How to Play on the Playground of Life
Know your emotions. Acknowledge them. Release them.
Multiple studies show that engagement is one of the primary keys to happiness. When you participate with an enthusiastic, whole-hearted emotional investment, you are like a bubbly child on a playground. Understanding and then releasing emotions is the key to the kind of meaning that makes engaging worthwhile.
When you have an emotional commitment to your goals, you are more likely to reach them and do so with a level of effort beyond what is required.
Emotions give you clues about how to navigate your environment. They inform you when others cross your boundaries. They tell you when you need to use your instincts. They advise when its time to release thoughts and actions that aren’t working for you. They let you know when its time to embark on a new adventure.
Stuck emotions are like fog on the playground, clouding your vision, so you are unable to see the fun that awaits. With the fog in place, the playground holds no meaning for you. When the fog clears, you can see the purpose of the playground.
Recognize your emotions as they happen and you can tune-in to the clues they’re giving you. Then you can release them with ease. Clearing up space for you to do more of what you want, the things that have meaning for you.
Remember being that child on the playground? How running, spinning, and sliding could make you feel happy and free. When you fall and scrape your leg, you may cry for a moment, want acknowledgment from Mom, then you’re back on the swing. You are engaged in a game of tag, screaming with glee. Next tossed around in the spinning teacups.
When you play, you are emotionally committed to the playing, not focused on what happened in the past or what might happen in the future. Attune to the playing and oh how joyous.
What has meaning for you during this crisis?
Identify where you are putting your emotional investment. Is it paying off for you? Do you need to acknowledge and release some emotions so that you can engage in the playing?
Do more of the things that have meaning for you, that make you feel the way you want to feel.
So that you can fully engage in what you are doing, hold your emotions in awareness, appreciate the invaluable information they have to offer. Release them as would a child who wants to get back to the playground quickly. This practice will give your interactions more meaning and will enhance your connection to your work and the others around you.
