When A Song Flips The Switch

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Dear listeners, you are stuck, unmotivated, energy flat, and then a song cuts through. Suddenly you are breathing differently, thinking differently, moving forward again. And yes, and today we are talking about that exact power the uh intersection where music, motivation, and building something meaningful all come together. And and then why uh tuning into the right frequency might be the shift that you have been looking for, right? So hey dear listeners, welcome back to another powerful episode of Healthy Mind, Healthy Life. I'm your host, Havik, and this is where we explore the real everyday tools that may help you stay grounded, play, and moving forward. So it's not a kind of quick fixes or no hype, it's just an honest conversation about mental health and how we actually live it.

Meet Tony Saint Tone

SPEAKER_00 1:10

So thank you so much for being here, everyone. And we have a very, very lovely guest today. Please, please welcome Tony Saint Tone. Welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Amazing, amazing. So, uh Tony, I'm really happy that you are here today. And if you can also introduce yourself to the listeners.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Yeah. Sure, sure, sure. Uh, my name is Tony Saint Tone. I'm a singer-songwriter in Florida, uh um US. And uh I've been performing for over 40 years. I like to write positive, self-empowering music. Uh, I call myself a motivational musician. Um, I also have a nonprofit where we go out and perform for people in need of a life lift, and we end up performing at uh halfway houses, jails for veterans, for the elderly people. And this is for people that just can't afford entertainment. Uh, we go and do these types of performances. Um, but as a singer-songwriter, I'm a full-time musician. I do 225 plus shows a year. I've done over 7,000 shows, and um yeah, I've I've I've made a career out of this.

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Exactly. It's really amazing. Thank you so much, Tony, for being here. And um, so I always I do um ask you on this that like a lot of people think that motivation is something that you either have or you don't have. And like it's a kind of personality trait. So uh what do you think? I mean, is the biggest misconception here that uh you you might have noticed about motivation um in in any creative work or entrepreneurship?

SPEAKER_02 2:50

So I I I I think it's it's the drive and how bad you want something. So um I'm gonna tell you a little, I'm gonna tell you

The Rat Experiment On Drive

SPEAKER_02 2:59

a quick experiment. Uh this is this is a story that I talk about when I uh do my motivational show, and it's about these rats. Uh and you'll see how it all ties in. So back in the 50s, they did a an experiment. They wanted to see how long a rat can swim. So they put these rats in the water, and eventually, around 15 minutes, they all started drowning. And one by one, they the the uh people started pulling them out of the water. They're like, okay, well, it looks like they can only last 15 minutes. So what they decided to do is as soon as they dried them off, they said, let's just throw them right back in there again. Let's see if anything changes. They threw them back in, and these rats ended up swimming for 30 to 60 hours.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

And what they concluded was the rat was swimming long enough just for someone to pluck it out again.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:49

So it thought its potential was 15 minutes when in actuality it was 24,000 percent more, meaning they lasted 24,000 more time long longer than in the water. So their motivation was to stay alive, right? Their motivation was to swim as long as they could until someone plucked them out. So when you apply that to a person, it's like, hey, this is a life-death situation. You need to climb that hill. You will climb that hill, or you need to lose that weight, or you need to change that job, or you need to get out of that relationship. It changes, it sparks something different. I think what people do is they don't realize it takes a certain type of trigger, if you will, to have you snap into something. So, for example, I wanted to be a full-time musician where the place I lived in Connecticut, um, you could play only three or four times a week, and that was considered a lot. But I couldn't sustain a living by only playing three or four times a week. So I had a move to Florida where I could play twice a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. And making that move changed my life. It changed my per projection of what I wanted to do. I said, okay, here I can play music full time and I can buy a house and I can make a living. So a lot of friends of mine that lived in Connecticut and still do weren't ready to make that sacrifice. So they didn't want it bad enough. So that motivation comes from how bad you really want it, I think. Yeah. Thank you. So, you know, yeah. So I so my to answer your question, I think motivation uh isn't every one of us. It's just a matter of like, where's that trigger? You know, like someone who has to lose weight, you know, do they get to the point where they can't stand anymore or they can't walk or they can't do a push-up? I mean, what's that little turning point? And and if you can try to find that turning point quicker than than before you hit rock bottom, before it's a life and death situation, then that'll help you actually start to achieve it.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

That's interesting. That's really interesting. Yeah. No, definitely. It's very true. And thank you so much for sharing that. And uh, and also here I would like to also ask, like, uh, I mean, so if it's not a kind of fixed rate or uh something, then then what exactly it is? Like, how do people start building it when it feels completely out of reach?

