The Power Of Music.

Music is undeniably powerful.

There are songs that you could listen to every day and not tire of hearing, songs that you can relate to and songs to suit every mood and emotion. But what is it that makes music so intense and powerful?

Is it the artist themselves that attracts you to the music they write and/or sing? Or perhaps it's the lyrics that sound like something you would write yourself if only you could? I'm aware that there are probably a number of other reasons why we each enjoy listening to music, but I want to focus on why music is such a passion of mine.

When I was younger, I learnt to play the piano and I stuck with it until my mid teens. I enjoyed playing it but it was not something that I became passionate about. Personally, I prefer to listen to music rather than make it. I enjoy the sound that instruments can create and I love listening to lyrics and trying to work out and understand what the artist is so desperate to say.

I've always been a fan of using poetry to express my thoughts and opinions, but I've never been inspired to turn my words into songs. However I must be honest and admit that I was in one or two bands during my school years, where we would write our own lyrics and create dance routines to match them. These songs were never worthy of turning us into superstars, but our teachers were always surprised at how myself and my 'band mates' were able to write lyrics that actually meant something.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I was fortunate enough to attend a good school where the importance of writing was drummed into us and we were encourageed to do so in a way so other people would be able to relate to what we wrote.

I suppose that is why I am most drawn to songs containing lyrics are capable of explaining how I feel at that moment in time. A song that can describe exactly how you are feeling at that moment in time is a powerful one.

However, I'm also prone to a song that makes me want to jig! Jig is a strange word I know; To me, it means more than just dance. It's a happy sort of movement that I can only do if the song fits. Currently, my favourite song that makes me jig is Bruno Mars 'Runaway Baby'. I challenge you to not get your jig on to it!

I suppose all I wanted to say in this blog post is how I'm grateful for the people who create music, because without it, life wouldn't be the same.

If we didn't each have a song that we could listen to when feeling sad to instantly lift our mood, a song that gets us excited for a night out with our friends, or a song that helps us through various circumstances.. Well, I don't think the world would be a very happy place.

As they say; 'Music is life'.

What Is Happiness?

Happy

1. Feeling or expressing joy,

2. Causing joy or gladness,

3. Fortunate or lucky,

4. Satisfied or content.

Personally, I often forget that happiness is an emotion. It isn't a goal, a destination or something that we should strive to achieve. Sometimes we have happiness and sometimes we don't, but we can't kid ourselves into thinking that if we choose certain paths in life or execute particular actions that we will reach the destination of happiness. 

As humans, we are capable of feeling an enormity of different emotions, and it is often forgotten that being happy is one of those.

Over the past few months, I have found myself feeling more negative about my life. If you asked me why I had begun to feel sad, lost and lonely, I would probably be able to give you one or two reasons, but there is nothing specific that I can put my finger on and say 'that is what I need to change to be happy'. It's impossible.

I've spent my time believing that if I do things such as change my diet, exercise harder, socialise more and keep myself busy, then I will reach happiness and therefore get back to my positive self.

That right there is exactly where I've been going wrong. I have viewed my own happiness as a goal and pictured myself doing specific things in order to get there as quickly as possible.

So, I decided to make a change.

I don't know what it is that made me alter my attitude towards my own happiness, but I've now realised that sometimes it's okay to be unhappy, even for no reason whatsoever. I've stopped worrying about what I can do to feel content the entire time and have instead begun to embrace all of my emotions, and accepted that happiness often comes and goes.

If you worked out how many times something made you upset in one day, in comparison to how many things made you happy, would you have spent most of that day feeling happy or sad? Until recently, I've focused too much on what makes me unhappy which has affected my ability to be grateful for so many things in life. Now I make a conscious effort to take note of the positive, rather than the negative.

Right now, happiness to me is the excitement of my travels in the New Year, music that touches my soul and the realisation that I can be happy without relying solely on other people.

If you're always searching for your own happiness and worrying about what you need to do to attain it, you'll miss what's right in front of you.

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are...

Time For A Change..

I am sure that everyone is familiar with the phrase 'Be the change you wish to see in the world'. If we all made small changes, then the world would change, and hopefully for the better.

However, by myself, I will not change the world. But my making small changes to the things that I do and aim to achieve, I want to turn my life around for the better.
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing dramatically wrong with the life that I currently lead. I had a good upbringing, I attended University and graduated with a 2.1 (which I still can't quite wrap my head around), I have a close knit family, my friends are fantastic and overall I'm pretty happy with the way things are.

