Commitment 09:
Play & Rest
Creating a life of play, improvisation and laughter allows life to unfold easily and energy to be maximized.
Play is an absorbing, apparently purposeless activity that provides enjoyment and suspends self consciousness and time. It is self motivating and makes you want to do it again. Play is not serious, doesn’t require hard work, effort or struggle.
Organizations that take breaks to rest and play are actually more productive and creative. Energy is maximized when rest, renewal and personal rhythms are honored.
From Above the Line
By Me:
I commit to creating a life of play, improvisation, and laughter. I commit to seeing all of life unfold easefully and effortlessly. I commit to maximizing my energy by honoring rest, renewal and rhythm.
From below the Line
To Me:
I commit to seeing my life as serious; it requires hard work, effort and struggle. I see play and rest as distractions from effectiveness and efficiency.
Practice It:
When you feel the need to get serious or work much harder, consider doing the following:
- Take a couple of minutes to argue for why you can’t have what you really want.
- Make up a country song title that describes your current issue and sing a line.
- Have a fifteen-second temper tantrum. Be sure to include your whole body and make noise.
- For thirty seconds, hop on one foot and flap your arms as you discuss your serious issue.
- Radically (and we mean RADICALLY) change your current body posture and then talk about your issue for one minute.
- Sing “I am right—you are wrong” to the tune of your favorite nursery rhyme.
