The Resonance You're Living In

Every cell has a pulse — a vibrational frequency that plays a kind of music through its unique resonance. The people, choices, and elements in our lives combine to reverberate like a choir — a collective resonance that deeply affects how we live.

Life is energy. We are energy. In fact, the definition of death is being without pulse — and pulse is energy, created by the rhythmic movement of cells at the direction of the heartbeat. All cells, visible and invisible, exist in a state of constant vibration. All living things respond to the oscillation of the cells around them.

Animals — dogs, cats, horses — can feel the resonance of the emotions we carry and project, whether we intend it or not. Even plants are known to respond to the vibration of voice and music.

Have you ever walked into a room where people were shouting angrily at each other? Even after they stop, the tension still hangs in the air.

Have you ever noticed two people, newly in love, glowing with excitement and anticipation? Everyone around them smiles, lifted by the same frequency.

Resonance shapes our mood, our mind, our sense of well-being. It touches our health, our productivity, our stress levels, our ability to cope. We all resonate outward, and we all affect each other — which is why we're so often told to keep good company, hold positive thoughts, and fill our minds with uplifting books and music.

Positive self-talk, mantras, meditation, and prayer lift resonance. So do uplifting music, cleanliness, exercise, and sunshine. Beauty in art or nature, deep breathing, and stretching improve it too. Healthy food, good books, and enriching ideas raise resonance as well.

Even in difficult circumstances, there's a great deal within your control right now — and much of it has real power over your physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental state. So start here: identify what you can do today to raise your resonance.

• Can you listen to uplifting music today? When? Where? What will you choose to listen to this week?
• Can you play a motivating podcast each day? When? Where?
• Can you carve out time to meditate or pray? How often? When? Where?
• Can you write a new mantra to repeat for the next few months? What's the most urgent message you need to hear right now? Make it short, memorize it, and post it where you'll see it.
• Can you rewrite the self-talk that leaves you feeling small or powerless? Write the old line down, cross it out, and replace it with one that reverses the limiting thought. Post it. Say it to yourself, again and again.

A note on sharing your resonance: as your resonance rises, people will want to be near you more — it's simply the natural law of attraction. Talk about the positive things you're doing, learning, and experiencing. Don't let negativity creep back in; even one negative conversation can pull your resonance down. But the reverse is just as true — sharing your positive resonance lifts the people around you, and in turn, lifts you even higher.

Coming soon:

• My Favorite Mantras for Breaking Out of Sadness
• Self-Talk That Lifts and Inspires Change
• How Music Works For You — or Against You — Throughout Your Life
• Identifying Low-Resonance Elements in Your Environment
• How Raising Resonance Strengthens You to Facilitate Positive Change
• How Being a High-Resonance Person Blesses Others