Reading Time: 3 minutesGet Your Jam On Each Day This Week
Simple Instructions:
- Find a song that makes you happy no matter what.
- Find a time to play that song for yourself every day this week.
- The song should make you want to embody it, e.g. dance, smile, shake, air guitar, sing out.
- This practice should change your mind and your body.
Watch this video for an explanation of this Well-Being Practice from Whole Life Challenge co-founders Andy Petranek and Michael Stanwyck.
Why Is This Practice Important?
Did you ever notice that your mind is invaded every day? Your eyes and ears are assaulted by images and sounds that you have no control over.
Slogans, headlines, advertising messages, negative images, and images of perfection come in and hijack your thoughts — until you have a hard time knowing what you feel, think, or want.
But you can also take advantage of your senses to shift or improve your mood any time you want. By identifying some of the things you want to see and hear and exposing yourself to them, you can create the room to explore what life is like when you feel joy or peace at the heart of your being — and at the drop of a hat.
Because one of the most amazing tools for creating this space inside of ourselves is music.
Music has the ability to relax us, lift us up, or bring us into states of joy, excitement, or bliss. When we take ourselves to these places, it can become very clear what we actually feel, think, and want. Often, our more terrestrial thoughts disappear and we find we want little outside of that moment.
This week’s practice is akin to walking in nature and meditation in that it’s about finding your space by being the deejay of your mood and energy. It’s a practice in using your jam as the gateway to your personal space and experience of the world.
For More on This Practice
What better guest could we have for this week’s podcast than motion picture music supervisor Julia Michels. It’s literally her job to find the perfect song to pair with each moment, to create energy, emotion, and memories.
Julia has spent over two decades working in the film music industry. She was recently recognized for her work on Pitch Perfect 2, which was Grammy nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack. Join her for a conversation about life, music, and the struggle of balancing work and family, with none other than her husband, Whole Life Challenge co-founder Andy Petranek.
To learn more about Julia’s soundtrack for life, listen to her podcast discussion with Andy.
He graduated from UCLA with a BA in philosophy as well as a degree from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and feels food is one of the most important parts of a life - it can nourish, heal, and bring people together.
Michael believes health and well-being are as much a state of mind as they are a state of the body, and when it comes to fitness, food, and life in general, he thinks slow is much better than fast (most of the time). Stopping regularly to examine things is the surest way to put down roots and grow.
He knows he will never be done with his own work, and believes the best thing you can do for your well-being starts with loving and working from what you’ve got right now.
