Saturday Sage: A Playful Life Is a Better Life
When you were a kid you knew how to play. Recess was your favorite subject. You could draw anything, try anything, be anyone.
Now you’re an adult. Your playful spirit shriveled. What the heck happened? You don’t dare get caught being playful. It’s against all rules of productivity and time management.
Time management offends creativity.
You haven’t played in ages.
The distance between work and play continues expanding.
Could it be that adults are good at keeping play out of sight and off the grid? What if work and play happened simultaneously? That’s not only a possibility but could be a pathway to a better life.
Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of “The National Institute for Play”, states, “Not only does having a playful atmosphere attract young talent, but experts say play at work can boost creativity and productivity in people of all ages.”
John Cleese, in his video, “Creativity and Management” tells of the sculptor, who when asked how he sculpts an elephant says, “take a large block of marble and simply chisel away all the pieces that don’t look like an elephant.”
If you want to be playful, chisel away the things that keep you from playing. Too busy, too tired, too embarrassed, too uncomfortable, too… the list goes on and on.
Sir Ken Robinson says, “Play in all its forms isn’t some frivolous waste of time that should be put to one side if there are more important things to do. Play has deeply important roles in the development of intellectual skills, in social skills, in developing empathy, in stretching our imaginations and exploring our creativity.”
A playful life has room for destinations unknown.
In the 1930s, if Ruth Wakefield had not been in her zone of experimental playfulness, we would not be enjoying chocolate chip cookies today. She added broken chocolate bar pieces into her cookie batter thinking that they would melt. Instead, the classic dessert was born.
Why don’t you play?
When you’re obsessed with doing things right, you won’t even try. You claim you don’t have time. You don’t want to make a fool of yourself. You don’t want to look like a beginner.
Are you so filled with vanity that you will sacrifice play to look like the best or the smartest? A dose of humility will make your life better.
Why you should play?
Play exposes things you fear. At the same time, you overcome your fears.
One successful attempt at being playful gives you the confidence to go again and again and again. What you dreaded becomes your comfort zone.
You will be more creative, more productive, and you will face uncertainty as…