Clearly, certain things are a must in every grown up life, like being responsible, owning your choices, and operating within healthy boundaries. Honestly, I don’t have a problem with any of those, as long as I can add one key concept as well.
Play Is a Necessity
My motto reminds everyone of this key concept: play is not a luxury. It’s a necessity. Play is not just for kids. It’s for everyone! And that includes YOU. Research has now discovered there are many benefits of play for adults. Woohoo! Play can:
- Relieve stress- Improve brain function
- Boost creativity
- Improve personal connections
- Keep you feeling young and energetic
Playful Proof
That’s a pretty convincing list. And there’s more! Playing at WORK can double the fun and the benefits:
- Keep you functional under pressure (high-fives on that one)- Refresh your mind and body (gravity can do it’s thing, we’re still gonna win)
- Encourage teamwork (enough with the silos, right?)
- Increase energy and prevent burnout (everyday is a new day to play)
- Trigger creativity and innovation (think Vince Vaughn, our very own Chicago guy, and the movie The Internship. Actually, want to watch it with me later?)
- Help you see problems in new ways (like… the whole reason for this!)
Play Is Self-Care
Play is a human idea, not a kid idea, but a human idea. Everyday you need to find a way to have fun. That is the best thing you can do to take care of you.
Whether that means literally jumping from couch to couch to avoid the lava OR flying a kite OR playing a sport OR watching a movie with a friend, it’s all about finding the enjoyment in life.
Living with Playful Perspective of Now
Maybe more importantly, it’s finding a way to view life in a playful way. How can you do everyday responsibilities with whimsy, cheerfulness and be your own kind of beautiful in the process?
Maybe you might want to take a cooking class or dance class or learn about wines. Now that’s my best idea yet. Let's join a wine club.
Life should be lived in the moment. Every moment has possibilities for celebration. Like even with those computer challenges, it got so darn tense that we just had to laugh.
At one point frustrated to no end, Lynette just had to joke about the nonsense nature of the whole situation, “And we’re waiting… and we’re waiting…. and we're waiting. Oh look! We’re still waiting!”
Laughing is the best medicine. It won’t cure a broken computer, but it can certainly help a bad mood. Kudos to Lynette for showing us how this is done!
What to do When You Want to Play Hooky
So when you get that urge to play hooky, and it will most assuredly come, think of ME, Ms. Play. I may not be the best influence, but I can guarantee you’ll have the time of your life and you’ll owe it all to me!
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