It started out like any typical Saturday. The alarm went off at 6:30am. I rolled out of bed. Put on my trail running clothes. Grunted a good morning to my handsome husband. Laced up my muddy trail running shoes (will I ever remember to clean them in between runs?), and headed out the door.

It was quiet outside. Always is. People don’t love to get up that early on a Saturday. But I do. I love the tranquility of it all. It’s like being the master of the world, if only for a few minutes.

30 minutes later, we met our friends for a run at Temescal Canyon, and then we were off. Up the mountain, ready for our weekly Saturday morning slog. I was feeling sluggish from the get go. My legs were straining beneath me. My breath was getting shallow. And no matter how hard I tried to push to keep up with the group in front of me, my legs wouldn’t allow it. Or was it my mind?

Probably a mixture of the two.

Miraculously, as I always do, I made it to the top, only to be greeted by my friends who had reached the summit a few minutes before I did (ok, maybe more than a few minutes – they’re so fast!). After a few pictures and a moment to catch my breath (and a few swear words as I tried to catch it), we were off again. Onward, to the descent! I love the descent.

We got to the bottom, gave each other a fist bump (obviously), and made our way to our individual cars. Our morning workout was only half way done. Now we were all headed to the yoga studio for a 90 minute class. Because, you know, a trail run just won’t cut it! Not on a Saturday!

By the time I reached the studio, I was uncharacteristically tired. I didn’t want to do yoga. I wanted to lay down.

But I was too proud to bow out of the class . So I rolled out my mat, put on my game face, and got ready to practice. The class was particularly grueling (or perhaps it just felt that way because of my mood – or rather – my level of fatigue). The first hour went by, and as I lay myself down on my yoga mat, prepping for the yogi bicycle crunches I knew were to come, I felt like crying. I did not want to participate. In the history of all the times I didn’t want to participate in something, this one took the cake.

“I’m done!” I wanted to shout at my husband (who also happened to be the yoga instructor), “Please! No more! I can’t.”

Ugh. That poisonous phrase. I can’t. I hate that phrase. I hate it because I know – I always know – that whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way, you’re right. And the moment those two words escape from your lips, you make that statement a reality.

Ick.

But thankfully, there’s a way to reverse it. Yes, you can do an affirmation. Yes, you can even scold yourself for saying it and then tell yourself that actually, you can. But there is an even easier, more fun way to reverse the effects of “I can’t” (and “I don’t wanna” and any other equivalent):

Music.

Yes. Music.

As I was laying on that mat, cursing my husband for pushing us so hard, cursing my body for giving out on me that day, in position for the yogi bicycles I was dreading, I heard the first beat of a song emitting from the speakers. And then another. And then another.

The song was K’NAAN’s Wavin’ Flag (Coca Cola Celebration Mix).

“I love this song!” I thought to myself as my energy skyrocketed and I happily pushed out 90 seconds worth of crunches. All of a sudden, I was smiling – dancing, even! I had tapped into a previously hidden energy source. My spirit soared. I found the beat and cycled to it, pushing myself as hard as I could, beyond the limitations that my mind had clearly set for me only moments before. And when it was over, I partook in the next exercise, delighted to be bouncing my way through it, pumped up by the song that had given me my second wind and erased the “I can’t” from my mind.

That’s the power of music. It can uplift you in an instant. It has a magically transformative effect that can transport you back to another point in time, making you feel just as you did when you heard it then. Powerful. Lonely. Mighty. Sad. Strong. Angry. Happy.

When it comes down to it, everything is energy. We are energy. When our energy is low, our days don’t flow as well as they could. Our moods follow suit. When our energy is high, everything seems to work wonderfully, and our moods cannot be lifted any higher.

I was at a conference in Vancouver a few weeks ago, and at the beginning of every section (there was a break every 2 hours), the organizers made us get up and dance for at least 5 minutes. At first, I was a Debbie Downer about it (my apologies to those of you named Debbie. I’m sure you are very fun! You’ll have to pardon my use of the popular phrase that shares your name).

“I came here to learn, not to dance!” I thought to myself as everyone danced around me. I clapped and did a half-hearted side step, rolling my eyes at the silliness of it all.

But once my ego got out of the way, I realized how energizing it was to dance and sing to their upbeat songs (when they played Pharrell’s Happy, I was a goner. Who can keep from smiling and dancing when that song is on, pray tell? It’s delightful!). And so I danced. I smiled. I sang along. I participated. I even jumped up and down. And every time I participated, I got more out of the session than I had when I was being too cool for school.

It all comes down to energy. Happy people are more productive people.

And more importantly, happy people don’t say “I can’t.” They say, “I can. And I will.”

And then, they do.

So the next time you’re feeling down, like you can’t do something that you want to do, or like you really just need some uplifting, consider putting on one of your favorite tunes, turning it up loud, and dancing like everyone is watching. Because you have awesome dance moves that people really should see. Don’t be shy. You know it’s true.

So find your song, fuel your energy, and wave your flag!

Because you can. You really can.

Love, love, love,

Lauren
xxx