Have you ever watched a movie scene without music and then watched the same scene with music? It makes all the difference to how you feel. The music connects you to wherever you find yourself in your life at that moment, helping you to process how you are feeling. You see, stuck emotions can back up in your system and have the potential to sabotage you.

Right now, with so much change and uncertainty in the air, I find that music helps me to identify and access and process the emotions I am going through. There is nothing wrong with strong emotions, positive or negative.

When I face challenges and need to be brave, which might be because of negotiations on the go or when kicking off a new project, I listen to stirring music while getting myself ready. It’s pretty much part of my morning ritual – to choose an anthem for the day.

If you are falling in love, let music amplify your joy. If you are grieving, let music help you to release your emotional stress and decompress. Sometimes there is nothing like a good cry to make you feel better – either alone or on someone else’s shoulder. Crying is not a sign of weakness, but is a cathartic release.

  • When I need a cry there is nothing like ‘Now we are free’ from the Gladiator movie soundtrack to get me going.
  • Give me ‘Do you hear the people sing’ from Les Miserables or ‘Promontory’ from Last of the Mohicans when I need to be stirred into action
  • If I need to be brave, I listen to Rachel Platten’s ‘Fight Song’
  • To celebrate the beauty of life, my choice is the  ‘Forest Gump Suite.’ This piece of music could be a soundtrack for one’s entire life, there is so much in it.

Man, woman or child,  you all have permission to feel, so as to remain healthy in body, mind and soul. There is a sobering sign over the door at the Institute for Psychiatry in London that says:

“A soul that hath no vent in tears makes other organs weep.”

TAKEAWAYS FOR WINNING AT WORK

You are in a team that is living and working in a time of high risk, from a physical and from a mental wellness perspective. Stress and fear levels are high. However, being part of a team is a gift that should not be underestimated even if you are working from home or remotely.

There is nothing like music to unite a team and help them to rally around a common cause

Use music as a team-building exercise:

  • Define your mission as a team, or maybe a goal for a specific project
  • Get everyone to share ideas for the best anthem for the team
  • This means you will have a lovely long list of possibilities to choose from (if you have a small team of four or five people they can each propose 2 pieces to give you more options)
  • Get each person to explain why they chose the piece of music they did, what it means to them, and then play it for the group. If playing music or music videos doesn’t work over your virtual conferencing platform then do this:
    • Get each team member to drop a voice note into the WhatsApp chat providing the title of the song/anthem and why they chose it
    • They must also drop a link to YouTube so others can watch/listen
  • Create a leader board where team members can vote their top three tunes in order and in that way you will find your clear winner – the encouraging anthem for your team for the next month or quarter.

As a solopreneur, I have spent years having to motivate just myself. Music has been a steady companion for me and I choose different tunes for different reasons. I would love to hear what music does for you and which pieces you choose and why.

TAKEAWAYS FOR WINNING AT HOME AND LIFE

  • Do you have a family anthem or favourite song that is part of your family brand?
  • An abiding memory I have of my childhood is musicals. We played them at home, and on our long drives to our holiday destination which were characterised by singing along to our favourite musicals at the tops of our voices. It made the trips such fun and time was never an issue.
  • A big treat every year was being taken to the theatre to watch the musical of the year. We dressed up. It was an occasion.
  • You will discover that as your children move from preschool to primary and high school that the kinds of music you hear in your home will change dramatically, from nursery rhymes to multiplication songs, to Christmas carols, and possibly to mind-numbing, clubbing music in the teenage years.
  • Remember that music is a form of self-expression and a way to unite a family, creating a sense of togetherness and belonging that should not be missed.
  • You can absolutely do the same exercise I have set out in the win at work section above with your family too.
  • Encourage your children to use their voices – to sing. It’s a fabulous form of self-expression whether they are tuneful or not.

Please don’t forget to share your favourite music with me,  so that we can all listen in, and add it to our own playlists.

Much love,
Nikki Bush
Human Potential and Parenting Expert helping you to win at work and life

Enjoy the podcast with Rob Caskie, where we discussed the importance of storytelling in disruptive time