As per usual, I trotted out for my morning walk with the dog and although the birds chirping and breeze blowing were lovely and calming…my legs weren’t really pumping and my mind was wandering elsewhere.   So I decided to put on some tunes, digging around on the smartphone for some suitably energising beats, soon I found myself picking up the pace to keep up with the music. Next thing I’m pumping up the hill like nobody’s business and when I reach the top (after a quick recky to ensure no one was watching), I actually started to dance around the top of the mountain. It was fabulous, I felt strong and energised and READY!!! As I made the descent down the hill, my mind was buzzing, ideas flowing and I returned back home invigorated and in a completely different mindset than when I left.

And it reminded me the power music has to impact my mood, and it is a little trick that I had forgotten about. Sure, a bit of calming background music can help set the scene when you need to concentrate. But on those days when you are feeling less than motivated, perhaps when things don’t seem to be going your way and quite frankly you feel like job #1 Is pushing S&%T up a hill…yet again.

Now is the time to pull out your POWER PLAYLIST, pump up the volume and start dancing around like no one is watching (except, of course, if you are in the office and clearly people ARE watching. Then you might need headphones and some subtle chair dancing to complete this task).

Some days I imagine my life as a scene in a movie because crap stuff happens in movies all the time, but a few well placed songs and we are back on track. Cue the montage, the snippets of scenes where the person starts the healing process, working out, getting jobs done..whatever the solution requires. And over the top is a fist pumping, “hell yeah” tune which makes it all look so easy (think “Rocky” training scenes, running up stairs never looked so much fun!).   So I try to put this perspective on my life, pump up my power playlist and imagine the montage…Claire working on her blog, Claire exercising, Claire kicking butt at work and Claire the super mum…and all of a sudden, I feel like that person, the person in my movie who has got it all under control. (yes…folks…she really has gone mad this time)

Here’s a few tracks that often make it onto my movie soundrack (clearly it is going to be a Disney style 80’s flashback movie)…what’s on yours?

I get knocked down, but I get up again – Tubthumping

This is who I am – Vanessa Amarosi

Stronger – Kelly Clarkson

Fighter – Christina Aguilera

Brave – Sara Bareilles

Eye of the Tiger – Survivor