A big part of self improvement is being smarter about your environment. In psychology terms, this means paying attention to the types of stimuli you’re feeding into your brain on a daily basis because they can have both a short-term and long-term impact on you.
This is one reason why I’ve always recommended people to become more aware of their environment and how they can change it to better suit them.
This may include paying attention to things like: how much time you spend indoors vs. outdoors, or how you choose to furnish your work office, or the impact of a clean environment vs. a messy environment.
In unconscious positivity, I also mention how subtle things like changing your desktop background or listening to different background music (while often processed below the surface of our awareness) can still play a small role in how we think and feel on a daily basis.
Music has always been one of the more common ways people change their environment to regulate their thoughts and emotions. In how we use music to manage our emotions, I describe how we use music to regulate our minds in a variety of different ways, including: to focus, to entertain, to relax, to inspire, or to “set the mood.”
The music we choose to listen to in any given moment is influenced by the type of mood we’re in – or the type of mood we want to get in.
I’ve always listen to a lot of different music for a lot of different reasons, depending on my mood. One of those reasons is using music as a tool for motivation and getting “pumped up” about your day or whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.
It’s not uncommon for professional athletes to use the power of music to get themselves pumped up before a big game or competition. A team may even have “their own song” they listen to before every game as a type of ritual or group-motivating activity.
Here’s why “epic movie soundtracks,” in particular, can be a great tool in self improvement.
Why Epic Movie Soundtracks Are Awesome
Epic movie soundtracks can be an awesome tool for motivation and self improvement.
I tend to like a lot of high energy and fast-paced music – whether it’s metal, or rap, or electronic. When you listen to music like that it can often have a “spillover effect” on your mind (wakes you up, kicks in your nervous system, gets your blooding flowing, etc.)
During most of my mornings, I’ll put on some “high energy” music as I drink my coffee and get myself excited and motivated to start my day. It’s not a cure-all for procrastination, but it helps – and it’s been a part of my morning ritual for years.
Lately I’ve been getting bored of my typical music listening, so I’ve decided to switch to epic movie soundtracks instead. Some particular favorites of mine so far include John Williams’ Star Wars, Howard Shore’s The Lord of The Rings, and Tyler Bates’ 300 (I’m currently listening to this one now as I write this).
Since I’ve started listening to soundtracks, I’ve noticed a significant uptick in my motivation, optimism, and productivity. Here are a few reasons why I think listening to “epic movie soundtracks” can be so effective:
- Soundtracks are designed to evoke feelings – Composers have to create soundtracks specifically to match and enhance the many feelings and mood of a film. This makes soundtrack a perfect resource to evoke a wide range of emotions in a short amount of time (suspense, fear, inspiration, relaxation, etc.)
- You get to feed off the nostalgia of your favorite movies – When searching for a good soundtrack that fits you, it’s smart to start by looking for movies you already really enjoy. This can often create an added “nostalgia factor” that only adds to your enjoyment of the music. One recent study shows that experiencing nostalgia can often increase feelings of psychological comfort and warmth.
- There’s a lot of variety in soundtracks – One of the best parts about soundtracks is that they can be influenced by many different genres of music, sometimes even within the scope of a single soundtrack. I personally enjoy symphonic, orchestral soundtracks with epic drums and percussion, but you can just as easily find more calming or minimalist soundtracks, or soundtracks that focus more on rock, or jazz, or electronic music. Everyone should be able to find a soundtrack that reflects their preferences.
- Soundtracks are often instrumental – Another great thing about soundtracks is that they are often instrumental and therefore have few vocals or lyrics. This can be a good thing because music without vocals or words is often less distracting for certain tasks, especially mental work like reading or writing or programming which requires a lot of thinking. For example, if I’m going to listen to music while I’m writing an article, it usually has to be something with minimal vocals or I get caught up listening to the lyrics.
- Soundtracks give a sense of journey – Soundtracks have to match the story of the film they are backing. This makes most soundtracks an excellent way to provide a sense of journey, exploration, and moving forward. This is also why “epic movie soundtracks” can often be better than just listening to your favorite rock band, because they give you a progression of different feelings and moods that most pop and mainstream music doesn’t provide to the same degree. When you listen to a really epic soundtrack, it’s as if you yourself are the hero of the story, working your way through tough obstacles, and becoming triumphant at the end.
Overall, listening to epic movie soundtracks can be a very easy and quick way to get your mind in a more motivational, inspirational, and optimistic state.
You can choose to listen to them to start your morning, or while you work during the day, or to get yourself pumped up before a big presentation or interview. There are many potential uses, it all depends on when you feel you need that extra boost in spirits.
If you’ve never tried listening to “epic movie soundtracks” as a tool for self improvement and motivation, I highly recommend you test it out on yourself. It really works wonders for me.
Enter your email to stay updated on new articles in self improvement: