Playing in the Snow

Wow, did we have a great snow storm. The snow was perfect; deep, fluffy and very white. We had a ball sledding in it, walking through the woods in it and falling in it. It was fun, it was safe and inspired a lot of full body laughs. God it is great to play and have fun.

Hop to It

Ok, how much fun could I have wearing a black suit? Here was the idea. What if we showed up at the center of commerce in a major city and started playing hopscotch? Would people join in? Would I get arrested? Could we help people smile a bit more? So we did it. See for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lXH2TxcX3E

I Lost My Sense of Play

When you start feeling angry or frustrated, it is a sure sign that you have lost your sense of play. Last night I was teaching an MBA class on presentation skills. Early on in the night I found myself feeling angry at a few students as I watched them perform well below their potential --either because they hadn't prepared or because they adopted a somewhat silly approach to the assignment.

When I find myself playing the anger game it usually catches me unaware, it's unintentional - mostly a response to a situation. When I'm angry, I never feel that I am operating as my best self. It's almost as if I've lost a bit of control and I worry that I may say something that I will regret.

So this morning I've decided to play a new game as it relates to teaching this class. The game I'm going to start playing is the "Committed but Detached" game. In this game, while I'm committed to my students growth, I'm detached from how they choose to engage in class. It is a reminder to me to not take their level of participation personally. It's not that I'm lowering my expectations, I'm just choosing to adopt a new approach when my expectations aren't met. It also helps me to stop feeling responsible for the actions of others.

I invite you to play the Committed but Detached game along with me. Playing this game will allow you to keep giving 100% while providing a well-needed buffer between you and the responses of others.