On my way to work today, instead of listening to the news or my audiobook, I put my itunes library on random to see what it would offer up. After singing along to some old favorites, an Iris Dement song I hadn’t remembered hearing before called After You’re Gone came on. It went straight to my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I listened on repeat over and over, sang harmonies in my headphones (disregarding the odd looks I garnered walking down the street), as the song shifted something inside me, turned the key on some feelings and an openness that had been temporarily locked away.
This musical meditation may seem irrelevant to work—mine, yours, or otherwise—but it’s not. That openness and peace is with me here at my desk, in my approach to what I’ll do next, in my creativity about how to tackle the tasks ahead of me today.
Take the time to explore and find the key that will unlock your creativity and productivity. If you know what it is, remember to turn it next time you’re feeling a little stuck. If not, remind yourself to change things up, break the routine and open a path for that key to find its way to you. Who knows what you’ll unlock?
