We live in a global society that inundates us and our living space with sound, music, noise, arguments, debates, and endless points of view. The arrival of the iPhone and iTunes has been welcomed as a means by which we can individually choose the music, sounds, and conversations with which we want to engage. We each have our playlists of favorite artists, singers, songs, and bands, which we eagerly share with our circle of friends and colleagues. The most important playlist in our life, however; is often overlooked and sometimes neglected; this is the playlist of “Me.” You are a unique human being with gifts, talents, interests, and energy that is found only in the DNA of “Me.”

I finally woke-up as a composer, contemporary pianist, and recording artist at the age of 30 to discover that I was so busy and engaged with sounds, music, conversations, and points of view of other people, that the playlist of “Me” had been stranded and left behind, requiring me to begin a journey to rediscover it. Your unique playlist is influenced by your values, principles, motivations, and interests; regardless of the parents, family, society, and country of origin into which you are born. However, each of us ultimately makes choices about the music on the playlist of “Me.” I am reminded of the wisdom of the greeting card artist J. Stone, who reminds us that “Each one of us has been given the gift of life in order to explore and discover that which really matters.”

Exploring and discovering what really matters invites introspection for each of us; are we really exploring and discovering in our life that which really matters, or are we compromising the unique playlist of “Me” and accepting the explorations and discoveries of others? The discovery and exploration of the unique playlist of “Me” require each of us to transcend our physical world occasionally and enter the realm of spirituality, regardless of how each of us defines spirituality. It is in the realm of spirituality that we confront three of the most important questions pertaining to the playlist of “Me:” Who am I? Who am I in relation to others? How am I using my unique gifts and talents in the service of others?

In the busyness of our lives and global society, make the time and space to move beyond hearing the music of others’ playlists and listen for and create the music of the play list of “Me.” There is a significant difference between hearing music and listening to music. Are you simply hearing the music or listening for and creating the music on the playlist of “Me?” Create a playlist in honor of you on your iPhone, and imagine what the music sounds like, which is truly the music of you.