What is “The Whole Boring Story?” It’s the title of Deanna Morae’s 2000 CD release. But don’t take that title at face value. After several months of zero sales, Deanna has created $6,000 revenue in one year, selling those same CDs one by one. And she did it with no performances, only by word of mouth.
I recently sat down with her in my studio to talk about her personal journey, its lessons, and its evolution into a story of success. Midway through our conversation, she explained what the title “The Whole Boring Story” meant:
In the past, I often got the feeling when I was talking to people that they were becoming disinterested in what I had to say, that I was talking too long and it made me feel uncomfortable. When I got that sense, I got to the point by capping it all off with the phrase, “and that is the whole boring story.” I used this comment so much that when I finished the CD and was wondering what to call it, my husband David said, well, it has to be “The Whole Boring Story.” And so the story goes…..
I met Deanna years ago as a fellow musician. We spent time on the phone talking about our music. We agreed that people did not seem to care about it, and that this perceived rejection really stung. We commiserated about gigs we did not get. We discussed our passion for self-expression, and the obvious stopping blocks that all artists seemed to face. We seemed to be fighting a popular belief that musicians were a dime a dozen, bums who brought crowds into venues, worked for six hours for a hundred bucks, then went home. We struggled to make sense of our intuitive desire to share our art while somehow keeping ourselves “together.” At the same time, we trudged though the torrid swamp of the “music industry,” its cronies and rejections, tracking the ridiculous “it factor.”
I lost track of her for a few years, completely wrapped up in other non-musical pursuits. Since I wasn’t attending to the arts, we no longer ran in the same circles. Then one day I happened to bump into her downtown. The Deanna I met that day seemed a bit different than I remembered. This woman radiated an upbeat vibe. I told her she seemed refreshed and invigorated. She replied that she’d been attending a life altering program, and explained her excitement about things I’d never heard of before. She used such terms as the Millionaire Mind, Guerilla Business School, and Warrior Training. I couldn’t understand it all. “Call me back later,” I said.
When we finally caught up with each other, she said she was bringing this Millionaire Mind program to our area. As I listened to her story, I realized that this was an education system…but not just that. It was also a transformation system. There was a way of thinking that completely shattered old belief systems. This new pattern of thought allowed for greater concentration. It allowed a person to look at things from an omnipresent viewpoint. A person can look at himself/herself from all sides and then work for intuitive goals. The answers, then, would come from within. Each individual had their own answers ready to speak in loud clear tones.
Ah, okay, I thought. What was this education program that lets you speak? Is it the general philosophy of Winnie the Pooh, who is coming to town with Santa Clause, you be Budda, I’ll be Krishna, and we’ll float in the air above a banyan tree? What was at the core?
I replied that I had heard about the Millionaire Mind…but who really knows what they are talking about? Why should I care? Deanna had been researching successful people, searching for a way to quench her intuitive hunger. She was caught by surprise by a man she called T Harv Eker, and her life began to change. After completing the Millionaire Mind course herself, she worked as a volunteer to help at Harv's program.
On the way to the Guerilla Business School seminar her husband said, here is a box of CDs. Don’t come home with them. “When I arrived, I met my roommate, Tina for the week. I had never met her before but she was obviously a center of inspiration. I told her what my husband said and she replied. “Well, let’s go do it.”
They began their quest immediately. Among a group of strangers Tina would introduce her: “Meet Deanna, she is an amazing musician. Tell them about your music, Deanna…"
I would stumble over my words and begin trying to piece together any sensible sentence to tell them about it. I felt awkward and stilted but you know it was such a good exercise for me. I sold one to a lady who I thought was just being nice to me. I felt funny about the whole thing and thought it was a terrifying experience. But a miracle began to happen when I least expected it.
The next morning, the “nice” lady came back and bought 5 more CDs! Deanna was shocked. From there, she began to shed her cowardly sense of herself. By day three, she was starting to feel a different energy.
It was almost like a tap on my shoulder by something bigger than me saying, “If you thought that you were done with this music, then you were wrong.” I began to think; maybe I was underselling myself before, and by miles, because of my past experiences. I realized that my gift was the ability to put my words to music which flows from my soul. There are those that hear my words and I am able to touch them and I don't even have to be there to do so.
After selling 7 CDs my roommate said, “Call your husband and tell him to send two more boxes immediately.”
She took her advice and that was the beginning of Deanna's journey out of her personal cave of fearing rejection by replacing that with an inner knowing that she has a brilliant gift to offer.
Since then, Deanna has been on a roll. With the strategies she’s learned in Harv's courses, she has sold $6,000 worth of CDs to total strangers who didn’t even listen to it prior to buying! Not only that, but this once-apologetic artist has transformed into a woman who is present, who knows herself and her gifts, and is ready to share them.
My internal voice began to tell me that I needed to bring this experience to Indianapolis. It certainly changed my life and I knew it could be a positive inspiration to others.
On May 21st. that will happen as T. Harv's company, Peak Potentials, will bring an introductory program to Indianapolis.
This is a great opportunity if people are “ready.” If they are hungry, I believe this can be their ticket. Today people want answers. This education attracts the top 5% business population. If those top 5% come and it amounts to 300 of the 1000 people in the room and they are inspired, it can create a trickledown effect with the ability to change this city for the better. It's my calling to see that and be a part of the process.
She went on to explain,
I am here to make positive difference. I want to help others do the same thing. I want people to understand their value, not overrate or underrate it, but just give it to others. Today I never allow my fear of failure to stop anything. You know, the Millionaire Mind is not about telling people how to be materialistic. It’s about experiencing your soul abundance. That is why I decided to never give up. I won’t be a failure because I have decided that if I never give up, nobody can ever say I failed. I am still walking and intend to keep going. Everyone should know that they are entitled to share their genius. This gives them a road map.
If every human being could get a solid, deep understanding that they have value, honestly saying to themselves, “I have something to give…without ego…My gifts matter….I matter…. I can make a difference in the lives of others because I am present…Can you imagine how much happier people would be because they knew that they mattered?”
What took a woman from feeling undervalued to being able to walk up to strangers and sell them her music, unheard? It was a transformation from within, a realization of ego, and its health. It was an acceptance of the fact that everyone holds a gift and it is the responsibility of each individual to share it with the world.
Ann McWilliams
City of Music Corporation
7399 N. Shadeland Avenue
Suite 284
Indianapolis, IN 46250
317-730-4095
