Have you noticed that some days you have it and some days you don’t? Why is that? And how do you find the “it” that makes you have it?
You’ve noticed what works for some might not work for all. Some people follow food plan A and lose weight while someone else gains weight on the same plan. One person finds their spouse on a dating app but another person using the same app finds creepsters. Your friend successfully follows marketing plan QRS, but plan QRS doesn’t make you any money.
How do you find the right fit? You try on multiple styles and perspectives to find what feels authentic to you. After you learn other people’s recipes for success, you make your own version with your secret sauce and your individual pizazz. That’s the Art of Jazz Living. Life isn’t lived by recipe. Real life is more like jazz.
Jazz music comes from the intersection of European classical tones with Afro-Latin rhythms infused with the spontaneity of improvisation. The five principles of Jazz Living come from principles of jazz music.
- Rhythm – Find your beat and become fully present in your body with what is. Notice how your body responds.
- Reconnect – Toggle from your head to your heart and reconnect to your natural state of inner well-being. If you have a lamp, with an electrical cord and lightbulb, you have to plug the lamp in to the power source and turn on the switch before you get light.
- Groove – Listen with the ears of your heart. Listen for inspiration. Pause. Allow space for creativity. The groove is a feeling not a thought.
- Voice – Speak your truth. Share your authenticity. Improvise. Allow your inner light to shine through you.
- Collaborate – Step back and allow others’ lights to shine. Harmonize. Find the group groove.
In Jazz Living, you take what you know, notice what ingredients are missing, and improvise with what you’ve got on hand.
In cooking, for example, the recipe calls for sour cream which you don’t have so you substitute plain yogurt which you do have. You make good pumpkin muffins which everyone enjoys. The intention wasn’t to follow the recipe perfectly, the intention was to add enjoyment to your muffin consumers’ lives.
What’s a time you didn’t have the ingredients you expected, and you had to improvise?
Here are a few jazz-living stories from my repertoire.
- Driving 30-miles to the kid’s orthodontist appointment, across the entire metro during rush hour, in the middle of a snowstorm, the traffic slowed to a crawl. Who scheduled this appointment? I grumbled angrily to myself, knowing of course, that I did. I took a breath, reconnected to Source within, and listened for inspiration. “Let’s sing!” We played Beatles’ tunes and sang loudly all the way to the appointment, creating a transformative moment for all of us.
When have you transformed a stressful time through music?
- A friend couldn’t have the birthday party he wanted during the pandemic. He invited people to a street dance party where he rocked out with neighbors and friends. The street dance party continued as a weekly neighborhood gathering for the rest of the year.
What’s a time you created fun when the party didn’t go as planned?
- We came home hungry after a holiday weekend away to find very little food in the house and the stores closed. I created a “snacky dinner” with leftovers, odds and ends decoratively arranged on fancy plates: basic cheese, salami, crackers, pickle slices; repurposed left-overs-turned-into-bean dip in a bright bowl; apple and orange slices arranged with two sliced strawberries in the center; a tin of smoked oysters from the back of the cupboard; a toasted package of frozen eggrolls with tamari soy sauce in small dipping dishes. We set the table with fancy dishes, a fresh tablecloth, and a centerpiece of candles floating in a bowl of water. The scrumble turned into a feast.
When have you created something out of almost nothing?
- On Valentine’s Day I wanted to support my daughter who was forlorn over a love relationship. I invited her to Barcelona. We made a Spanish dinner at home including paella, canelon, and non-alcoholic sangria. We found cooking recipes online and only improvised a little by substituting turmeric for saffron to get the traditional yellow color. While dining on our sumptuous meal, we participated in a YouTube virtual walking tour through the streets of Barcelona.
When have you dug deep and gone out of your way to make someone’s day?
We can all play with the skills of Jazz Living to make the world a more vibrant, brilliant, and joyful place.
In the coming months, this Seeking Serenity blog will focus on developing skills in the creative Art of Jazz Living.
Here’s a guided meditation to help you reconnect to your natural state of inner well-being and find your groove.
You can read more about the Art of Jazz Living in The Wellness Universe Guide to Complete Self Care: 25 Tools for Goddesses. I contributed Chapter 7, The Art of Jazz Living: Overcoming Challenges With Grace, Ease & Joy.
Check out my WU Profile Page for information on my workshops, public speaking, and energy healing services.
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Imagine living in your full-on unique Goddess Energy? Top of your confidence, health, well-being, joy, peace, harmony, compassion, …
Be empowered to express your Goddess 12/21!!
Imagine living in your full-on unique Goddess Energy? Top of your confidence, health, well-being, joy, peace, harmony, compassion, …
Be empowered to express your Goddess 12/21!!
Pre-order a Goddess Treasure Box today! A hand-signed copy of the book, journal, and ritual kit is included!
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Visualization to Take Back Your Life
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Leah Skurdal guides people to up-level their stress resilience to improve relationships. Leah shares intuitive insights in private Energy Healing to address the roots of disharmony. As an inspirational speaker and published author, Leah offers lively classes, experiential workshops, and keynotes.
