Snow White really hit the nail on the head with that little song of hers about making work a more joyful endeavor! People having been whistling, singing, and dancing while working probably since song was invented. Ever wonder why?
A Spoon Full of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down
Yes I'm in full-on Disney mode today, sorry. The classic Mary Poppins tune Spoonful of Sugar clearly explains why we should all whistle while we work. Finding some way to make your work fun makes even the most dreary work more fun. While this idea is very handy while you are shoveling snow, or cleaning house it is also my number one secret for being happy every single day!
Think about people training for the armed forces. You know how they chant those songs while they march and run? Sure they do that to help them keep time, but if that were all the singing did, they could just sing "one, two, three, four". Instead they sing songs, and those songs make the grueling runs easier to bear. Chain gangs and field hands sang while working for years for just the same reason. Music is a balm to the soul, and it can make even the worst work a little bit easier to bear.
Be Happy Where You Are
Not everyone is blessed with a job that they absolutely love. For many of us, we do what we do because we need to pay the bills, and meet our commitments. While we may be striving towards financial and career freedom in the future, in the here and now we do something that is definitely not our passion. Does that mean we have to wait through years of boredom and misery? Heck no!
As a matter of fact, I suspect that until we learn to find joy in whatever it is we do right now, our dreams of a bright tomorrow will never come to fruition.
So, we must find a way to make what we do right now more enjoyable. For me that means that I turn on the tunes as soon as I get to work. On the days when I forget to open iTunes, I later wonder why I feel so sleepy or low, and then it hits me! No music!
If you are not able to listen to music, or sing at your desk while working, you can still play music in your mind. This is a great technique to do when you are doing a repetitive task, or something that doesn't take much focus - like conference calls :-) Just think about your favorite songs, and hit the play button in your brain. I like to dig up songs from my childhood for this purpose, because they challenge my memory while perking me up. Songs like "Whistle While You Work" and "A Spoonful of Sugar" are in heavy rotation, as a matter of fact.
Dancing With The Stars...Well, Not Exactly
Dancing is also a great way to release stress, so if you can sneak a little booty-shaking into your day, go for it. I've got mad dancing- in-my-chair skills. Really, there should be a competition for this. Something like Dancing With the CEO's. We could get Bill Gates on board I'm sure. He seems like a fun guy. I would totally win. I'm bustin' a move right now while I write. It keeps my back limber, burns a few extra calories and makes me feel good.
So whistle, sing and dance to help your medicine go down and make today a happy day.
