Often life takes turns we are not prepared for and our motivation takes a big hit. This can an event impacting our personal life or a situation at work that makes us feel miserable and takes away our motivation. Staying motivated in such situations is important to avoid burnout syndrome or depression. But how do people stay motivated and continue to look forward when all around them seems to turn dark?

Music can have very positive influence to people - especially when feeling down. Me personally I am able to get a lot of motivational power from music and I consider this possible for almost everyone else, too. What do you need to look for when trying to get motivational energy from music? Different personalities require different type of music. In general I recommend staying away from any slow or depressing when feeling down. Nothing is worse than to listen to your favorite love song when you just broke up with someone you really loved.

Songs should be inspiring and eventually have a meaning and some real lyrics. Reading song lyrics while playing the song is a good approach as the words from the singer's voice and from reading get combined. What else is important? The song should be sounding happy and motivating from begin with. A classic example is Van Morrison's "Brown eyed Girl". The sound of Van Morrison's voice, the rhythm and the lyrics do sound extremely happy and motivating. If this song is played with the right volume it is almost impossible to sit still and cry. The song just wants you to get up and dance. Other very motivating songs are Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch" or "Raise your Hand" - both songs should preferable be played from his live album collection. ACDC's "You shook me all night long" is also a rocking invitation to let go of those dark feelings - followed by "Twist and Shout" - the old Beatles song. All these songs should be played with enough volume to give those dark thoughts no chance. The rhythm and energy that these songs represent should help you to blow away depression for a while and to collect necessary energy to look up again.

I find it very useful to have a collection of motivating and inspiring songs at hand at all times. Burning those favorite songs to a single CD might be a good idea as it comes in handy quick when in need of some motivation. A ready to go song play list on your favorite MP3 player can also be a good idea.