BUT. Yes, there is a big but.. There's one or two things missing. Due to a recent break up with my boyfriend of two years doubled up with certain family issues, I've been encouraged to take a step back and evaluate what it is that I'm actually doing with my life. What do I want from my time on Earth? What do I want to achieve? What am I doing for me? I don't mean for that to sound selfish, I know it's not all about me. But if I want to get the most out of this life that I'm living, there does have to be an aspect of doing things for myself and doing them because I want to.

So.. I'm off to Asia and Australia in the New Year for 3 months.

Quite a drastic one to start with, but traveling has always been something that I've wanted to do, yet I've always come up with a reason to put it on hold. Now that I'm single and free to do what I want without compromise, I am finally doing it.
Being single is still something that I'm adjusting to, but if one of the perks of going solo is that I get to see and experience new places on the other side of the world, well.. I'm all for it to be perfectly honest.

So that's one of the changes that I'm making in my life. I'm doing something that I have been so keen to do since I can remember. I'm leaving the country for 3 months and exploring parts of the world that I've only dreamed of visiting. I'll be going with one of my best friends, and I'm so excited that we're going to spend 12 weeks of our lives together, traveling and exploring the other side of the world. So far, our planning is going well. We have ensured that our travel insurance covers all eventualities, including getting eaten by an alligator, and we have been assured that at no time will we will be traveling on a plane that is 'so small that it has those propeller things on the front'.
I'll be sad to leave my parents and pooch behind, but I have a feeling that once I'm out there, I won't want to come back! My Dad is even considering signing up to 'facetube' as he calls it, so that he can track my travels and see my photos. Maybe we'll just stick to email and phone calls as I'm obviously behind on this social network business and am not yet a member of facetube!

Although this isn't a common change, such as changing my shampoo brand or going on a detox (it's been 3 weeks since I've had chocolate and alcohol..), I think this will be what they call a 'life changing experience'.

Apparently it's the little things you do that make all the difference, but I think the big things are pretty effective too.

Bruno Mars!!

I thought I would start with my favourite LOVE first.. The incredible and absolutely gorgeous Bruno Mars.

My love affair began with this man upon hearing for the first time, his song 'Just The Way You Are'. I challenge you to find a girl who can listen to this song and not feel a tug on her heart.

On the Sunday just gone, myself and three friends ventured to Brixton to see him perform an intimate concert. Brixton, for a mulitude of reasons, is not my favourite place in the UK (mainly because of the fact that it is Brixton!) but for Bruno I would probably do anything. However, I could not have predicted the impact that he would have on me. My love affair with this beautiful Hawaiian born man has been taken to another level.

There is something surreal about being in a room filled with people who are all there to see the same person perform, who sing along word for word to their music and scream like teenagers when a hip thrust is executed. And for Bruno Mars, I'm sure I can speak for every individual in attendance and say that we would have stayed all night, singing and screaming.

I've been to many a concert and live performance in my life, but none match up to this. They don't even come close.

He oozed confidence and energy, he appreciated the audience, he looked like he was having the time of his life and I can't even describe how amazing his voice is when you are just a few metres from the stage. Oh, and did I mention the hip thrusts?? Those, alongside his dance moves were enough to get my body reacting in all the right places!

So, my love affair has gone from loving the way he sounds and looks, to loving the person he is and the way he comes across. Considering that I am a few years past my teens, I can confirm that this is not just some silly crush.. This is a full on love affair.

'Hey Bruno, I know I want to marry you..' Oh yes indeed.

Love never fails.

So, this is my first post to my blog 'My Love Affair With The Devil'. For years I have debated creating a blog but have never gotten around to it, until today. And I'm very excited to get blogging!

When I start something new in life, I tend to get slightly obsessive over it and put everything I can into it.. So I can picture myself already, blogging away like a crazy lady!

Choosing my blog name seemed daunting, as I wanted it to reflect me and what I am about whilst being interesting to the reader at the same time..

Each and every one of us have love affairs. I don't mean in the sense that we have affairs whilst in relationships, that is definitely not what I am about. I simply mean that we all have desires, we all fall in love and we all feel the power of these so called affairs.
It can be with another person, music, a place, an animal or object; anything. And in my opinion, 'love never fails' and love will always conquer.

'My Love Affair With The Devil' comes from my experiences of loving all of the above at different times in my life and for different reasons. This blog will document my loves, my thoughts and my opinions. Hopefully it will not focus too much on my hates and dislikes, as no one ever got anywhere with negativity.

Here's to lots of blogging.. And I hope everyone has their own love affair or two, they are too good to miss out on!