I'll be fifty one years old soon and in that time have learned many things - Life has been a long lesson and whilst some I've brought onboard quickly others I've had to learn over and over.
I recently learned something about myself, inspired by a special and unique human being; The lesson was well-timed, as many self-awareness lessons are, and it reminded me of the joy of learning, developing and growing as a person and the pleasure of self-awareness.
Some lessons have been hard to learn, others easy; Some have come from positive events and actions and others from great adversity but all of them have had value and I felt inclined to share one with you today because I've been thinking about it a lot due to a mentoring session I delivered to a young chap in my office.
The trigger
For a long time now I've worked and operated in high-stress work environments - I'm not curing cancer or anything, but they've been emotionally-charged and performance-oriented and the consequence of poor performance is often unpleasant. It's meant I've had to find ways to switch on and off...A trigger of sorts to provide an emotional kick in the pants and to allow me to be on, when I need to be and off when I can be.
I use music to do so.
Music starts me in the morning, provides emotional impetus for the day ahead and whatever it may hold; Known and unknown. I use the same music for that each morning as an alarm on my phone. I wake to it and it triggers me emotionally.
It starts like a ticking clock, and my eyes open...From there it builds momentum, a little like my day does; For me it feels like the sun cresting the hills to the east of my home, the rays reaching out to touch me... it's time to move, they seem to say...That's what this piece of music does to me.
It gets complicated a little further in, like my work day usually and then falls into a nice rhythm that to me feels uplifting and brings clarity. It just feels nice.
I remember, what seems a lifetime ago, I was laying back on the hood of my car at the beach, back against the windshield and the sky turning blood-orange in front of me as the sun dipped away behind the horizon. The breeze tousled my hair and the waves offered a counterpoint to the music playing on the radio...I can remember the track on the radio that day and every time I hear it I think of that very moment...That's what music does for me. The track on the car radio that evening? Endless Summer Nights - Richard Marx. (1987)
Neither of the above descriptions probably mean much to anyone else and neither should they. But that morning wake up track brings me clarity, motivates me and triggers the part of me that does what's required in my work day.
The track I wake up to is called always with me, always with you by Joe Satriani and if you're interested you can take a listen below.
It's this musical trigger I was telling the young fellow about as he was struggling to compartmentalise and it was...Well, it was fucking up his chi and mine too. I gave him the concept of using triggers to start up or shut down from a particular aspect of his day or life and he seemed to understand and to like the music trigger.
Back in the day when I wore ties every day it was the music and removal of the tie that trigged a mindset shift from work to not work...Now it's the music and the small of vanilla in my car as ties rarely happen these days.
It gaps me from whatever I've faced that day and triggers the switch from work G-dog to weekend G-dog, shooting G-dog, chat on Discord G-dog and other G-dog's I don't want to mention.
I don't want to make this a long post, I do enough of those as it is...I guess what I wanted to say is that in finding a way to draw a line beneath things, or fire things up, can help provide a more balanced and fulfilled life which, I figure, most would like.
I have been a musician all my life and like many varied styles of music, but what's consistent is that it all reaches into me and touches places that generate great value, comfort and solace...Or fires me up...
There was this one time I listened to the Blood rave track from Blade for a few hours, non stop, prior to some go-kart racing...I was fairly focused that day...It didn't go well for the others. Carnage sums it up. Lol. That's a story for another time though.
Music is a trigger for me...It helps me find the places within that I need at any given point and never a day goes by in which I'm not listening to it, or creating it. I can pick and choose to suit my needs and it's pretty cool thing to have in one's tool box I think.
How about you? What does music mean to y'all? Does it do the same for you? Change your mood, provide a full stop behind actions, activities or attitudes? Does it fire you up, make you feel sexy...Tell me what music means to you and how you use it...And feel free to share a track.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. ― Plato
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209