Felt like I needed to share this because I’m a bit worried that you might be getting an idea about me. You just might be thinking that I’m a Mariah Carey, MMMBop lovin’ gal and that’s all there is. But this selection from my boy Marshall Mathers packs in several life lessons. The first of which is that as much as we all want to put people in boxes and assume that we know all that they are, there’s always more. Yes, I’m a cheesy pop music lover. I also have some Eminem and Kanye on my playlist. I love music from my youth, but also love me some Bruno Mars. Life lesson number one, people are always more than you think they are. Always.

Now back to the song. It was the steady beat that first got it on the running playlist but it’s the lyrics that caused it to stay there for many years now as other songs have rotated off. As much as I know that it would surely pain Marshall Mathers to know that a middle-aged mom of two likes his music, I actually think the guy is a poet who does some amazing things with words. I love clever people and Eminem is clever with words. I think high school English teachers should use Eminem lyrics to help students appreciate poetry.

But even beyond his clever word play there’s also the message. “Lose yourself in the music, the moment. You own it. You better never let it go…” This is about flow. It’s about being so “in it” that you lose track of time or awareness of anything else. This is the jam, the stuff, the thing we are all searching for. And when we find it, it’s addictive.

It’s what drew me first to psychology and later to coaching. I am fascinated by that thing that makes each person unique and how using their own special sauce of gifts and talents leads them to finding their jam. When you see someone doing whatever is truly “their thing”, it’s magic.

So there’s life lesson number 2 and it’s as simple and straight forward as they get: Lose yourself. Lose yourself in whatever makes you feel completely and totally alive. If you know what that thing is, do it as often as you can. If you don’t, don’t waste any more time. Start figuring it out. Try stuff, lots of stuff. Play the hotter colder game until you hit on it. And when you do, you better never let it go, oh.