It's been a while since I've written something on any platform, but that's what happens when life is blissful. Since my last post, which was 3 months ago today, life has been simply amazing. My work life has made a turn for the better as I've gotten a new job within my organization. This job allows me to utilize whatever analytical skills I have and actually make a great impact in the coming years; plus a little more Jimmy John's money in the pocket. I also got everything in order for Grad School that starts this upcoming Monday. I even got a new car that is basically what a guy gets in his mid-20s when he's unmarried, not a parent, and just wants to make a dumb decision: a 2015 Dodge Challenger. No, not the Hellcat, just the city cruiser. I even went on my first real vacation with my girlfriend who is the love of my life; that may be the first time I've written that. It was amazing and those 4 days were full of laughs, drinks, sand, blue skies, and joy in the purest form. It's kind of unreal to embark on life with someone that makes you feel that way; quite possibly the best feeling I've ever had in my life. This was my first time out of the country and since she came into my life, I've had lots of firsts. Whether it's actually working out consistently, or eating healthy foods consistently, or just being happy consistently; she done it.
When the going gets tough, what keeps you going? Is it writing? Is it singing? Does crying keep you emotionally in tact? What do you do to reach your peace of mind and remind yourself that life is okay because this isn't the worst thing that could happen? I'll tell you about my road to peace.
I love music, as I've spoken about before. I can listen to music all day and I probably don't go a day without listening to some kind of music, or at the very least, quoting lyrics left and right and applying them to life. I'm not one to even know when I'm stressed, but when I'm mentally occupied, I find solace in music. I can listen to almost anything regardless of the situation. I can listen to "turnt" music when I'm down or Coldplay when I'm exercising; I just love music. I can lose myself in reciting lyric after lyric and what these specific songs do for me when it comes to different events in my life. Does this melody remind me of playing outside as a child? This that song remind me of late night road trips with my dad? That song reminds me of the most stressed out period of my life. Music has a way about inciting a wide range of emotions out of people, which is why we're so drawn to it. Sometimes we need to escape a situation without actually leaving; thank you music! I can be feeling down & out about whatever, but I can put on Power by Kanye West and just start rapping. I love that. I feel music has a way of affecting us in a child-like manner. I mean, you can make a child sad in one moment, but if you just grab 'em and pick 'em up, the sadness escapes the body and they're overwhelmed with joy like nothing ever happened. Music can have that effect. The sound of one song can make you forget about what just happened because your focus changes to that source of happiness. It's truly amazing. I love Music.
There are other ways to find peace, and I plan on finding out how very soon. My girlfriend told me about Transcendental Meditation (http://www.tm.org/). Initially, I just saw the price and immediately thought about movies where people would meditate and sit with their legs crossed and I immediately questioned it. I mean, I'm a natural skeptic, but it doesn't help that I have a hard time seeing when I'm stressed. So, time passed and life went on, and TM came up again. This time around I decided to look into it for empirical evidence, instead of testimonials. I liked what I read and then looked into videos and ended up looking at personal testimonials. I signed up for an introductory talk the next day and felt it would be a good step to take. I had to think about where my life is presently, and how it will be in six months time. I have no idea how stressed I will be, but I just took on two major responsibilities that will require lots of my time, along with a relationship that I feel is here to stay. I haven't started the program yet, but I plan to document my feelings at the start of the program, and at intervals after implementation. This is something that can be done everyday, twice a day, for 20 minutes at a time. My hope is that it will help my approach to stress management; because this will be a long two years ahead of me. I hope to find peace through Meditation.
Whatever you do to find your peace, continue with it. Peace is essential to quality of life because it affects your approach to everything. Your work and personal life can be affected for the better! Thanks for reading.
Music is My Savior
Meditation is My Savior
