What if work was play

In truth, when most of us spend our time overworking, overstressing, feeling overwhelmed, being playful is the new aspirational

Guess this is why that of the 5 Progressfull Principles, the one which people often find the most appealing, is Being Playful. The very idea that being playful is something which successful, evolved, high performers incorporate into their life is refreshingly new and a real relief, a lot of our clients tell us

As the philosopher Elbert Hubbard once said,

“Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive” 

This is because in today’s world of constant change, hyper-visibility and endless choices, many of us end up agonizing over even the tiniest decisions. We can spend hours re-writing emails, overthinking comments, ruminating on conversations - believing that the endless hard work of perfecting every detail of every aspect of our lives is the route to success and therefore the good life

Hubbard reminds us that time is a precious gift we can’t get back. So, the trick is to enjoy it as much as we can and try not to waste even a moment of it in the wasteland of perfectionism

What’s more says Jennifer R. Wolkin, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist based in New York City, if you always take things seriously, you may not be enjoyable to be around

“When we take life too seriously, we might have trouble connecting with people,” Wolkin explains. “People who take life too seriously sometimes come off as unfriendly or unapproachable”

We’re often so weighed down with the self-importance of being overwhelmingly busy, it can feel impossible to grab a minute to look up, smile at our friends, and loved ones and simply enjoy the moment 

Today we are all over busy, over-scheduled, and overwhelmed with meetings, to-do lists, and commitments to friends and family. That’s before we have added in all the things we would like to do for ourselves – a quick workout, a quick walk in nature, a quick scroll through social media, a quick glass of wine

The thought of a slow potter or sitting smiling in the sunshine feels like a full on fantasy

I don’t know about you, but before I did the Being Playful Upskill, every time someone said – 'live in the moment' – whilst I got it, I would often feel like rolling my eyes in exasperation. The deep irony is, whilst we know ‘we should’, how do we in fact ‘enjoy the everyday’?

The answer is to incorporate the Progressfull Principle of Being Playful into our lives. Being Playful is something that most adults left behind when they reached the age of 16 to 18 and most adults think of play as childish

Being Playful helps us replace worry and anxiety with curiosity and passion. Being Playful helps us develop a more holistic sense of who we are - we are more than doing today's tasks perfectly

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

The truth is, being playful is hugely important for us if we want to live fulfilled and abundant lives, to live our lives full of progress

At Progressfull, when we think about Being Playful, we believe it is about us ensuring that we have a lightness in our approach, that we remember to enjoy the everyday. What is also useful to know is that serious thinkers have come to the same conclusion as we have!

So Being Playful is about us choosing our state of mind and choosing an optimal state of mind for our brain to best function

What great minds think and what neuroscience research shows, is that 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

Notice it is childlike not childish

Neuroscience confirms what Einstein and the Dalai Lama affirmed decades ago; our brains respond best when we play. Our brain is most agile when we play rather than study seriously or when we are distracted by the numerous tasks and expectations laid upon us

Re-learning how to play and being child-like not childish, is a supremely important skill and mind-set to help us lead a live full of progress. “When we engage in pure playfulness, the kind of activities that whisks away time and worry, that’s done solely for sheer enjoyment and fun, the frontal cortex of our brains literally burst into fireworks,” said Meredith Sinclair

Think about how you can truly engage yourself in the here and now and start to play… so your brain’s the frontal cortex can burst into fireworks. Be imaginative,  how can you engage with your everyday burdens or expectations from a curious, childlike and playful mind-set

Remember how enchanted you were as a child with any old discarded cardboard box  – that’s the curiosity and play to recapture

If you would like to discover the real secret of life - to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now, and instead of calling it work realise it is play, we have an Upskill (our name for a course) to help you do just that – you can learn more about it here

The Being Playful enlightening Upskill teaches us how to incorporate the transforming principles of Being Playful into our lives at work and home

Think about how well you enjoy the everyday, enjoy life and turn the everyday into an adventure!