“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan
This week I was having some difficulty getting motivated to do a few of the administrative tasks that I do for my job with the district. Part of me was resisting the idea of sitting down in my office so much that I was tempted to avoid work altogether. The more I worried about what needed to be done, the bigger the tasks seemed to grow. Then I did something silly. I switched my focus from the administrative tasks that I was avoiding, to all of the things that I love about my job. That is when everything changed.
Rather than go to work, begrudgingly, just to get the job done, I chose to go into work to see my colleagues and students. I decided not to worry about getting the other stuff done. As I connected with everyone, something amazing happened. The worry evaporated and I was able to get all of the administrative tasks done rather quickly.
In fact, some of them even got done while I enjoyed talking to my colleagues and students. Instead of feeling like work, the whole thing felt like play.
It is easy to forget how effective a playful, easygoing mindset can be. It can seem silly or childish to believe that having fun can make us more successful. Perhaps it’s because we confuse being playful with avoidance behavior.
When I work with students in lunch groups, it is clear which students are truly being playful and those who are using laughter and jokes to avoid something that scares them. The students who are able to laugh and enjoy the group tend to have more success in the classroom. They are well-liked by both teachers and peers. Those who use play as a way of avoiding sincere engagement are often the kids that get in trouble and become polarizing figures among their peers. In a sense, students who use play as an escape mechanism have given class clowns a bad name. The truth is that we all benefit from having laughter in our lives, and from not taking life too seriously.
It is possible to be respectful of ourselves and others, while maintaining a light-hearted approach to life, which includes laughing at the absurdities in the world around us. By not taking everything so personal, we are able to flow through our experiences with more grace and ease, and feel less burnt out at the end of the day. Life becomes something to be enjoyed, rather than something to be rushed through, or completed by an act of self-will. We can be sincere in our efforts while maintaining a connection to our playfulness.
While there are many factors in life that we cannot control, our attitude toward life. and where we put our focus, are things that we can learn to utilize more effectively. When we do so, we open up new pools of energy and resources that help us along our way. It is the person in the hall that we greet with a smile, that may be our partner on a project, or our checker at the grocery store the next day, or next year. By blessing everyone with our joyous spirit, we plant seeds for our success down the road.
This happened to me, just last week, with one of my students. When I was told about this student, I realized that I had already met her while teaching summer school. Her class overlapped with mine for a portion of our PE sessions. Those few moments each day, greeting each other, and observing one another, have given me insights into ways that I can now facilitate her success in the classroom. This type of serendipity has happened over and over again in my career.
I invite you to take a look at your work, or family relationships. Are there stressors that are getting in the way of you enjoying those experiences? Give yourself permission to “dummy down” and approach them with a fresh attitude. Drop any story about how hard the job is, or about how important it is that you get a project done. Prioritize being kind and enthusiastic toward the people you work and live with.
You do not need a reason to be joyful. You can choose to be joyful first, and the reasons will follow. Give it a try. The weight off your back will give you a boost in energy, your relationships will improve, and those projects will get completed in amazing ways.
Edward Biagiotti is the Inclusion Specialist for Culver City Unified School District. He is also co-host of the popular radio show, Funniest Thing! with Darrell and Ed, to find out more go to www.DarrellandEd.com. Visit www.TappingIntoGenius.com for more articles and a free, inspirational parenting download.
