WHERE DID MY PLAYFULNESS GO?
I am not sure when, but somewhere along the way, I started taking life way too seriously. My default for life was feeling obligated to achieve, mature, and move towards success. Whatever all that meant. After years, the pattern became habitual.
In all transparency, I am writing this piece because I am still struggling with it. I am even struggling with writing this sentence, because I care so much about what it will mean. You wouldn’t believe all the thoughts running through my head right now. ‘This is stupid. I shouldn’t put this out. Play doesn’t belong in my writing or my business. This has to be perfect. Why the f#%k am I writing about play. Playing is for children. I have to write something that will impress the audience. Okay stop. Just breathe. I told myself to keep this blog light. Sh#t, this blog about play has already become serious. What a joke.’
SERIOUSLY?
Why am I so serious? Well, I hate to throw my parents under the bus, but part of it came from their overly serious approach on life, along with their struggle to handle stress. On top of that, it came from my second grade teacher, who took learning so seriously that it crushed my joy for learning. It also came from my baseball coach who robbed my enthusiasm by making it more than just a game. And society in general, for focusing only on the outcome (money, fame, good-looks), which is constantly diminishing my love for the process (loving what I do). Of course, I still have to take responsibility for my part. Because I am the one who chose to continue the pattern. I am the one who never questioned this weird one-sided mindset of seriousness. And I am the one who thought that the best way to live was by always being serious.
So it’s time for me to re-think this whole concept. It’s time to lighten up, and let go. It’s time to reintroduce some playfulness and humor. Because my inner child wants to dance, and sing, and create. So, I am going to follow that.
THE HUMOR OF THOUGHTS
Whenever I step back far enough and look at my thoughts about life, it’s impossible not to see the humor in it all. The comedy happens when my awareness shines light on how ridiculous certain thoughts are, and how many thoughts aren’t even mine. Apparently, I am a master at playing mental tricks on myself. This definitely applies when I take life too seriously. I have to laugh when I catch myself falling for a set of conditioned thoughts and beliefs. The humor lightens things up and presents me with a new opportunity to choose if I want to accept or reject the thoughts in my head.
On a deeper level, humor and laughter connects me with my inner child and helps me to stay on track so that I can experience life in a fun and enjoyable way. After all, there is comedy and fun all around us. Unfortunately, it is easy to complicate things, make life heavy, carry destructive thoughts and beliefs, and move through life in an ungrateful way. This isn’t what life is about, so we need to stop and analyze this type of thinking when it arises. And hopefully, our laughter and humor can remind us to question all that, and then shift our perceptions on life.
PLAYFULNESS
Playfulness is the opposite of seriousness. The serious mindset complicates everything, focuses on perfection, and creates unnecessary pressure and stress. It takes you away from play and enjoyment, and focuses only on the outcome. On the other hand, playfulness is about enjoying the process. The mindset is light, simple, and flowing. Being playful pulls you forward through desire, enthusiasm, and inspiration.
Being playful is about exploring your curiosity, and dancing in its wonder. You don’t play because you have to; you play because you want to. It’s about loving what you do. When you play you are fully engaged in the activity at hand. You are immersed into the present moment and focused on what is happening. The best example of play is seen in children. There is nothing holding them back. When they play a game, they just love playing the game. The energy and intention behind their play is pure and authentic.
The more you can approach life with a sense of playfulness, the lighter and easier the movement. This mindset creates momentum and builds on itself. The more fun you have, the more the universe supports that. Magically, you are given more opportunities to have fun. It’s a vibrational frequency that wants to sustain itself.
ENTHUSIASM
This vibrational frequency of playfulness is synonymous with enthusiasm. When you are enthusiastic about something, you have a natural attraction towards it, along with an increase in energy. The root of the word enthusiasm is en-theos—(en) meaning within and (theos) meaning God—so it’s the God energy within you. How cool is that? When you are enthusiastic about something you are tapping into the divine source that only you hold. So the next time you are feeling enthusiastic about something, you should follow that drive, and enjoy it to the fullest. You are being guided by your soul towards your next step in life, and the more playful it is, the better. Being enthusiastic energizes us and pulls us up into a higher frequency. And it is that frequency that is right next to grace and flow. The more you can tap into your enthusiasm the more easily you will reach a state of grace and flow, which is the pinnacle of high performance.
“Years may wrinkle the skin, but lack of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” – Socrates
HELPFUL QUESTIONS
What does play look like for you?
What brings you the most enjoyment in life?
What gets your juices flowing in the morning?
Does this choice in front of me feel heavy or light?
What are you most enthusiastic about right now?
Do you play the game of life to win? Not to lose? Or because you just love playing the game?
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