Build Motivation With Small Wins

SPEAKER_02 6:27

Small steps. Give yourself small steps and and and celebrate those small steps.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

You know, they say if you want to lose 50 pounds, right? Let's say you weigh 200 pounds and you want to lose 50 pounds. Well, they say if you keep going to the scale and you weigh yourself every day and you're still 200 pounds, you're not 150, your brain keeps going, nothing's happening. So a suggestion is is put a piece of paper over the scale that reads 150. So every day you get on it, you're like, I'm 150. You know, mentally you have to start changing and you have to start becoming the thing that you want to become. So it's a laws of attraction. So you you are what you think about, you are what you believe you are. So if you believe you're 150, you will eventually get to that 150. You'll start curbing your your your eating habits, you'll start uh practicing more. You know, if you go, hey, if I'm a I don't know, rocket scientist, what would a rocket scientist do right now? You know, how would he think? How would he approach the situation? Imagine if if they say fake it till you make it. So you have to get yourself in that mindset as if you've already achieved the goal. And then continue working from that state of mind. You know, if I were a multimillionaire, what would I do? Uh you know, go into a you can't do it the way they used to. You used to go into these malls where they had a ton of stores, and you might still have that in India. Um, but uh pretend shop. Go, wow, I really like those pair of pants. Those are really nice. I'm gonna buy those. I want to want those shoes. Yep. Oh, I want that painting. I love that painting. Yeah, I want it's 500. That's okay. I want that painting. And just in your mind, buy all these things because you're a multimillionaire.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Right. And start start feeling those endorphins kick in, like, yeah, I can afford that. That's awesome. I bought that.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

Well, how would it feel to buy that? So now your brain starts to get used to that and gets comfortable with that. Instead of going to the same exact place and going, I can't afford that. I can't afford that. I can't afford that. Now what are you doing? You're you're you're re-energizing that same belief and that same thought that you can't, you can't, you can't change it. You pretend, you know. Now your mind starts going, okay, yeah, all right. This is how it would feel if I were a multimillionaire. If you keep feeling that way, things start changing for you because your brain doesn't know the difference. Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between, you know, a dream and reality. So you start creating your reality.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

So uh definitely. I mean, uh, when you look at people who struggle to stay motivated, whether in in in their creative projects or just day-to-day life, um what do you think, I mean, is usually um underneath that? I mean, what are the deeper patterns or beliefs getting in that way?

Rewriting The Beliefs Underneath

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Again, I think I think I think they're they're conditioned or have been raised to believe a certain way, right? So let me say this to you. If I if you were a little boy or a little girl and I said, you're a loser, you're never gonna amount to anything. And I kept saying that to you, regardless of how talented you were, you would put self-sabotage yourself, regardless of what your talents and skills were. But if I say you're the best, you can do anything you want, whatever you put your mind to, you can do this. You are an incredible person. That person's gonna have a totally different perspective on life. So sometimes you just have to shift that. Now, sometimes people are in a situation where they were raised with uh a lot of constructive criticism and and negative thoughts. So somehow they have to find a way to rebuild themselves. You know, so these are underlying things that it's possible to do. Yeah, some are just at a different part of the uh of the race, you know, some starting at the very beginning, some are midway. So it's it's a mindset because you know, there's a lot of kids that were born rich that are poor right now, and there are a lot of kids that were born poor that are rich right now. So it doesn't matter where you start, it's where you end.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

So that's that's very true, yeah, yeah. And and and um also like uh if you if you talk about the part, so how does this how does this actually show up for someone who is trying to balance creative persuasion with the job, family, responsibilities? So I mean, what do you say on this?

