we use to translate the world with, we have accumulated from the age of 0 to around 7. That is a period in our lives where the system to evaluate things and circumstances is not fully developed yet. So you understand that we might adopt a few convictions that are not servicing us, these turn into Confining Convictions.

We need to understand that everything has two or more sides. If we see poverty, it means that abundance is there too. If we see disease, it means that health is there too. If we see loneliness, it means that companionship is there too. Both sides exist, both are real. Which one do you choose to see? Which reality do you choose to experience and why?

4. LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

The moment you know something, you stop questioning it, you stop "seeing" it. Do not anything as a fact or for granted. Question ideas and circumstances that are not servicing you. Have a debate with yourself.

Reality does not really exist. What exists is our perception of that reality! 

Are you moving right now? If you are reading this sitting at your desk or on your couch, probably not. Yet you are. The Earth, on which you stand, moves at a speed of 107.000 km/hr! And you are moving with it!

Open your horizons and allow for new notions to enter your reality. You do not have to question the big pillars in your life now. Start with something small to educate yourself on knowledge and learning. Start a new course on cooking, you might discover a new way of boiling eggs (you can tell I am not a cook!). Find something that helps your creativity. Put yourself in vulnerable situations. This is where creativity resides, you will experience a huge difference.

Challenge what you know.

5. EXPERIMENT

Do not take my word for these, experiment yourself. 

Become a scientist in a lab. Write out a report for your experiment. Give a time to begin the experiment and a time to end it. Write down comments, notes, observations. Check to see what worked and what did not. Draw your own conclusions!

PRACTISE!

Be present, understand that your words create your reality, understand that in this Universe it is the "similars" that attract not the opposite- so focus on the positive and be positive, learn to expand and draw your own conclusions.

Thank you for your time and attention. I would be very interested to find out what happened with your experiment. Please leave your comment below. 

Create and Enjoy :)

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Theodora is the Creator and Founder of The Los Angeles Method. 

The Los Angeles Method is a combination of Acting and Personal Development Techniques to assist the participants to Find their voice and Act on their lives.

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