From Work to Play
“As more humans awaken, the word work is going to disappear from our vocabulary, and perhaps a new word will be created to replace it.” ~ Eckhart Tolle, from The Power of Now When you identify yourself as a human doing, life becomes work. When you identify yourself as a human being, life becomes play. For us to feel truly fulfilled in our careers, and life as a whole, we need to express who we are at an authentic level into whatever it is we do. Society recognizes and rewards performance before well-being – ie, how well or how much one does versus how one feels in whatever it is they are doing. Performance appraisals and our school system are good examples of this. When […]
Benefits of Play
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ~ Apple Computers In this rapidly changing world we live in, the wisdom of play has a lot to offer. Play invites a new kind […]
Dreaming with Your Inner Child
“A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.” ~ J. R. R. Tolkien. When you begin clarifying goals, intentions and dreams, your inner child wants to actively participate in the creative process. Imagine that your inner child is taking you for a walk…yes, taking you, not you taking her. She is leading now, supporting your dreaming process. Picture her holding your hand as you walk side by side. She has much to say, much to guide you on, for her voice is the voice of possibility. Children dwell in an eternally abundant world. Their innocence is a gift of purity of mind, an openness of spirit, an attitude of Yes! Nothing is impossible in their reality until we tell them so, until we […]
14 Play Values
Play Value #1 ~ Permission To truly enjoy the playground of life, the first place to start is giving yourself permission to be playful. Permission is an affirmation that it is safe for our inner child to come out and play. For many of us this was not the case growing up, and so the path of remembering to play may not be easy at first. Compounded with many years of being a serious adult with responsibilities, it’s no wonder play has lost its place in our heart. But it’s still there, and with our permission we can allow our inner child to have a voice once again. Play Value #2 ~ Presence Play is a practice of being present. Have you ever noticed how […]
Your Eternal Play State
“The masters in the art of living make little distinction between their work and their play, their labor and their leisure, their minds and their bodies, their information, their recreation, their love and their religion. They hardly know which is which, they simply pursue their vision of excellence at whatever they do, leaving others to decide whether they are working or playing.” ~ James Michener. Summer is often associated with a time of play. This is when many of us take our holidays and the warmer weather invites us to partake in a variety of outdoor activities. Yet as the summer winds down, I often notice a reluctance to leave the fun and sun. I can hear the distant raindrops of September coming my way, […]
Creating Your Play Day
“Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.” ~ Tom Robbins, novelist. A simple way to stay connected to your play state is to have regular play days. Play days can be experienced on your own or with friends and loved ones. The key is that you are doing what you love, feeling joy and activating your play state. Here are a few ideas for you: Solo Intuitive Play Day: If on your own, spend a day being completely intuitive. Walk or drive without any set destination. Make choices of where to turn, what to observe, what to do based fully on how you feel in the moment. […]
Co-Create Dirt Pie
And then… Co-creation is based in the Spirit of Yes And, which means Yes to you And to me. And the spirit of Yes And means, among other things, to Play Along and Create From. A fun way to play along with others in a co-creative spirit is to use a version of Yes And called And then… Imagine you come home from work and your children say to you, “What’s for dinner mommy?” Instead of the usual response of saying what you are actually cooking, try something a little playful and creative. “Well,” you could say, “I’m going to make a dirt pie. I’m thinking of adding a few sticks to it. What else could we add?” Your child may then say, “We could […]
Three Levels of Playful Mirroring
“Mirror your partner’s dreams; the relationship will grow.” ~ Unknown. I was walking down the street the other day and I saw a little girl pretending she was a soldier. She marched along, erect, focused, her arms swaying straight as an arrow and in perfect rhythm, painted with a stoic countenance. She was a soldier indeed! And walking right beside her was her father (I think it was her father), who mirrored her exactly. She marched along, and so did he, walking side by side in unison and intent, with a spirit of playing along. Mirroring is a great way to practice Yes And and honour the creative contributions of another. It invites what I call the Dance of Yes And where two or more […]
Finding Creativity & Purpose in the Messiness of Life
“…again out of destruction a new spirit of creativity arises.” ~ Werner Sombart. A workshop participant recently shared a wonderful story. She was participating in a family day with her sister and many children. The children had spent a lot of time diligently preparing a very large bowl of chocolate pudding. When it was time to eat it, one of the children proceeded to take the bowl out of the fridge. Suddenly, the bowl slipped out of his hands and the pudding splattered all over the floor. Now as the adult in this situation it is easy to react with shock, upset or even reproach. However, the wise sister had a much more creative response. Without missing a beat she shouted, “Finger painting!” Of course […]
The Spirit of Yes And
Yes But sees Limitations. Yes And sees Possibilities. But Separates. And Joins. We live in a society that is well trained to say Yes But. We are more conditioned to see limits than possibilities. Saying Yes is respecting your, or someone else’s, feeling, idea or circumstance and being open to what it may have to offer. It is about acknowledging, appreciating and including without judgement, without the need to fix, and without even the need to agree. Saying And is finding creative ways to build upon it and then playfully seeing where it goes. There is no aliveness or potential in Yes But. It keeps us in the proverbial box and living in the status quo. The adventure of life begins when we take the […]