Music to Help You Get In the Zone

I'm a confirmed music nut and have specific artists and recordings I listen to that help me get my head on straight.

To think, breathe, or chill out:
kd lang - Ingenue

To expand my focus:
Haydn or Mozart symphonies

To get intense and make the blood pumping:
Metallica - Metallica
Metallica - And Justice For All

To feel connection:
Ani Difranco

To happily do paperwork:
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon, Animals
Vangelis - Blade Runner Soundtrack
Devil's Rejects Soundtrack
Chick Corea Electric Band - Eye of the Beholder

If I want to listen:
Frank Zappa
Wynton Marsalis

To fall asleep:
Enya - Watermark
Edward Scissorhands Soundtrack

To smile:
Neil Young - Prairie Wind

To rock:
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Korn - Issues
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Ozzy - Live at Budokan
any Black Label Society

To allow thoughts to come:
Brahms Requiem

To smile:
Harry & the Potters

To shower & shave:
80's channel on Sirius Satellite (ceiling speakers in bathroom a necessity!)

To do housework:
Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack

What do you listen to in order to change your state?

Start a Daily Journal!

“In a tough economy, one job posting can receive as many as 700 applications,’’ said Freedman. “People vastly underestimate how long a job search can take, especially with other responsibilities. Getting a job is a full-time job. You need to water the plant every day, versus dumping a bucket of water on it once a week.’’
- Elizabeth Freedman, a career and workplace consultant who is also the author of “Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace without Hanging Yourself."

I was drawn to Ms. Freedman's comment about watering the plant everyday, as opposed to, dumping a bucket of water on something you are cultivating. Watering a plant is directed, specific, careful, and done with attention and mindfulness. Dumping a bucket on something is haphazard and quick; devoid of intention. 

Start keeping a journal and you will begin watering that flower regularly. Write at least a few sentences every day. As your go through your day, take mental snapshots of unique moments and thoughts: being aware of a hot shower, a song on the radio that speaks to you, or a funny quote from a child or just something that's humorous in your day. Maybe you picked up a book on Indian cooking and now you're planning to pick up a neat new spice to incorporate into your cooking. Write about it!

Here are some possible questions to get you thinking:
What is something that was ridiculous about today?
What is something I thought about today that I haven't thought of for years?
What annoyed me?
What made me smile?

Breathe Deeply

I meditated the other day and the biggest awareness I had was that my breathing was very shallow. As I focused more on utilizing my diaphragm for deeper breathing, I felt the difference immediately; I felt more energized. Over the past few days, I've made a conscious effort to remind myself to breathe more deeply no matter where I am or what I'm doing. Deep breathing oxygenates all of the cells throughout your body. If you increase your awareness of your breathing without altering it - you'll notice shallow, crappy breathing occurs when you're unhappy or stressed. We breathe 20,000 times per day!

Commit to reminding yourself three random times per day to breathe much more fully during both inhales and exhales.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/alternative/deep-breathing.htm

Forgiveness

"Your ability to forgive is going to determine the course of your life more than anything else." (Not bad for a horror movie)

from the film "Devil" (written by M. Night Shyamalan)

Funny

One of the young kids in my family was having a great time with his Grandfather and said, "Grandpa - you're my favorite old man."

Holly Wanna Crackya

I recently saw "Whip It" - the new movie that Drew Barrymore directed. It's the story of a timid young woman from a small town who sees a roller derby match and decides she wants to make the team. The main character, Bliss, feels more and more drawn to her alter ego - a much bolder and more exciting woman. Her mother is very conservative and demands the same from her daughter. Drew plays the lovable Smashley Simpson. I love the skater's nicknames like Eva Destruction and Babe Ruthless.

Today's Boston Globe had a small write-up about the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.  One of the skaters shared how she loves working a regular job and having all her co-workers cheer her on at the matches.

Holly Wanna Crackya of the Carolina Rollergirls :

What makes you feel STRONG? What is something you wish to be in the privacy of your thoughts? How about starting to make it true?

Creative Spark from an Obituary?

 Challenge yourself to uncover at least one idea in today's newspaper that brings something new and positive to your life.

Here's an example from mathematician Vladimir Arnold's obituary:

“Singularity theory predicts that under certain circumstances slow, smooth changes in a system can lead to an abrupt major change, in the way that the slipping of a few small rocks can set off an avalanche. The theory has applications in physics, chemistry, and biology” - and self-development?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/06/12/vladimir_i_arnold_at_72_russian_mathematician/

I love the idea of placing great value on seemingly tiny bits of progress. 

What are some simple actions you can begin taking that could create substantial change in the quality of your life?

I've Got a Golden Ticket

When I was in the process of brainstorming the launch of my self-development business, an image that stood out to me was the Wonka Bar with its golden ticket in the classic film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." The Wonka Bar symbolized Wonka's fictional business and all the positive things about it. Wonka's business seemed completely congruent from the inside out. His candy was very much in demand all over the world and he didn't seem to have any competition. He was his own industry in a way because his products were so good they had a magical element to them. I was striving for a business that was congruent from the bottom up too. I wanted everything about my new business to contain the organic excitement that grew from its original spark of inspiration: logo, stationary, web site, fonts, workbooks, future employees, videos...all should be connected to the original inspiration.

I printed and framed a picture of a Wonka Bar and hung it in my office for regular doses of inspiration and positive energy. It reminds me that although challenges appear regularly, I can always start from a place of perfect inspiration. When I think of Willy Wonka's factory, I think of boundless creativity, joy, excitement, vibrant colors, and fun!

What is a symbol or image that inspires you and resets your inspiration and creativity?