The Ultimate Group Sing

If you’ve been paying attention to my blog, you know that I am a die-hard Bobby McFerrin fan. I’ve been a fan since I first heard his amazing, unique vocal styles in the 1980’s and was fortunate enough to train with him in 2011 to learn his CircleSong process of community improvisational singing. He is a master at improvisation and leading others through a creative journey of sound. I ran across this gem of a video of him leading a stadium of singers in improvisational singing. WOW. Amazing. Enjoy!

Blast from the Past: How Reconnecting to Old Passions Can Rejuvenate, Re-energize, and Rock Your World

I just got back from Tucson where I had the distinct pleasure of indulging in one of my favorite teenage pastimes – enjoying the sights and sounds of British pop band Duran Duran. Every time I see them or hear them, I’m reminded of my absolute obsession with them back in the 80’s. The hair, the guy-liner, the pouty lips, the provocative lyrics and videos. I was a definite Duranie back in the day.

And reconnecting to those memories helps me remember some good things about growing up. Like the first time I saw them in concert and my mom allowed me to go on my own. Or when my step-father sent me a gift of red, teardrop earrings in the mail, signed by keyboardist Nick Rhodes. Or the hunt for band memorabilia in every record store, drug store, and novelty store. My obsession with Duran Duran as a teen helped me find focus, passion, independence, and possibilities. But in a good way. Now every time I see them and hear them, I’m reminded of those feelings, and it helps me reconnect to my teenage self.

Now before you judge me for my obsession, I want you to think about an obsession you have (or had). What good things came from that obsession? What good memories do you have? Who else was involved? How do you feel when you think about it all?

We can learn so much from our past about who we are, who we were, and who we longed (and long) to be.  Reconnecting to an old passion can help us recalibrate and remember good times, good feelings, good friends, etc. It can help us remember what may have gotten buried over the years by obligations and responsibilities – all the shoulds and have-to’s.

I challenge you to reconnect to one of your old passions and see what happens. As for me, I’ve still got a little ringing in my ears and my voice is a little hoarse, but it seems like a small price to pay to get back in touch with one of the things that got me through some tough years.

Photo: Duran Duran © by Jason Persse

Book Review: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Wayne Dyer

For over two decades, I’ve followed the work of Dr. Wayne Dyer, author and speaker. His work focuses on self-improvement, specifically on how to shift your perspective and thoughts to feel more centered, balanced, and happy. For sure, his work has helped shape not only who I am personally but my calling to do this same type of work with clients.

In his book, Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao, Dyer explores the ancient teachings of Lao-tzu, who dictated 81 verses of text that provide guidance on living a balanced and moral life. Dr. Dyer spent a year living with each of the 81 verses, exploring them in his own life and writing about them.

The book holds 81 chapters, each devoted to one of the teachings.  Dyer provides an interpretation or Lao-tzu’s teachings as well as practical advice on how to practice each of the teachings. He encourages readers to sit with no more than one chapter a day to fully take in the words and suggestions for putting that lesson into practice.

Each chapter touts a wonderful life lesson, a nugget of wisdom passed down through the ages. Examples of the lessons in this book include living:

• Creatively
• With Inner Conviction
• With Constancy
• Without Attachment
• From Greatness
• Calmly
• In Obscurity
• Beyond Appearances
• Beyond Judgment
• By Letting Go
• By Being Here Now
• By Bending
• Without Resentments

The advice Dyer provides includes tips like:

• Being silent and listening to your thoughts
• Trusting yourself
• Being aware of what is going on around you
• Practicing forgiveness
• Learning from the wisdom of children

If ever there was a “how-to” manual for how to live, this is it.  I highly recommend this book as part of any good self-help collection.

Tips on Changing Your Thoughts and Your Life

I’ve been following Dr. Wayne Dyer since the early 1990’s. He has a way of getting to the heart and truth of things and helping me shift my perspective as I navigate this journey called life. Here’s a video of one of the most powerful talks I’ve heard him give, talking about not only his book Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao, but in what he did as he was writing this book. He leads by example, which I find admirable. Enjoy!

Why You Aren’t Reaching Those Goals

Have you ever had one of those days when you look around at your life and wonder “how the heck did I end up here?” When we’re younger, we have ideas about how our life will turn out. We think about the relationships we’ll have, creating a family, having a career, the type of lifestyle we want, etc. But things happen along the way. Unexpected things Things we don’t have control over (and some things we do). We get sidetracked, distracted, and can end up somewhere very different than we originally planned.

Sometimes we get so discouraged when we end up somewhere else that we might give up or stop making plans. But in the end, the person who suffers most from this kind of attitude is us.

When we set goals for ourselves, there can be many reasons we don’t reach those goals. As I like to say, setting goals is easy. Reaching them is another story. If goals were always easy to reach, we’d all be Olympians, or Nobel Peace Prize recipients, or doctors, or whatever else requires tremendous dedication and commitment.

But we rarely don’t reach our goals because we don’t WANT to reach them. There are a lot of other reasons that can get in the way, such as:

• We have unrealistic expectations. We are a “give it to me now” society. If it didn’t take only 5 minutes to be in a situation that you want to change, it’s likely going to take more than 5 minutes to change it. Don’t fall victim to false advertising of having the perfect (body, relationship, job, etc.) in a short amount of time with minimal effort. That’s not realistic. And when we go into goals with unrealistic expectations, we will be disappointed and often quit way too early to see any real results.
• We’re not quite ready. Reaching a goal takes a commitment of time, energy, focus, and motivation. While we may really want something, we might not be able to make the commitment necessary right now. That doesn’t mean we won’t be able to make that commitment tomorrow or next week or next year. But right now may just not be in the cards. It’s okay to not be ready.
• We don’t have the right support. “It takes a village” is a phrase that especially relates well to reaching goals. Some of us want to do it all on our own, but how’s that working for you? Chances are, not great. Having others to support you on your journey is important, whether it’s people to cheer you on, hold you accountable, provide suggestions, etc. If you don’t have that, reaching goals can be challenging.

Whatever reason you have for not reaching a goal, remember to be kind and gentle with yourself. We’ve all set goals and not reached them. But that shouldn’t deter you from continuing to set goals for yourself.

For more ideas on how to set (and reach) your goals, please join me for my next monthly FREE Telseminar, “Getting it Done: How to Set Goals (and Really Reach Them).” Simply go to the REGISTRATION page at https://krylyn.com/free-teleseminars/getting-it-done/, and enter your name and email to get signed up. Even if you can’t attend the live call, you will get access to the recording of the call, but only if you register.

Photo: Finish Line © by jayneandd

Top 10 Songs About Breaking Down

Life is a roller coaster of emotions as I deal with my mom’s death and all that comes with it – settling her estate, selling her home, going through her things, and OH YEA…grieving. Since music is so important in my life, I thought I’d list my top 10 songs about breaking down. While you may not be going through the same type of breakdown, we all have our moments from time to time. Enjoy my top 10 favs. And feel free to add a comment below with any other suggestions for songs to cry by.

1. Start of the Breakdown by Tears for Fears

2. Small Blue Thing by Suzanne Vega

3. Breathe Me by Sia

4. Black by Sarah McLachlan

5. Coming Undone by Korn

6. Come Undone by Duran Duran

7. This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush

8. Gravity by John Mayer

9. Let go by Frou Frou

10. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel