3 Ways to Use Music to Change Your Life for the Better

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Music matters, maybe more than just about anything else that exists in human culture. If that wasn’t the case, why are services such as Spotify so popular, and why do so many of us spend so much of our free time going to concerts, or watching music videos on the Internet?

The thing is, many of us pretty much just treat music as a form of light entertainment. We have our favourite playlists running in the background as we skim articles, or carry out chores, but we actually underestimate the power that music has to change our lives for the better.

If you’re interested in using music in a more “intentional” way, here are just a few strategies that might transform your life.

By using it as a strong emotional anchor to set the stage for particular events

There’s a reason why wedding bands such as do so well. Whenever there is a significant moment in your life, you want to set the stage and “summon up” the right emotional energy.

There is little, if anything, that can do this as well as music. Hence, why at your wedding, you’ll want to play a song that reminds you and your partner of the day you first met, for example.

Perhaps there are other events in your life where you could really benefit from having a strong emotional “anchor” to set the stage properly, but where you haven’t yet “cracked the code?”

If so, use music as a conscious tool to change and set the atmosphere for those events. You may find that the entire narrative arc of your life seems to take a more meaningful twist.

By using it as a way of energising and driving yourself forward when you don’t feel like it

No matter how generally positive or highly motivated we may all be as a general rule, everyone encounters moments when they need to keep moving forward in a particular domain of their life, but just don’t feel like it at all.

A major part of success in any area of life is simple grit and resilience – the ability to keep moving forward even when you don’t want to.

Music can serve as a sometimes-underutilised tool for this purpose. If you’ve got a project to deal with, but you’re feeling disheartened and fatalistic, put on a high energy, cocky rock song, and feel your determination rise rapidly.

By using it to help you get out of your own head, and into a “flow” state

The web-based service Brain.FM uses specially crafted and selected ambient musical selections, in order to boost focus in productivity, and reduce those irritating moments when your attention just wanders away despite your best efforts.

The Brain.FM team bases their service on scientific research, and includes several white papers to demonstrate the evidence behind their claims.

Whether or not you use Brain.FM or a similar service, just use your own playlist, music can certainly help to fast track you into a “flow” state of focus and productivity. Suffice to say, that’s a very useful thing.



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