Let's keep our hearts young!

I don’t know about you, but don’t you find yourself getting so bogged down in how ‘stressed’ or ‘busy’ you are?

For most of us, the last thing on our minds is thinking about how we can be playful!

The thing is, what if we are missing out on one of the most important secrets to living a long and happy life? Being Playful is about building your ability to enjoy life, and its adventures. It’s about regaining a childlike curiosity, determination and wonder at what is possible, together with a belief in your ability to thrive and bounce back from adversity

Being Playful equips us to understand how we can build our hope and openness to future possibilities - and doing all of this with a genuine, relaxed smile

Being Playful means, we are more resilient, able to adapt to change more quickly, and create a more holistic sense of who we are ...

At home, at work, in our whole life - as a partner, a parent, a team-player, a friend, a leader, an enthusiast for a particular sport or hobby. Look at children and you will see they do this naturally, they try new skills, they make up games, they join new teams, they try out a lot of stuff to see what will make them laugh the hardest, and have the most fun

Being Playful is often a huge mind-set shift for people. It involves re-learning how to have a childlike curiosity, a wonder and openness to the adventure of life. What's great is that Being Playful helps us replace worry and anxiety with curiosity and passion. It helps us develop a more holistic sense of who we are and helps us to realise we are more than doing today's tasks perfectly

What's more, Being Playful is also often the first step to trying out new roles, new hobbies, new passions and even new projects at work. This helps us live a more balanced life and can lead to new opportunities both at work and at home

Sound good? Sounds amazing! But as an adult, how is this even possible?

Sometimes ‘seeing is believing’, if only we had a role model of adults living this Being Playful approach … well we do!

The Okinawa islands, at the southern end of Japan, is known for its centenarians and supercentenarians — people who live to 110 years of age and over. The secret sauce … in part a healthy diet, in part an integrated prevention-based healthcare system, yet the main secret is the mind-set of its inhabitants. Their zest for life, is truly Being Playful in practice as summed up from 4 islanders:

“The secret to a long life is not to worry. And to keep your heart young — don’t let it grow old”

“I go dancing with my friends once a week”

“My secret to a long life is always saying to myself, ‘Slow down’ and ‘Relax’. You live much longer if you’re not in a hurry”

“I’m 98, but I consider myself young. I still have so much to do”

Being Playful can be learned and lived … as George Bernard Shaw famously said,

"We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing"

So, let’s make like the people of the Blue Zone regions and keep our hearts young by Being Playful!

If you would like to discover more about how you can keep your heart young and Be Playful we have an Upskill (our name for a course/masterclass) to help you do just that – you can learn more about it here

Quotes from Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles 2017