When was the last time you played?
Here is a question for you:
When was the last time you played? Seriously (a bit of a paradox already!), when was the last time you really (I mean, REALLY) had fun doing something?
If you’re like many on earth, the answer is probably “quite a while ago, to be honest…”. Maybe you are one of the lucky few who would say, “well, yesterday!” tomorrow!”, and have some decent fun at least once every other day. Or you might be somewhere in between, claiming you have a ball now and then, but not as much as you used to or would like to.
Why are so few people still able to play? Why is it that we’ve all gotten serious (hey, that’s me included)?
There are several reasons for this seriousness in my perspective, and one of them is because we have been made to believe that life is a serious thing, so we cannot play around all day; otherwise nothing will get done and you will not be able to earn a living. (I can hear my parents talking to me… do you hear yours?).
Beliefs are devious things, in a way. A belief that serves you (“I’m a great person and I deserve all the best in the world!”) is excellent and will bring you all the corresponding “goodies”, guaranteed!
On the other hand, a belief that doesn’t serve you (“I’m worthless and I don’t deserve all the best in the world”) isn’t such a good thing to have, but it will still bring you all the bad matches, guaranteed!
This has to do with the all-encompassing Law of Attraction, which basically states that you get what you focus on whether you want to have it or not. Your focus determines your experience.
Beliefs are “inducted” into us from the day we are born, mainly by our parents, but also by our teachers, our peers, our social environment, and by the things we experience. We can say that a huge set of beliefs that has made us serious today has been derived from the most influential people (and events) in our lives. Since they were (and are) living a serious life when they taught us, it’s not surprising that we learn to live seriously too!
What we often forget to realize is that we don’t have to live that way. We can turn off autopilot and decide to consciously choose our experience, instead of just following the old way of thinking. That will cause a revolution in your thinking, which will ultimately create a revolution in your mind! You just have to decide; be outrageous – create your life the way you want!
Training can help you gain the clarity you need to be (more) playful again. Just stick with your coach to the new plan you’ve made for yourself, and you’ll change! The better it gets, the better it gets!
Establish a brand:
first of all, discover where you cling to seriousness. Where is your life governed by doubt, worry, anxiety, fear of the future, etc.? Where have you suppressed joy in favor of sadness? Be honest with yourself!
in second place, define for yourself what “play” means to you. I may have a completely different definition of the word than you, and therefore my “play” will be different than yours! What would you do if you decided to play? Going to a musical, playing chase with your partner, going to a soccer game, playing hide and seek with your kids, buying super remover and spraying cars on the street, etc.?
In third place, find examples in your environment of people who “play” as you would like. What are they doing? How often do they do that? What kind of people are they? what can you learn from them?
Finally, to take action!! Find at least two times in a week when you can fully play. Go beyond your own limits, act a little crazy, do things you would never do before, make a fool of yourself and laugh out loud! If that’s too much, do something that’s less “out there” but still overkill in your model of the world, and then do some more next week.
Seriously (…) we need more fun and play in our lives. Not only will you feel great, you will also have a huge influence on the people around you. Just try it: walk past someone and give them an honest smile. You will make his day.
Come out and play!
bruin frames