Written by: Jeanne Y. Savelle, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
This month, in Part 7 of Re-Awaken Your Creativity to Live a Better Life, I’ll share what I’ve learned about how living life creatively is just plain fun.
Creativity Is a Game
Think about creativity as a game you love to play. Remember when you played as a child. Did you have to think about it? Did you question the play or yourself? No, you played without thought at whatever was fun at the time without regard to any result or direction. You played just to enjoy yourself.
“Joy knows itself. As children, we didn’t even know the word joy, we were joy.” ― Francis Lucille, The Perfume of Silence
You are meant to enjoy life, to live a creative and playful life. Creative play is a natural part of human nature. You were born to experience the pure joy of life through play, but it’s something you forgot as you grew out of childhood and into adulthood.
In today’s society, we have burned the fun out of our lives to our detriment. A lack of fun and play increases stress, negatively affecting our relationships and our health. By removing fun from our lives, we reject our very nature.
Approaching creativity through playfulness and fun changes how you move through your life. But there isn’t one approach or formula to follow. You only need to listen to your playful heart when you do anything. A positive feeling makes everything easier, so look for the fun in every task.
If you dislike housework, add music or dancing, and the time will fly. If you hate paying the bills, make it a game. Challenge yourself to balance your checkbook. Whatever you are doing, stop when it becomes heavy, or you start to feel pressure. Re-engage when you are in a better state of mind.
The results will surprise you! You can do any task with more joy if you have a playful attitude.
Fun is Captivating
Playfulness is open-hearted, curious, and fun. When you play, you become absorbed in whatever activity you undertake.
As you explore ideas, approach them without judgment and with a light-hearted attitude. If you find you aren’t having fun, reconsider. Don’t be in a hurry. Go slow and see what comes up as you play. Change direction, try something different, see other possibilities.
“Play enough to fall in love with something.” – Kristy Halvorsen
When you allow yourself to become absorbed while playing with an idea, you can’t predict the outcome. What you create will not be what you expect. Stay in the flow until you feel resistance.
Distraction indicates resistance and you may begin to create obstacles. The feelings of resistance and seriousness tell you when you are leaving the playful state.
There isn’t any “How To” during play. The key is tuning into your feelings, not your thoughts. Your feelings are your guides to living with joy. Don’t allow intrusive thoughts to stop you from having fun.
My Journey
I spent most of my life, as a child and adult, with little focus on play. I was a serious child. That was the story I built to carry me through life. I traveled the world with a successful career, but at what cost?
That isn’t important now because I can’t change the past. I can change how I move forward, though. I don’t always remember to add more play and joy into my everyday life, but I’m improving.
I have certainly reduced the pressure I put on myself to DO anything and expect a certain outcome. Instead, I spend more time exploring intriguing ideas. By playing around, I learned about coaching. It seemed fun, and I am excited about going deeper to learn more about our human experience.
When some ideas were no longer exciting, I dropped them in favor of others. I don’t know what my future will be, but I am open to anything. I am curious to see what I can learn, and how much fun I can have no matter the direction I go.
Fun is Necessary for a Happy Life
Re-connecting with your sense of play will invigorate your life. When you approach anything you do with more fun, including work, struggle disappears.
The western concept of work focuses on right/wrong, good/bad, success/failure. Play is the opposite, it’s non-judgmental. You may not believe it yet, but you can enjoy work if you have a playful attitude. If you love what you do, it's not work. By staying engaged through play, any endeavor can be creative and fun. Allow yourself the vision to see how.
“Compassion, kindness, joy, laughter, playfulness, light-heartedness, wonder and awe don’t simply feel good—they’re also a neurobiological recipe for wellbeing and longevity.” – Simona Ondrejkova
Put your worries and expectations aside and look at every action from a playful space. You’ll lessen pressure and stress on your mind and body. Don’t overthink or overcomplicate your life with judgments or self-criticism.
If you look at life as a fun game, you’ll reinvent your life and yourself.
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Jeanne Y. Savelle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jeanne is a Gentle Guide and Transformation Agent living in the Atlanta, GA, area. After 30 years as an international corporate finance executive, she chucked that life to reinvent herself. She is now a transformational coach guiding older adults to living life through their inner creativity. She is a writer and author, writing about transformation, creativity, retirement, and wine. She's earned certifications from The Retirement Coaches Association, The Life Coach School, and Modern Elder Academy. Her previous life included a Masters in International Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