Time Priorities And Real Sacrifice

SPEAKER_02 11:08

There's everybody has 24 hours a day. Yeah, right? We all have no matter how much money you have or don't have, you can't change that clock. So it's a matter of prioritizing certain things that certain things need to be done. And then there's other things that you really want to do. So um, you know, that when I was starting out in a band, we used to rehearse three times a week and then play a show every weekend.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

And people were like, Well, you just played two shows, Friday and Saturday, and now you're gonna rehearse on Monday and Wednesday and Thursday, and then you're gonna go, yeah, that's what we're gonna do. So while everyone else was going out partying or staying home watching TV or going to the movies, you know, we were rehearsing. We were putting in the time. So sometimes you, you know, I would stay up until two or three o'clock, four o'clock in the morning sometimes, just to just doing things. You that's again going back to that. How bad do you want it? What is your drive? What is your motivation? Is if this is what you really want, then you need to try to spend every waking hour that you can doing it. Uh, we used to play, I used to play, work a full-time job, work 40 hours a week, and still go to rehearsal. So, you know, you'd go home, grab dinner, not even go home, you grab dinner on the drive-thru and go right to rehearsal.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

We'd always be eating in the car. They get to practice on time, so you can put in three or four hours and then go home, wake up and go and do your day job.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

You know, so it it it takes that kind of drive. It's again, I always say it's like, how bad do you want it? You know? So it really comes down to each individual. Sometimes people think it's a fantasy and they go, I guess I really don't want it that bad. Yeah. You know, it didn't come that easy. I wanted to be a uh TikTok star and it didn't happen. I was, I'm not, you know. Well, those people put in tons of hours doing what they do to build that following, to go viral, you know. So how many videos are they putting out to get to that point? And I just putting out one and it went viral. And if it did, it was a fluke. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

That's quite interesting. And um and uh and uh the permission to just be human, to uh not perform motivation every single day, that might be one of the most practical things that someone can hear. And uh rest is not a failure, it's a part of the cycle. So uh and like you work in music, motivation, entrepreneurship. So when's when someone's trying to build something, like whether it's a business, a body of work, or just a uh healthier relationship with themselves, then uh what's the one approach or practice you recommend that actually moves the needle?

SPEAKER_02 14:10

I think it varies on everybody. I think everybody has their own needle to get them to that point. I don't think there's one magic pill that'll say, you know, tap your head on the forehead and jump three times and then you'll be motivated. You know, if we're that easy, everyone would have that book and be doing it. Uh, I think each individual has their own little personal motive,

Course Corrections And Seeing The Target

SPEAKER_02 14:30

you know. And I think what they need to do is if someone's on the fence and they're not getting what they want, then they need to constantly step back and go, okay, let's re-examine, let's reshift. Think of it this way: when a when a boat leaves port to go to its destination, 90% of the time it doesn't know or it can't see its final destination, right? It's in the water, but it does know where it has to go. Now the winds may change, the water may change. So they have to constantly make adjustments and adjustments and adjustments. It's not just a straight shot because weather indicates what's happening. So that's life. Life is weather happening to you. So you have to constantly reevaluate and re-look at how do I get to my destination? So, well, oh, I had to take a long turn. Oh, I had to go to the left a little bit longer than I thought. Okay, I got, oh, I got to go four miles right now. You know, I thought I can do a straight shot. It's not always a straight shot. But if you keep your focus on the on the on the prize, you'll get there. You know, there's uh there's a famous um motivational speaker, Zig Ziggler, and he talks about a uh person who um who's an archer. And he says, this archer was so good he could um he could split an arrow, he can hit the bullseye, and then with a second shot, he could split that arrow. He was that good. He goes, but I could probably shoot better than him on any given day. He goes, of course, that's if I blindfolded him and spun him around. Because if he couldn't see the target, he's not that good, is he? So you need to see the target, you need to know what you are going for. Just like the boat that's trying to get to its destination. You need to know this is what I want to get to and make adjustments, make adjustments. And sometimes halfway through the journey, you might go, I really didn't think I I guess I don't want to go to Hawaii. You know? It's a lot further than I thought, or it's a lot more work than I thought. And that's okay. You can forgive yourself and be okay with that. It's better to know that than, you know, keep pushing and going, uh, I'm not there yet, and just constantly be frustrated. You know, you you're constantly reevaluating. Do I still really want this? If you do, then this is what it takes. For me to play full time, I knew I had a move. And that was a big move, that was a big step for me. But it's like, well, do you really want this? You got to leave all your friends and family, you got to move to a state that you don't really know anyone. You willing to do it? And a lot of people tried to discourage me, like, why do you want to go there? It's hot there. You don't want to go. But that was them projecting their fears onto me. Right? Those are people that they don't have the courage to get up and leave, so they don't want you to get up and leave because then they would have to face themselves. Right? So you have to look at it that way too. It's like, nope, I'm going. If you don't want to go, that's okay, man, but don't try to stop me.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

