Hello forty somethings. If you are just now planning your escape from the 9 to 5, you’ve probably thinking “I wish I did that 20 years ago”. The reality is if you didn’t actually do it then there were probably some pretty good reasons. You probably had different priorities, you didn’t have the maturity, and your blood alcohol level might have been a little high to do much constructive. What you probably did have was the energy and an unencumbered future.
Time goes by and the complexity of life increases. The days of pack a bag and go anywhere in the world have been replaced with mortgages, pets, soccer games, school plays, braces, and a job. Your plate is full and the idea of adding more to it just doesn’t seem possible. But what if you were twenty years younger? Do you think you would have the energy to take on a little more?
The Power of Music
One thing I have found is that music can take you a place where you are most resourceful. There are stories about cellist Pablo Casals who performed into his 90s. He would struggle to get to the stage and come alive as he began to play. Not only did he perform as a man half his age, he actually looked and acted younger by the end of the performance. Such is the power of your mental state. For most people, music can play an important part of that even if you have no musical talent. So dust off your play list from 20 years ago and see what it does to your attitude.
Here’s a few reminders for your Ipod to get the juices flowing again.
- The English Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom
- The Clash – Rock the Casbah
- Culture Club – Church of the Poison Mind
- The Fixx – One Thing Leads to Another
- George Michael – Monkey
- Living in a Box – Living in a Box
- Psychedelic Furs – The Ghost In You
- Sting – If you love Somebody
