The Opposite of Play

As a business coach, I know a lot of really hard working business people, including writers, and many other them have never considered that knowing how to play could be a crucial element of their success.

Why? Please answer this question: What is the opposite of play?

If you’re like me, you would think: “work.”

Yet in a fascinating article I read recently in Green Money Journal, the author made a statement that I thought was powerful:

“The opposite of play is depression.”

Wow!

He was making a point that for children, if they don’t have enough regular free play time, they get depressed.

But I thought, what about us grown up kids, especially typical American business people. who work -work- work all the time?

We aren’t getting enough play time, either! (After all, who are we if not grown up children?)

So if you feel a little bit depressed (or a lot), consider how much play you are getting in. Of course I don’t mean playing in the sandbox or with your Tinker Toys (although I can enjoy a mean session of Tinker Toys with my niece!).

I mean whatever is play for you, whatever age you are.

And while “depression” can be a clinical term, I mean it here much more loosely, as in feeling a little bit down, a little like “what’s the point,” like there’s just too much to do. Or you keep asking yourself how can you ever get ahead.

As always, the answers are paradoxical. While we have to work to grow our business and change the world, we can’t succeed in our endeavors without enough play, either. Too much work does make Jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl and just no fun to be around.

Fortunately as we make enough playtime a priority in our life, our perspective on everything changes for the better. The truth is, if you want to be successful at whatever your goals are, you have to play.

So ask yourself, are you getting enough playtime? If not, what is one single activity that is play for you? Is it something you can do today? Then make a decision to do it: Play!

Business Coach, Anne Alexander, helps small business owners grow their businesses.

P.S. Susan Gabriel is an ex-shrink who writes award-winning novels. Check out her books here.