If Darwin met Dahl...

If Roald Dahl hung out with Charles Darwin, what advice would they give us today?

They would say that sometimes, when the going gets tough, the best thing we can do is lighten up and play a little!

I don't know about you, but it's still all a bit much isn't it?  This time of year is always a bit tricky, often with cold, flat grey mornings, the festivities over, New Years resolutions less of an exciting new start to a new you and now either in the bin or proving a bit more of a grind than most of us optimistically signed up to on the 1st of January - and don't let's get started on 'the Covid' as the postman refers to the unrepentant global disruptor which seems to ruthlessly bring heartbreaking tragedy on one hand or a mild cough on the other. For some of us, it's hard to find a chink of light when we gaze uncertainly out of our windows each morning

What both Roald Dahl and Charles Darwin would recommend is, the ultimate rebellion; the real disruptive solution when faced with so much uncertainty and volatility, is sometimes to actually lighten up and play

Most of us know about the benefits of play for children - in childhood play teaches us how to be creative, helps us nurture critical thinking, personality development, and how to adapt to new situations

What fewer of us are aware of is that Being Playful is actually also critical for adults, particularly given the highly challenging, ever changing global context we are currently living amonst. Neuroscience now proves what Darwin and Dhal knew to be true - no matter how old we are -  3 months old or 103 years old, play and a playful attitude are not just enjoyable, they're an essential ingredient of good mental health, enabling us to not just survive, but thrive especially during uncertain times

So, particularly when faced with uncertainty and volatility Being Playful is a serious business. Play releases endorphins, improves brain functionality, and stimulates creativity - essential to helping us adapt to change and survive. As Darwin famously said, "it is not the strongest of the species which survives, nor the most intelligent which survives, but the most adaptable to change'

So, it's time to rebel, time to take the advice of Darwin and Dahl and time to start enjoying the ride of life, with all it's ups and downs

Recognising that life is a process with hills and valleys, zig-zags and turns, hard starts and home straits, releases us to accept the adventure rather than fight against it

We can start to enjoy the process of helping ourselves move through uncertainty and change and see it as a wonderful opportunity to learn, grow and develop. We can become more playful and choose to respond to setbacks difficulties and disappointments with a childlike curiosity, a childlike determination, a childlike wonder at what is possible, with a child-like belief in our ability to thrive 

Feel like a big step forwards? The great news is we have some help 

The great news is to help us do this, Progressfull have created a Progresslift (our name for a chapter) called 'Enjoying the ride' where we share content and tools to help you develop the belief's, behaviours and mind-sets that help you enjoy the ride by Being Playful

Being Playful is about having a childlike curiosity, a childlike determination, a childlike wonder at what is possible, with a child-like belief in our ability to thrive 

Enjoying the ride is all about how, in the midst of defeat, stress, and crisis, our brains map different paths to help us cope

Being playful and enjoying the ride is about finding the mental path that not only leads us up out of stress, failure or suffering, but teaches us to be happier and more successful because of it

We share the content and tools and also how you can adopt and apply them to your own life, in our Being Playful Upskill (our name for course or masterclass) - this is what I did and I am living proof that it works!

Tap the link here to discover more about how you can be playful, regaining your curiosity, determination and wonder. Realising that a little nonsense now & then really is relished by the wisest of men!

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Illustration: @ljmlondon2014