I would first like to share how important I believe music is when it comes to happiness. There is an increasing amount of data from studies that proves music to be beneficial to your mood and overall health. Music Therapy is an entire medical field dedicated to treating patients with music. The benefits of listening to music include increased happiness, focus, verbal memory, and creativity, all of which affect the health of the brain and the body. But you don't need to go pay a crazy co-pay at a Music Therapist to make yourself happier, and that's one of the awesome things about music! You can increase your mood just by putting on a happy tune, and the trick is to have it actually be a happy tune, or a tune with some substance. Listen to something that when it comes on, you want to crank up the volume and dance your life away! Listen to something that has that one line that hits your heart strings and plays your soul with the melody. I challenge you to go out and find something that you've never heard before, but something that you like. Far too often, I notice people listening to stuff they don't even like, just because it's on the Top 40 charts. Personally, I listen to all sorts of different genres of music from the 20's on up (I won't list the stuff I listen to, because the list would be way too long). The important thing to me, is that it makes me happy. Music is a great way to let go and to breathe. And if you think about it, it makes sense. We've all seen that cheesy 80's movie montage where people are working hard, but it seems like they're having fun because of the tune that's playing in the background. It's no coincidence that they look like they're happy, it's because they are! Music producers spent time finding the perfect soundtrack for these staged lives, and now you can have that job for your own life. Go out and find something to put a little pep in your step and a smile on your face. I promise you that music could have such a big impact on your life. I know it has made a big one in my life.