Finding Your "Why" Again and Again and Again

I am in the middle of the World Music in the Classroom Summit and also had a peer supervision session with a fellow music therapist earlier today, and I am finding some inspiration for my blog post a bit later than usual today. In the 11 minutes between sessions, I will try to put some of my ideas down here.

One of the things that has struck me as I am watching music educators talk about their musical passions is that my own change significantly based on day, hour, and minute. Not to mention the changes that have happened over the weeks, months, years, and decades of being a professional music therapist. It is often interesting to look back on the things that I found interesting back when I was brand new and compare them to the things that I find interesting now.

I think about this as finding my "why."

Why do I enjoy my job?

Why do I enjoy being a music therapist?

Why do I engage in continuing education topics?

Why do I want to do things like content creation and information sharing with other music therapists?

Why do I feel like I am someone who can share these things (uh-oh, starting to fall back into imposter syndrome thoughts)? Reframe. Why do I enjoy sharing with other music therapists?

Why?

When I am clear about the answer to my "why," things go more smoothly at my job and in my other concerns as well. My "whys" have changed over the years, and I am facing the biggest one of them all - leaving a job that has sustained me for decades for the great unknown of retirement. "Why" am I doing that? Well, my body is telling me that it is time. My brain is telling me that it is time to rest this aging body and find something more gentle with the flesh and bones that I have been given. Currently, my "whys" are becoming more clear to me as I get closer to my end date.

At this moment, I am getting some answers to some of my other "whys" as I am hearing what other people are doing with their music education students. I am encouraged by what I am hearing as a music therapist. The information being shared is relevant to what I do as an educational enrichment specialist with my clients. I have enough clinical knowledge and expertise to be able to enfold the information into music therapy for non-musical goal attainment. It is invigorating to feel excited about music with my clients, and that is one of the "whys" that I struggle with sometimes. "Why do I think I can do this with these clients??"

There are so many "whys" that happen as a therapist, a helping professional, and as a human being. 

What are your answers to your "whys?"

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