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Class OverviewHumor, playfulness and fun are key components in adopting a growth mindset and learning fearlessly. By letting go of the need to be perfect, you can enjoy the process and get more from every day. (Check out the Top 10 Big Ideas from the class below!) Your ProfessorAlexandra is the co-founder and Chief Goddess of en*theos. She loves inspiring and empowering peeps to rock their most authentically awesome Goddess lives. (She’s also the proud momma of baby Emerson!)How to Be More Playful and Have More FunThe  opposite of play isn’t work. It’s depression. – Brian Sutton Smith Play is experienced anytime you’re engaged, feeling happy and enjoying yourself. You may call it fun, pleasure, creativity, self-expression, recreation, etc. Whatever you choose to call it doesn’t matter what does matter is that most of us are deficient in this vital nutrient. We are hungry for more joy. When we aren’t getting adequate play time we feel depressed (sad, irritable, cranky, etc). Sometimes we take life too seriously and get caught up in the stress of modern life and forget about the magical elixir called play. Sure, you may daydream of better days when you had more fun, less stress and responsibility or when you were on vacation but then you disregard it because now you really do have too much responsibility to even take a moment to play. The truth is we can become a more playful person in pretty much any circumstance. You can be rich, poor, have 5 kids, be in a job you hate, or living the life of your dreams and still choose to have more fun no matter what.  And, when you dose up on fun you’ll be amazed at how much more enthusiasm, vitality and joy you experience in your daily life.  Play really is the secret sauce for everyday bliss. So, let’s explore these top 10 ideas on how to become more playful and have more fun! (Happy dances!   The Top 10 Big Ideas1Fun as a way of life We’ve gotta start with the desire. You need to be clear you want to be more playful and have more fun. Once you’re clear you’ve gotta put that intention into practice. You need to make it a priority. Usually we go about living our lives doing all the things that “need to get done” and then if we have anything leftover we let ourselves play. We’ve got it backwards. We need to look at everything we’ve gotta do in a day and see where we can be more playful and add more fun. When you wake up in the morning ask: “Where can I add more play into my day?” Who says you can’t have fun making dinner, grocery shopping or going to a job you don’t love? Once you make play a priority you’ll see that the more you practice play the more it will become a way of life. Play is a habit along with other habits you’ve already learned like brushing your teeth, meditating, playing the piano, etc. The reason you’re not having as much fun as you could be is because you haven’t made it a big enough priority. We’ve gotta take fun seriously. Treat is like you treat your job, exercise or gratitude practice. It’s that important! Say: “YES to Play” and you will start noticing all the amazing ways that you can dance with life more. 2Attitude of Play It takes discipline to be playful and have fun. Most of us have years of conditioning that influences how much fun we have. We’ve heard messages like: “Don’t laugh, be quiet, focus on get things done above all else, don’t have too much fun, don’t waste your time, life is hard, there is work to get done and no time for play….” We’ve gotta retrain ourselves and give ourselves permission to feel good. We need to be aware of the times we feel upset, stressed or think that something needs to hard and then, reframe our perspective to our new desire/intention. This takes work. Just because it feels good to play doesn’t mean it’s always easy. It’s all about your attitude. What are your beliefs about play? How can you shift your attitude so that you’re looking for all the ways to add more laugher and sauciness into your life? It feels so much better to have a great time doing whatever it is that you’re doing. You could wash the dishes or go to work and think about all the things that you hate, OR…you could think about all the ways you can add more fun, gratitude and joy into each task you do. We *always* have the choice. The next time you’re feeling resistance remind yourself of your commitment to play more and make a list of 5 ways you can change your attitude and have more fun. Example: Argh! I hate doing the dishes. The kitchen is always a mess and I feel tired and frustrated. Reframe: Ok, yeah, I am tired. How can I enjoy this process more tonight? 1. I can put on my favorite tunes.2. I can ask for help from my husband and/or children.3. I can practice mindfulness and tune into my senses as I wash the dishes.4. I can do a few ridiculous dance moves to kick out my tiredness and jumpstart my awesomeness.5. I can make up a song about how much I love my life while I am doing the dishes. Now, go and do the dishes (whatever your “dishes” might be today! 