Very true. Very true, yeah. Yeah. And um, okay, so so this part also, like uh nobody stays motivated in the straight line.

Setbacks Without Burnout

SPEAKER_00 17:43

So there are setbacks, yeah. So there are setbacks, try spells. Uh there will be moments where it all feels kind of pointless, also. So uh in all of those scenarios, like how do you approach those values? Like uh what helps people keep going without burning out, or maybe giving up entirely. So what do you say?

SPEAKER_02 18:07

I think it's still comes back to you you just you you sit in meditation and you ask yourself, where am I now? Where do I want to be? Am I happy with what I've done? Um and one thing I would highly recommend is uh keeping track of your accomplishments. So, for example, I've I've been fortunate enough to do a lot of things in my life as far as traveling around in the world, playing, opening up for national acts, being a full-time musician. Um, but yet there's still things that I desire. And many times I'm going, wow, man, I was I still want to do this. And I don't look back to go, holy crap, you've already done all this. Like, I don't sometimes I don't look at myself as this as a success because I haven't achieved what I'm looking to achieve. But yet there's others who are looking at me and going, like, you've succeeded so much more than I have. I'm like, oh, okay, yeah, I guess you're right.

unknown 19:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Um, so I think you have to just constantly look back at yourself and go, what have I achieved already? You know, what are my accomplishments? Okay. And and pat yourself on the back for those accomplishments. Or reevaluate and go, wow, I haven't undone any of the things that I thought I was gonna do. So I guess I don't want this bad enough. Or, or it's just not, it's not, it's not in the cards for me. You know, it's gonna take a lot more. I I have friends of mine who I've played with who would pick up a guitar and start playing as if they had been playing for 20 years. And I'd be like, Oh my God, how did how are you doing that? Or like, I don't know, just playing. So they were born with that skill. They were born to know how to dance, they were born to know how to be a public speaker. And then other people have to really work at it. It's not a natural thing. So, you know, sometimes you have to work at things, and other people don't have to work at things. So you can't keep comparing yourselves to others because there's always gonna be someone better and there's always gonna be someone worse. You have to be comfortable with yourself where you're at.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Exactly. Yeah. So that's amazing. And um, so so uh I'm Antonia.

Where To Find Tony And Closing

SPEAKER_00 20:19

If if uh listeners want to connect with you, how they can connect.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Yeah, the best thing is to go to my website. It's uh saintone.com. That's s-a-in-t-t-o-n e.com. And uh yeah, send me an email. But I'm also on Facebook, I'm on uh Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, I have a YouTube channel also. So all the above, all the social medias, but Saint Tone is the is the name thing to to look for. S-a-i-n-t-t-o-n e.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Amazing. So uh dear listeners, like what I'll do is I'll put all the links, details, everything into the show notes for easy reference. And um, I have to say that uh motivation is not a magic, dear listeners, it's uh it's motion, and motion starts with one honest step, right? So yeah, yeah, and and uh I have to uh thank you, Tony, for uh and for this conversation. It's really, really important and it was much needed, I'd say. So uh and for all the listeners, like you know, like thank you for so much for listening to Helly Man Health the Life. And I'll just say, like, if today's conversation actually landed for you, then please share it with someone who might need to hear it. Like sometimes the smallest shift in perspective changes is everything, right? So I will just say take care of your mind, take care of yourself, and I'll see you on the next one. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Thank you.