THE LIFESTYLE ENTREPRENEUR

Read time - 4 minutes

The Power of Play

Hi friends,

Play is something that I mostly lost in my thirties, as the commitments of building businesses and having kids filled up every second of the day, and “adulting” became the consistent priority.

Every year that went by I ended up having less fun.

And that felt normal, because everyone I knew was going through the same thing. In fact most people in my world were falling down the trap of grinding through life while raising kids, and sacrificing most of our enjoyment until some later date that none of us knew would happen.

I luckily had a few twists and turns that showed me how important play is in my life, and now it’s a consistent part of my week, month, and year.

Finding play occurred by accident at first, and then as I found things I loved doing that recharged me, it has become a core part of my life.

And leaning in has made me:

1. A more present, relaxed person

2. More creative

3. More empathetic to others in my work and relationships

4. Enjoy the mundane parts of life more

5. A better parent

Becoming a better parent is one of the counter-intuitive benefits of prioritizing play. One of the reasons I didn’t have much fun in the early kid years is the belief I needed focus all my free time raising them.

While that’s crertainly true, sacrificing time for myself actually made me less present when I was with them, more irritable and impatient, and generally less enthusiastic about the time I was spending with them.

What I found is that creating time, even an hour, for myself to have fun, made me better at all aspects of life.

The Science of Play

Science is showing my experiences aren’t just anecdotes.

Studies are proving that play in adults help with a multitude of areas of life, including:

1. Stress reduction

2. Creativity

3. Improved cognitive function

4. Emotional healing and resilience

5. Physical health (play often involves movement)

6. Improved relationships

7. Increased productivity

8. Better sleep

9. Increased ability to learn things

10. Mindfulness

11. Improved mental health

12. Increased energy

All those things sound great, right?

I’ve found all of these to be the case. And the cool thing is while a 4 day party cruise is awesome, that’s not necessary to get the benefits. One hour of play is enough to get these benefits.

How to make play happen

In a life crammed with work, family, and essential self-care, how do you make room for play? Here's how:

1. Plan It: Schedule play like any important appointment. It goes into your annual, quarterly, and weekly plans. Treat it with the same commitment as a work meeting.

2. Partner on it: You should obviously play with your partner (i’m guessing mine is right next to me on the beach right now), but if you have kids you’ll also have to coordinate and have play time apart.

3. Pursue Passion: Identify activities that make you feel alive. What makes you laugh, feel light, and forget the world? That's your play zone.

4. Energy, Not Exhaustion: Choose play that energizes, not drains you. Reflect on activities that leave you feeling rejuvenated. For me, switching from alcohol-centered activities to more active and engaging forms of play made a world of difference.

5. Practice: Like any skill, play gets better with practice. The more you integrate play into your routine, the more natural it becomes.

Get out there and play

If you’re like I was and aren’t used to having all that much fun, I’d recommend starting small. It takes commitment, experimenting, and consistency to get good at playing again.

If you’re like most people, you stopped playing a long time ago, so take it easy on yourself when you’re getting back into it.

I promise it’s worth the effort.

Talk to you next week,

Mike