3Simplify & Slow Down I know so many of you are feeling busy and stressed and can’t even imagine having more fun. It seems like just one more thing to do. If this is how you’re feeling it’s a good sign you need to simplify your life so you can create more space to breathe. Usually when we are feeling overwhelmed by our schedules we are trying to do too much too fast in a ridiculous time crunch. It takes something Godlike to craft your own authentic life nowadays. You need to get clear about what is most important at this phase of your life and then fully commit to rockin’ it. Here are some questions to to help you simplify:  What are your priorities? What do you value? What excites you? What drains your energy? How can you do more of the things you love and less of the things you don’t? What are you doing that you know you need to stop doing? Could you watch less TV, be online less, not go to certain events or activities, simplify your family life? Take note of what you do with your time and ask yourself: “Is this is how I want to be living my days?” Notice all the things you’re doing that drains your energy and see if you can eliminate/limit them and/or change your perspective. Be creative. There are so many ways to get our needs met. When we simplify we create more space and naturally slow down and savor our lives more. When we have more space in our schedule our childlike spirit has more room to dance. Here’s a practice to play with when you’re believing the thought that you don’t have enough time and feel yourself rushing: 1. Pause. 2. Take a breathe. 3. Remind yourself that you have plenty of time to do everything you want to do. Say: “I can only do one thing at a time and I choose to do what I am currently doing with joy, presence and patience.”4.Breathe again and feel your nervous system exhaling a sigh of relief as warm calm energy soothes your mind and body. 4Create Different Stories & Act As If So…we all have these stories about who we are and what we can and can’t do. Most of them are garbage. Seriously, they limit us, they bring us down, they make us feel depressed and really crappy about ourselves. Don’t believe me? Do this exercise: Take 10 minutes and notice your thoughts and all the stories you believe and you’ll see just how much you limit your fun. It’s time to create new empowering stories. The first step is to become aware of all the stories you’ve been telling yourself over and over like: “I can’t dance, my job requires me to be serious, I’m an introvert,  I am not that funny, I don’t have time to have fun, or I suck at having fun…” What are some of your stories? Ok, so hopefully you saw a glimpse into your wimpy whiny story (don’t worry we all have them. The second step is to realize that we are story making machines. We are constantly creating stories about our life so why not make up stories that include a whole lotta joy and fun. Who cares if it’s ridiculous. Who cares if you don’t believe it. Just start pretending. Fake it till ya make it baby! If it gets you back to your natural state of joy that’s all that matters. 5Dance & Playercise Get your body moving. We can experience so much pleasure by being engaged with our bodies. I am a big fan of dancing. Booty shakes anyone?! Woot! Woot! Even if dancing isn’t usually your thing I recommend you give it a try. Shut the blinds, turn the music up and move your body in whatever way it wants to move. If you let yourself soften into the groove you will notice that your body has a rhythm of its own. Move with that energy. Bonus points if you dance, sing and laugh. As Steve Chandler says: Have some LSD (Laughing, Singing, & Dancing). If we do these daily we’re well on our way to living a more playful life. Oftentimes we don’t want to look stupid so we contain ourselves. What if we didn’t? What if we let it loose? What if we rocked out on the street and did some dance walking? Learn more about Dance Walking by clicking HERE! The important thing is to add play to your exercise which is why I call it playercise. Do whatever makes you feel happy in your body. Is it playing tennis, yoga, rebounding, hiking, surfing? Find some way you can play with your body. Have joyful movement be your intention. Your mind will be healthier and happier and so will your body. Win Win Baby! 6Quiet Play Your play doesn’t need to be loud. Play can be quiet, creative and still. It might be fun for you to do a puzzle or play cards or read a book. You don’t have to be rolling on the ground laughing in order to have more fun. What you need is the spirit of play moving through you. Remember play is when you feel fully present, and happiness, delight and enjoyment are flowin’. We all need quiet play. It restores us in a deep and powerful way. You can have fun while reading, writing in your journal, creating, having soulful conversations, and watching your children explore the world (some of my favorites). A hint that we might need some restorative play is when we start reaching for things that aren’t that great for us like the sugar, caffeine, internet, shopping or any addictive type activity or substance. When you notice these habitual ways this is a gentle (or not so gentle) reminder you need some more quite play to replenish. My quiet play time is vital to my wellbeing. The introvert in me loves stillness and reflective time in my office or out in nature. I get a little cranky when I don’t fill up on my quiet time.  