Playful Or Purposeful?

When should you be playful and when should you be purposeful? I think we too often fail to recognize that they aren’t mutually exclusive attitudes.

Perhaps what your work is lacking is the playfulness that will keep you engaged in it to completion. The idea of having a smile on your face while you work because you are enjoying yourself may seem a little foreign, but it won’t ruin the work.

I used to be completely a nose to the grindstone kind of guy, but that led to stress, anger, and avoidance of the most important parts of the job. Learning to play in your work will help you in other aspects of your life. What do you take home with you? If you take all the yuck home, are you going to be playful or are you going to be stern and irritable?

I have friends who seem good at separating work from home, but how playful are they in their lives? The ones that I really respect are the ones who play all the time, but still get the work done. They enjoy life, and those around them enjoy it more because of them

The Wrong Side Of Whimsy

There is a danger to avoid in this playing. I know of cases where the whimsical has turned to sarcasm. That is not OK. Sarcasm contains subtle attacks on someone. Too often it is pointed at the speaker. Think of some the major jokers that you know. How many of them constantly make fun of themselves? How long can you stand to be around them while they do that? Do you do that to yourself?

Do me and yourself a favor. Stop it!

Bob Newhart demonstrated it so well in this clip.

Obviously changing behaviors is not always so simple, but I have learned that when I have told myself to stop doing something, with real intent, my results are better afterward. Sarcasm was one of those things. My daughter pointed out that if I really wanted to stop, I just needed to work on it. Recognize what you are doing and do something about it.

So you can see, even in the serious world of self improvement, you can still play and have a smile as you work on it. Life doesn’t have to be hard.

Playfulness At Home

One of the things that I really loved about my grandfather was his impish sense of humor. He was hard to work with because he was so serious at work, but he could be a lot of fun in the home. He wasn’t great at playing, but I have fond memories of him chasing my grandmother in the kitchen to get a kiss and then winking at me. I almost learned to hate work from him because I never felt like I was good enough for him, but in those moments, I knew that he really loved us. It stripped away the hard veneer and showed the softness inside.

Just like roughhousing with my dad told me the same thing. He would take on my brother and me until we got to be too big for him to handle. I remember the day he called it quits. That day, our relationship changed, and something was lost.

Make A Playful Change

I also remember playing sports as a kid. It was too serious. I started to associate play with work, and that soured it for me. I wanted to “play” baseball, not “do” baseball. Recognize where you might be souring the experiences others around you are having. Are you so intent on winning that moments of fun are lost? Take some time to evaluate your patterns in life. Where can you lighten up? Set a goal, and see who you shock. Maybe it will be you as you open up just a little more, and others enjoy your company more.

Look for the opportunities and see how they feel. Uncomfortable is what you are looking for because it will get you past embarrassment. Ready for some karaoke?