One Thing You Must Do to Survive!

Do you remember a time when life included elements of play? For many of us, that is a very faint memory – you’re going to have to travel back to a time when you were younger to look for clues about how to resume this life-saving past-time.

My brother often asks his little 4-year old, at the end of the day, “so, what did you do today?” And her charming reply is always the same – ‘PLAY ALL DAY!” While her answer is certainly charming, there is also some meat to that statement. Sometimes, grown-ups need to be reminded not only how to play, but also of the sacredness of play.

I am often asked by people if I always work so hard. The answer is No – because, while I don’t believe that any of us have total balance in their lives, I do pride myself on the fact that when I work – I work hard, and when I play – I play hard. It’s not all about hard work!

1. What was your favorite sport in childhood?

For many women, this may be an easy question – especially if you still have young children at home. For many of us baby-boomers, this may be a very distant memory. For me, it was anything outdoors – I was a real tom-boy! I could play baseball with the best of the boys – and, to this day, I get much joy just being outdoors. I love to bike, hike, walk, x-country ski – anything that gets me out in the fresh air and with nature. My commitment, this summer, is to bike more – as many evenings as possible, right after supper. What could you do to re-charge and re-energize and bring that smile back to your heart?

2. What was your favorite game in childhood?

I loved board games then and I love board games now! My favorite is “Catch Phrase”. My former husband found it at Value Village in Edmonton for $5.00. I cannot tell you how much joy and laughter we had with that game – with family, with friends, and also when we took it along on car trips with the kids. So, you see, these things don’t necessarily cost a lot of money but they sure can add a lot of happiness to your life, on a daily and/or weekly basis.

3. Who was your favorite play-mate in childhood?

For me, it was my brothers and sisters. We grew up in a military family and we moved a lot, typically in the summer time. So, my playmates were my siblings. Think about your favorite play-mate as a child – what are the qualities and characteristics that come to mind? Who do you spend fun times with now? How often? Often enough? What benefit would there be, in your life and in your energy, if you were to connect with a play-mate and make time to have more fun with that person – now (not tomorrow!)?

So, as you can see, there are at least 3 things you can do, and must do, to survive – in these busy and stressful times. What is one thing you will incorporate into your regular routine? When? What would be the pay value in doing this?

“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing!” – Michael Pritchard
CONCLUSION

What would be the value of incorporating more play into your life, and into your business, each day?

1. Identify which things were more important to you, as a child, at various ages from 5-10 years.
2. The next time your child, or friend, approaches you and asks you ‘to come out and play’ – say YES!
3. If you want a really good laugh, on a rainy day, rent the movie “It’s Complicated” with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. Honest to goodness, I haven’t laughed out loud, and that much, in many years!

Do some of these exercises and I guarantee that you will learn to laugh again, relax and get some perspective on what’s really important in life. When you live by intent, you are developing the confidence and courage to move forward and invent the life, and the business, you truly want. You also become much more fun to live with!