The Magic Of The Warm-up

You may already have a good idea of what a warm-up is but I'd like to focus on it for a bit just to help you really understand the magic in it. Athletes have warm- up activities to make sure their muscles have the proper blood flow and that the body-mind connections for their sport are functioning well. It is the same with musicians, vocal and instrumental. Perhaps you have answered the phone in the morning and been surprised by your voice having a catch in it or being gravelly. You hadn't yet spoken and your voice wasn't warmed-up. Warm-ups are useful or even necessary for the proper execution of the planned task or activity. Besides the importance of physical warm-up there is also brain and character warm-up. If you are going to engage in a mental activity that requires a lot of logic or sequential thinking you can first make up some lists or run through the times tables in your mind. Get your left brain in gear. The same is true when you are about to engage in creative work. Do a bit of imagining or appreciation of aesthetics to get your right brain working. When you are trying to make changes that involve strength of character or will power you will need both sides of your brain because they both work in helping your will power. I see myself as needing to warm up this way daily. I want to be a much published writer but I have trouble disciplining myself to work at my writing enough. Just focusing on the idea that you are going to use your will power in a certain situation will warm-up your strength of character. Or as has been said poetically, "screw your courage to the sticking point." If you are abusing food or any other substance you will not be caught off guard by temptation if you have set your mind to resist it. That is the result of warming-up your character. Schedules and good routines also help with that. As you start any endeavor you will become more fully involved in it and do a better job as you warm-up to it. Reach out to the magic that surrounds you for the energy to do a good warm-up and make your life better. May the spark be with you.