We all have different needs and some like more adventures out in the world and others like knitting or cooking in the home. How much quiet play do you want/need? What does it look like? When do you know you need some? 7Pleasure Boost We all have (or desire) to have certain practices like meditation, exercise, writing, painting, gratitude, etc. Why not create a play practice. I call it the Pleasure Boost. You give yourself 20 minutes to do something fun. You can even set the timer and say: “Ok, I’m starting my pleasure boost for the next 20 minutes. I will follow play wherever it takes me.” You can play with your dog, your children or maybe you want to make some tea and go sit outside or go for a walk, listen to music, sing, or take a nap. Be spontaneous. Flow with it. This is an amazing way to add little burst of fun into your day. If you do this regularly you will notice a boost in your mood and before you know it you’ll be infused with a whole lot more fun and joy. The thing is that you’ve gotta give yourself permission be silly and even awkward as you learn to fully experience more pleasure. The good news is that this practice helps train us to do the things that bring us joy. Every time we do it we are saying YES to pleasure! (Friendly Reminder: The times that you least want to do this practice is probably when you need it the most. 8Eliminate your excuses & “shoulds” What turns you on? What makes you happy? What lights YOU up? This is where you want to go. Follow that inspiration. Don’t let your excuses and all the things you “should” do get in the way of you having fun. Now, I’m not saying to shirk on all your responsibilities but we need to be willing to change it up. Notice all the places where you could have chosen to have fun and didn’t. Or when you got upset and could have easily just laughed it off. Or all the times you could’ve played but you were too tired to smile and just stayed grumpy. It takes discipline and consistency to be happy. It’s easy to make up excuses and feel like a victim. But, if you keep peeling off all the layers of “shoulds” and excuses you will find a reservoir of divine play just waiting for you to release it. If you’re ready to let go of some of your cranky ways you gotta choose to do something radically different like the moonwalk when you wake up. Now, imagine that you wake up and as soon as you get out of bed you do the moonwalk. Michael Jackson style. Hey, that’s one way to get your play on first thing in the morning and set the tone for the rest of you day don’t ya think?! 9Do You! When it comes to play we all have different styles and flavors. Each one of us has a divine spark that loves to have fun with a variety of flairs. What’s your flava? If we’re honest we all know what excites us but sometimes we compare our definition of play and fun with others and we think, “Jeez she sure looks like she has having so much fun maybe she knows something I don’t and I should try to be more like her.” Total divine spark downer! It’s ok to be inspired by others others but don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t judge what lights you up. Who cares what others think about you. Be you to the fullest. We’ve all heard this so many times but when are we *actually* going to let go of the self judgements and criticism and let our authentic self party? We can go our whole lives not wanting to look stupid or feel embarrassed and hang out in our comfort zone. Let’s not. Say goodbye to your comfort zone and hello to your bold, audacious, fun and playful self. What would it look like to rip out of the boxes we put ourselves in? How much true happiness can you handle? How much joy can you share with the world? Can’t you feel the fun wanting to explode out of you? 10Be a Play Revolutionary If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun. — Katharine HepburnBe willing to shake things up. Be the change you want to see in the world. Oftentimes we’re waiting for others to bring the fun, make us laugh or do something different. Stop waiting. Invite others to play. Be willing to look silly. Why don’t *you* bring the dance party to the office. Say, “hey guys I’m feeling tired and needing a reboot you want to do a quick dance jam right here in the office?” Sure, some will think you’re crazy. GOOD, that means you’re on to something. We need more people willing to break out of the mold and do things differently. Sometimes it can feel like there are so many more important things in the world and having fun is frivolous and self indulgent especially when people are starving and there are wars and polluted water. I’m not saying to deny reality. There are some horrendous things happening in the world all the time. But, what if instead of fighting against it all we chose to rise up and bring joy and love and support to the world? Life is always better when their is play and laughter and there is no reason we can’t joyfully create that in our own homes, community and world. We just need to be willing to be bold and courageous enough to say: “Life doesn’t need to be so hard, there’s gotta be a different way.” Reminds me of the Apple video – Think Different:Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. The’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. – Apple Inc. Sooo…How do you, as a Play Revolutionary, want to live?  When you fully live it you rise up. And, I rise up when I see you living it. The world rises up when you bring it!! So whaddya waiting for?!