Hello, Subscribers. One of my former leaders told us it's not worth doing if it isn’t fun. This forms the core philosophy of my weekly writings and will help you prepare for the week through the power of play to set yourself up for success. As your guide, I believe incorporating play into your daily routine can enhance your creativity, problem-solving skills, and overall well-being, leading to personal and professional growth. I glean insights from my inner child about behaviors and patterns and can help you do the same. Let’s get set up for success.
It’s time for an accountability check-in. I did not do as well on the physical rest this week. I had several evening meetings this week which made it difficult to fall asleep. I have nothing planned today aside from a last hurrah with ice cream with my child. I noticed that I have been very irritable, probably due to not getting enough sleep and also next week means change since school restarts. I also got my debit card hacked. Thankfully not too much damage happened and I look at it as a great opportunity to review my subscriptions as they fail due to being connected to the old card. Part of my plan to set myself up for success is to lay things out the night before to ensure that I do not waste energy thinking about what to wear or looking for things in the dark. I also got some blonde highlights. I am getting used to it, but I do feel fun.
I will not be following my usual format this week. I was listening to the radio and they were speaking about the movie “Sing Sing.” It’s the real life story about Divine G, a man falsely imprisoned who finds purpose through the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. When the interviewer asked, “If people are in prison, why why are they ‘playing?’ Why are they getting arts programs?” This made me sit up in my seat as a play advocate. The response was equally powerful. “Well, in this country, the attitude of prison is punishment. And what I want people to think about is in almost every case, people are gonna be returning back to society when they finish their sentence. What kind of person do you want returned to you? Do you want a person who has just sat under a punishment for all those years? Or do you want someone who’s really been given the tools to become a full human being again?”
“To become a full human being again,” was the mic drop moment for me. If you think that prison has nothing to do with you. Think about it. How free are you in the workplace? Workers are under surveillance. There is little expectation of privacy and if you express joy, then you are punished as “not having enough to do.” Perhaps this is why I encounter so much resistance to play. Art is play with awards. A final quote from the interview, “And I know for sure that art saves lives and arts help people find a new way of being, I do think it’s extremely impactful.” If you are burned out or overwhelmed you need a new way of being. Play or creative expression is a powerful tool to address this global crisis. Based on a survey of eight countries, almost half of workers experience burnout.
I have several options to help and I want to highlight them in this week’s newsletter. First is this weekly newsletter. I generally use visual tools and powerful questions to reflect on how to best set yourself up for success. On Thursdays, I host an audio room called Play Your Way to a Better Day. We play various improve games for thirty minutes and we laughed until we were snorting the first session. On Saturday, August 17th, Nikki St Paul joins me for a LinkedIn Live in my Mindful or Mind Full series. We are exploring From FOMO to JOMO. We pack wisdom and practical tips into this short thirty-minute session. If you are not on LinkedIn, it will also stream live on YouTube. The 7 Days of Play Challenge is a paid challenge, and for around the cost of lunch, you can reconnect with your inner child and tap into your creativity and joy.
I’m also kicking off the Overcome Overwhelm Challenge in Fifteen Minutes. It is a paid challenge, and if I do not reduce your overwhelm, you get a full refund. School restarts for many of you and if you are a parent trying to stay connected with your tween, I invite you to join Mission Connection. Still here? Okay, let’s a pull a card to help us be successful next week. This is from Affirmators! Tarot by Suzi Barrett. The Ten of Pentacles is a green card featuring a very confident disco dancing racoon pointing to an arch of ten stars in pentacles with one in the center of the arch. Ten is the end of a cycle and also a new beginning. What are you going to adopt to thrive instead of just Staying Alive? *Cue the falsetto, you know you want to sing along.” I know there will be a daily dance break to keep me moving and grooving next week. Looking forward to you joining all the fun activities planned in the upcoming weeks. Namaste
Play Your Way to a Better Day: https://www.linkedin.com/events/playyourwaytoabetterday7228065276242595840/
Mindful or Mind Full: From FOMO to JOMO - https://www.linkedin.com/events/minfulormindfull-fromfomotojomo7227270451213848577/theater/
All other links since this blog is bugging: https://linktr.ee/thingstothinkabout
