A personal theme song not only makes you feel like a celeb, it can help you perform like one no matter what you do for a living!
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Imagine that, right as walk into the room to deliver your presentation, Eye of The Tiger begins to play. It’s not just in your head. Everyone hears it. They are banging their heads to the beat and cheering as you begin to speak.
What if you could leverage that feeling to increase impact and the likelihood of success for projects you’re working on?
Riffing on something Michael Hyatt said in his awesome Best Year Ever course, I thought of something that might enable consistent action and follow-through when it comes to projects, initiatives, presentations, etc.
Your own personal theme music.
Imagine if you could have theme music playing every time you entered a room or when you were preparing for a particular event. How would that make you feel? What would you be able to do differently?
“Music tames the savage beast…”
“Music unleashes your inner child…”
There is no doubt that music has a huge impact on people across the world, no matter their age, nationality, or social group…
But did you ever think that this universal art form could have an impact on your professional life?
What’s The Benefit?
Music is a visceral thing. It connects directly to emotion and memory for many people. Think of a song and it can immediately put you back to where you heard it and what you were going through, whether it was good or bad.
So, why not use that to your advantage? Why not pick theme music that fits the purpose of your task harness that natural emotional response?
How Do You Use It?
Music can set the mood. It can also encourage or enable energy levels (if that’s what you’re after), so try these steps to use music to your advantage:
Pick Your Song With Purpose:
Select the song intentionally, based on what you want to achieve. Do you want to create a killer talk that excites people to action? Choose something upbeat and high energy.
Research shows that music can help you focus, especially if you like it.
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Look for songs that have meaning to you, that hold some memory that elicits emotion. I know that for me, “Happy” is one of those songs.
Only pick songs you like. This might sound silly, but if there is a peppy, popular song that other people like, but you hate it – don’t pick it. This is about you generating action, and the music has to motivate YOU first.
Play It to Drive Action
Play the song before you get ready to work on the project or initiative.
Since the song has special meaning to you, use that it initiate action. Use it as a focusing tool. Research shows that music can help you focus, especially if you like it. Utilize the song as a trigger to help you work, or as a pacifier to calm your nerves. Different music can affect us different ways. Customize your choice to the action you need most.
Leverage It As Another Tool to Get Through The Messy Middle
There will be times that you don’t want to work on your project.
Use your song’s special meaning as a motivator to keep going.
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Even when you have time scheduled, there are days that just don’t feel right, and still others where the project/initiative feels pointless. Use your song’s special meaning as a motivator to keep going. There are thousands of reasons to focus on the immediate instead of the important.
Use the song as a method to quiet the “noise” and get you through the hard parts of completing the project.
So, what is your theme music going to be? Why did you choose that particular song? How can you use it to help you focus?
I’m so curious about your choices – be sure to let me know!
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Photo: Flickr/Gonzalo Baeza H and Ewen Roberts