Work Up the Nerve to Play

When did work and play become such epic rivals?

It’s not a competition.

Don’t get me wrong, working hard can be very rewarding! And playing hard is its own kind of fun...

It’s just not a matter of 'either/or'.

What am I playing at? I’m working up to it…

We can still be taken seriously without having to take ourselves so seriously.

How?

One small grammatical shift can allow a huge change to occur in our personal and professional lives.

Right now we treat both ‘work’ and ‘play’ like two verbs in competition for our actions.

However, in terms of the way we actually live our lives…work is a noun! It’s  a thing!…a very important  thing that we all want and deserve to enjoy!

Look at all the other things you love in your life: your children, your pets, your partner, your hobbies...

Don’t you enjoy them and show them your love by engaging in play?

Why would you approach work any differently?

Let the verb  act on the noun, and these epic rivals can finally become partners.

Finally, a play on words that actually…works.

How will you incorporate play into your work today?

Would People Still Follow Your Lead if You Weren’t Their Boss?

Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. - Brian Tracy

Easier said than done…I know.

Would your employees still choose to follow you if it wasn’t a prerequisite to getting their paycheck?

I can hear you thinking, “How the heck am I supposed to know that?”

It’s a tough question with a slippery answer.

If you’re not sure, let’s figure it out together by taking Jeff Foxworthy’s lead:

If you can’t remember the last time anyone disagreed with you

…it might be because you’re the boss.

 If you’ve forgotten what the word, “no” sounds like

…it might be because you're the boss.

 If every single one of your jokes are laugh out loud funny

…it might be because you're the boss.

If people are always excited to see you

…it might be because you are the boss.

If all of your ideas are “brilliant!”…

…it might be because you're the boss.

100% positive feedback is a red flag that you're getting skewed data.

It’s time for a reality check.

How can you get a clear sense of employee morale if they feel pressure to be compliant instead of honest?

Your end goal is not to have everyone like you. Your end goal is to be the type of leader that you would want to follow.

Give your employees reason to trust you. Make it safe for them to give candid feedback.

Value their voice, their concerns, and their needs.

Respect your team.

They will be more motivated to work for you...

not because they have to, but because they want to.

Chime in with your best  “It might be because you’re the boss” line!

What Happy People Know that You Don’t

Let's take a look at Tip #29 from 128 Tips to Make You a More Effective Leader:

“Anyone can choose the course of their lives, but only happy people do it.”

-  Dan Baker, PhD and Camperson Stauth from the book , What Happy People Know

Choosing the course of our lives is open to all of us, but it requires us to identify and overcome the blocks and fears holding us back.

Don’t hold yourself hostage. Conscious decisions about how to invest our time, money and talents lead to a life fully lived and enjoyed.

Identify what’s getting in your way and make a plan on how you’ll break through. Choose to be happy.

If choosing to be happy were as easy as it sounded, we would all be doing it.

Being happy is hard work!

It requires a sustainable inventory of balance and energy; two things which have become rarities in our busy lives.

Sadly, we often confuse happiness with feeling safe...

so we opt into dwelling in cages that we construct around ourselves.

As safe as these cages may seem, feeling stuck leads to restlessness.

Without rest, the balance and energy required to live happily are nonexistent.

Safety should not come at the cost of freedom.

Remember: the difference between a cage and a home is an open door.

The good news is, if we built our cages, we must also have the keys.

…they have to be lying around here somewhere.