Happiness@TheSpeedofLife: Get Serious About Play!

Published: Wed, 04/18/12



April 2012

Get Serious About Play!

986 words of content including ten reasons why you should be serious about Play. Approximate reading time: 3.94 minutes. And isn't your Happiness worth it?

Welcome to my e-newsletter, which focuses on defining and applying the Principles of Happiness and Positive Emotion in your life and work.

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In This Issue
  1. Are You Serious About Play?
  2. Personal: Play Like a Kid
  3. In the Workplace: Play to Win
  4. About the Coach

I. Are You Serious About Play?

When I ask any audience about the value of Happiness, they quickly create a long list of positive outcomes.  Among these are better relationships and health, lower stress, and higher productivity and creativity.  

What if I told you there was something that could give you all the above PLUS make you more flexible and adaptable?  And make your brain work better? 

You knew how to do it when you were younger, but you forgot.  It's called Play.

Play Builds Skills For Life

Play is activity that has no real purpose.  It is unstructured, unsupervised, and unscored.  You do it just because it's fun, and time passes quickly when you get engaged.  And just as tossing around a ball builds skills that later show up in a real game, so too Play builds skills that later show up in Real Life.  

Here are six ideas to Play more:

  1. Laugh.  It releases feel-good chemicals (endorphins), suppresses stress hormones, and strengthens your immune system
  2. Do something with your hands (no keyboard or phone).  Painting, writing, manual work, or even crafting can induce a state of flow.
  3. Get Down.  Chairs are for adults.  Whether you read a book, watch TV, work on your iPad, or eat dinner, it will feel more fun when you sit on the floor to do it.  Bonus points if you do it with a dog, cat, or small child. 
  4. Pull out a board game or jigsaw puzzle.  Even if you don't finish, the conversation builds relationships and invites storytelling.
  5. Move your body.  Varying positions improves blood flow to your brain and improves cardio vascular health, while movement releases stress and generates more of those endorphins!
  6. Get Creative.  Many a parent has been disappointed when they offer a newly assembled toy but the child plays with the box.  Play is less about stimulation than it is about imagination. Provoke yours.  Dress up, dress down, try a new food, join a group, or pick up that karaoke microphone.

No one's keeping score -- it's just Play!

P.S. See below for proof that when it comes to Play, I practice what I teach. 


 
Jim at Play

 

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Did you know that Play is one powerful way to live into Principles 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 13? The 13 Principles of Happiness provide a framework for living a happier life. Download a copy to post at your desk or on your fridge at home.

 

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II. Personal: Play Like a Kid!

I was recruited to deliver the keynote presentation at a regional Human Resources conference in Tampa. My dear wife suggested that I take an extra day to enjoy the sunshine.

What?! No way! I'm too busy. I have backlog. I... I'm burned out. So after the conference ended I drove to Orlando, had dinner with a former client, then spent the next day with Harry Potter at Universal Studios.   (That's me with my first Butterbeer!)

Jim at Harry PotterI strapped myself into a roller coaster painted like a dragon and screamed. I dropped ten stories on the Fear Fall, flew over a Quidditch field on an enchanted bench, narrowly escaped from a T-rex, and got soaking wet - on purpose!

I watched kids at play and reveled in their joy. I found a quiet spot in the sun and did yoga midday. Then I stood in the middle of a Truffula forest in awe of the creative spirit that brought Dr Suess' whimsy to life.

It was just 24 hours, but what a difference. My tank refilled, simply because I stepped away from the grind.

If it has been more than six months since you took a vacation, stop wondering why you are stressed. I can tell you why - you need a break!

Go somewhere and play like a kid. I promise you'll feel happier.

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III. In the Workplace: Play to Win

I was fortunate to begin my career with a company that really lived into the mantra, "work hard, play hard." We used employee meetings to celebrate accomplishments, we threw parties to mark successful projects, invited family to annual picnics and frequent open houses, and encouraged people to decorate for nearly every holiday - with Halloween as a peak over-the-top party day (as you can see from the collage).

Did productivity suffer? Sometimes...but stay with me for a moment. We always received more than we lost, because play time built more capacity for the Real Work of the organization.

The leaders who were my role models at the time realized something important: commitment is a choice. When you regularly invite people into fun and celebration - a relatively easy choice for most - you create a space for them to flex their commitment "muscles."

  • When the focus later turns to hard work, challenging projects, and disruptive change, people find it easier to say Yes because their Yes "muscle" is fairly strong and tuned in to the organization.
  • When you ask people to work in teams, it's no big deal because they are so used to working together from building sets for Halloween or creating a strategy to win the lunch time games tournament.
  • When you need to tap the creativity of your workforce, they are already skilled at generating wild ideas from when they were working on the last pajamas day and making tough budget decisions for the employee activities committee.

If you're a smart leader, you will create the space for Play and fun in the workplace, with an eye toward using play to nurture the skills that are useful elsewhere in the business: team work, conversation, creativity, decision-making, collaborating across levels and organizational boundaries... and commitment

Play is not a waste or expense.  It is an investment with a huge ROI

Remember, Leadership is not about a title: Anyone can be a leader who allows people to bring their whole self to work and have fun on the job while building the skills to win.

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IV. About the Coach

Jim Smith, The Executive Happiness Coach(R) Hi, I'm Jim Smith, PCC, The Executive Happiness Coach®. I work with smart, successful people like you, who secretly struggle with stress and overwhelm as you strive to succeed at the next level. I help you become a better leader AND dump the stress.

I have helped thousands of leaders and business owners just like you to increase effectiveness at work AND live a happier, more balanced life. Contact me to learn how you can create a less-stress leadership presence.

If you received this from a friend, SUBSCRIBE now to get your own copy in the future, plus you'll get a valuable leadership report!

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Happiness is a decision, not an event.
How will YOU decide today?
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Copyright © 2012, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: "From HAPPINESS@THESPEEDOFLIFE, by Jim Smith, PCC, The Executive Happiness Coach®. For more tips on Leading with Less Stress, visit www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com." If you choose to do otherwise, I will be very unhappy.

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