Holiday Survival Guide… (The Power Play List)

One thing I share about in my book and when I’m speaking at a conference or retreat is the Power Playlist.  It’s one of those ‘hacks’ that’s so simple, it’s easy to underestimate its power. Pick three songs that put a smile on your face or lift you up.  Put them in a specific playlist called POWER PLAYLIST. Then, next time you are frustrated by life, reach for your playlist, and either go for a walk, or use it in the car if you’re already heading from point a to point b (I do NOT suggest going for a drive to calm you down). Sing, hum, tap, and/or walk to the beat, and 10 minutes later, BOOM.  You’ll notice you’ve changed your state. The key is to actively engage with the music. Pick the lyrics or some single element in the music to engage with.  

Case in point. This week, my 8-year old Julian had a soccer game.  Now, Julian isn’t the fastest eater, so we ended up being late getting out the door.  As the coach, I was frustrated at how long it took Julian to eat, and I raised my voice.  He’s really sensitive to voice volume so this made him start to cry. (Great job, dad.) So now he’s crying and asking me how I could possibly love him and yell at him at the same time. We get out the door, and we’re both upset.  So, I ask Julian what would he like to listen to in the car. We have about a 10 minute drive to the field which is the perfect amount of time for us BOTH to reset. Through sniffles, he mentions this one kids musician named Perry Gripp, so we look up his stuff on apple music.  We listened to A LOT of Perry Gripp about two years ago, but we haven’t in a while. We start listening, and the fog starts to clear by the second song. By the third song, we’re singing along, giggling, and reminiscing about songs we had forgotten about. As we pulled up to the field, we were in a COMPLETELY different emotional space than when we pulled out of our driveway.  

10 minutes.  Sing, hum, or tap along with the music.  Watch what happens. Use the Power Playlist on the way to that relative’s house you really don’t feel like going to, and you may just find you’re in great spirits without the need for spirits. 😉