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New Year, New Music
Post By: Alan
New year, new you!
Gotta love this rhetoric that we are always hearing from marketers this time of the year. If you’ve been around the sun a few times, you know that most new year’s resolutions don’t last more than a few weeks. People always have grandiose ideas about how they’re going to make their lives better; from losing weight to quitting smoking to managing money better, to spending more time with the family. It’s all well and good, and it all comes from good intentions, but the reality is that it is always more difficult than you can anticipate. You start out doing really well, but as time goes on, you realize that in order to make life-changes, you have to change your life. Not easy.
Sorry to sound so morose…Here’s some quick advice, then I am off to the fun part of the post! If you want to make life changes, you have to do something that few people actually do, and that thing is COMMIT. Committing to something is deeper than just saying what you want to do. Committing is all about putting a serious effort into making sure that you do what you set out to do. That is the hard part, and that is why people quit the gym in mid February, and head to off to the local hamburger joint and order up a double cheeseburger. One thing I have found that is very effective, and helps me commit, and stay committed to something is setting a schedule. People will make fun of you, and they’ll call you anal, but if you are serious about making changes, you are much more likely to succeed this way. Commit to it, schedule it, and most importantly, DO IT. It is never too late.
Now, here’s a fun new year’s resolution that should be fun for the music lover: Try out some new music. I’m not talking about picking up the latest album from your favorite artist, I am talking about going outside of your comfort zone, and trying something totally new. If you’ve got friends that enjoy different music from you, have them burn you a CD. Go to Wikipedia, and read about a music style that is unfamiliar to you. It could be Turkish folk music, Country, Motown, or even Rock. You’ll be amazed at how interesting it is to learn about new stuff. Read about some of the major artists within your new music. Head over to your local library, and see if they have any CDs from your newly discovered artists. Give them a listen. Rummage through used vinyl at your local record shop, see what you dig up.
You may not always like what you hear initially, but what you need to do is free yourself from preconceived notions, and really get into what the artist is trying to communicate. Think of what the music reminds you of, and get into that state of mind. I have always found it easy to enjoy new music right before I go to bed. I just lie back, relax, and listen.
This year, make a resolution that you can keep: Try some new music, and let the adventure begin.
Peace, love, enjoy the music.
-Alan
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