What is going on in your head right now? Are you in charge or do thoughts just drift in and out?

Just having read that South Pacific is in revival at Lincoln Center, I have been humming “Some Enchanted Evening” since 6:00 am. A great song for an extrovert!

Much has been written of late about how our internal monologues affect our mood. This “self talk” can be in the form of a conversation, a parental voice, or our own internal critic. What we say to ourselves this way can distort reality by shading our perceptions, cause us to misinterpret a comment, or connect present experiences to past memories. The good news is that you can leverage the power of your mind to shift your attitude and mood. You can simply change your mental CD!

My clients often benefit from this very simple exercise:

1. Think of which mood, behavior, attitude or reaction you want to promote.
2. Now, pick a song that will remind you quickly to shift your to your preferred mode.
3. Create a reminder for yourself by putting this song title on a little sticky memo and place it in a prominent location in your PDA or notebook.
4. When you find yourself going negative or need to focus on your goal, your reminder will trigger a mental shift. You will replace your negative impulse with a desired thought or theme.

Just imagine the power of some of these tunes:

To deal with ambivalence there is Kanter and Ebb’s “Yes“

For negativity there is “Accentuate the Positive“

And to combat feeling bored: “Child in Me Again” or any song from Sesame Street.

Or “Some Enchanted Evening” could remind you to network.

If you want to hear me singing these songs, just click on the link and turn up your volume button!

Now it is your turn:  Think of a song that will help you flip your internal dialog switch.
If you cannot sing, just “Whistle a Happy Tune” for Spring!
Let me know what music works for you!