Top 5 Motivational Songs

I was out running today and it may sound corny, but it did make me feel almost empowered. As I ran jogged my way along the streets of Gullane I suddenly felt as if anything was possible, any obstacle was surmountable. Which is a nice change considering the frequency with which I have been despairing lately.
It got me thinking about how simple things can suddenly restore your faith in yourself. Take music, for example. Haven't we all at some point heard a song and instantly felt so much better about ourselves? I do love my music; I think life would be a bit dull without it. I love the fact there are songs for every occasion: happy songs, love songs, heartbreak songs. Today, however, is a motivational song day.

I'm not going to lie, I am having a tiny (okay, major) panic about how I'm going to fit everything in over the next two months. Somehow I must juggle dissertation, placement, a part time job and the finishing touches to both Publishers Inc and The Camomile. Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day! Today, however, I am in a positive frame of mind due to that run and I did manage to get quite a bit of dissertation work done today, including this survey, which I am begging you all to spend five minutes on for me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sMvooXWMtY0UkjhMBvlQQWGrNt2b2qy7RmoEtglm5dI/viewform

So, to honour today's burst of optimism I have decided to dedicate my post to my top five motivational songs. These are the tunes I turn to whenever I need a bit of morale boosting.

In descending order...

5. What A Feeling - Irene Cara
It's really all about that immortal line - "take your passion and make it happen". Every time I hear that I think yes, I can fulfil my dreams. The whole song is so uplifting, though. It's always guaranteed to get me dancing away and smiling by the time it's over. Incidentally, I've never seen Flashdance, though I've been meaning to for years.

 
4. Reach for the Stars - S Club 7
I'm not even ashamed to include this. It may be cheese of the highest degree, but come on, it's so happy! Whenever I hear it I instantly forget all my stress and feel more optimistic. It is also very apt for the last few months - I doubt I would have ever gotten this far with the course if I hadn't had my friends to keep my spirits up every time things went wrong (which was often!) This one's for you guys!

3. No Pares - RBD
I have quite diverse musical tastes. As well as an affection for Bollywood songs, I also love Mexican pop and RBD are 80% of the reason for that. Dulce Maria is one of my idols and I just adore her voice in this song. Whenever I hear it I instantly have faith in myself again. I managed to find a video with an English translation, so you all can see how amazing the lyrics are.

2. Defying Gravity - Wicked
Musicals always have the best songs, don't they? This is arguably the most famous Wicked song, and also one of my favourites. It makes me believe I can achieve whatever I want if I'm brave enough to try. It's also a good song to listen to when you are in a bad mood with the whole world!

1. Firework - Katy Perry
For me, this is the most motivating song out there. The line "maybe your reason why all the doors are closed so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road" is basically what has gotten me through the last couple of years. I choose to believe it is true and that one day I will get my door and my perfect road. Till then, I'm just gonna belt this out at the top of my lungs.