From hanging off a tree to doing headstands in my office... what is going on?

There’s an explanation, I promise. 

Here is what I’ve learned about myself. I am at my best when: 

I Work With Purpose 

I Connect with Others 

I Play and Have Fun 

This is me having a little fun between coaching calls. 

My experience is that we don’t invest enough in having fun. (I get it, this was me too - not enough time was my excuse of choice!) 

So here’s a little story that may help to make my case for having fun (there’s brain science backing this up too!) 

A client, after a hectic week and an even busier weekend ahead, called me feeling anxious and stressed. “What do I do?” “There are not enough hours in the day to get everything done!”, she said. 

We used a quick tool to manage her stress in the moment and then I asked her to do a very uncomfortable thing; “Take the rest of the day off. No work. Take a bath. Enjoy your favourite meal. Have fun. Dance to your favourite song and get a good night sleep.” 

“What?!? I tell you that there are not enough hours in the day and you tell me to stop working!!!” 

This was not the advice she was expecting. 

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Call me tomorrow morning.” 

By this time we had worked together long enough for her to trust me so she followed my advice. 

The next morning when she called me, something had shifted. She was grounded. Calm. A soft determination apparent in her voice. 

She still had a lot to do but now she had gained new focus and energy, which allowed her to prioritize and delegate. The fog had lifted. 

The next two days she was able to revisit her to do list to come up with the critical items that had to be completed. She delegated some items and delayed others. She came up with a creative plan. She demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness. 

So play. (it activates the parts of your brain responsible for creativity) 

Every day, laugh. (it reduces stress chemicals in your brain and activates the parasympathetic nervous system which releases calming chemicals) 

Don’t take yourself too seriously, or your work for that matter. (allows you to maintain perspective and greater purpose) 

More working ours does not translate into more productivity. It results in less creativity and more stress. (your brains needs a chance to wander and experience others things to come up with new ideas) 

Smile. Play. Have fun. Create.