How to Create Your Next Life Phase Through Play
At the height of my corporate career, the predominant life coaching advice was to invite more play into your life. That never resonated for me. I tried. Remember the adult coloring book phase of the 20-teens? For me, it had the opposite effect. It felt like a complete waste of time.
But here’s the thing – I’ve learned that we don’t all play the same way.
When I was a kid, maybe 7ish, my favorite thing to play with was a bulky reel-to-reel tape recorder that probably weighed 20 pounds. I spent hours recording my voice and creating narrated pieces where I’d insert clips of song lyrics to tell a story.
I saved my allowance until I had enough for an upgrade – a cassette recorder, sleek and portable. And so began years of making recordings – my own voice, family and friends, and lots of music, which led to mix tapes and mix CDs decorated with intricate handmade covers. Anytime I was creating a new recording, time would evaporate.
When I started my professional career on Wall Street, the first thing I did was buy an acoustic guitar and start taking music lessons. Once a week, I would rush home from work, change out of my suit into my jeans and head to the local music store, where I would learn how to play classic rock from a jazz musician named Charlie. I was his only adult student.
While my Wall Street colleagues spent their evenings attending graduate classes for their MBAs, I took classes at a Manhattan college and got certified as an audio engineer. By that time, I played electric guitar, formed a band, had a gig in a West Village club, and began writing my own songs. Over time, that led to a basement full of used recording gear and amps, which I would turn up loud to release the corporate stress after the long commute home.
A funny thing happened around that time. I began having dreams where I was lying on my back in that basement, in the dark, microphone in hand, recording only my voice. This glimpse would come to me at all times of the day as well. But I felt I had nothing to say so I never tried just speaking into the 4 track recorder. But that image never faded in my mind.
Fast forward to today. A big part of my job involves speaking into a microphone. It’s as if I was following an energetic trail throughout the decades dating back 50 years. And I can trace so many of the things I love to do today to those early days – writing, music, reading, exploring – things that transported me to another state of mind, that broadened my horizon in some way.
I think it’s important to note that there wasn’t a direct correlation for me at any time in this life journey that the things I loved to do as a kid would translate into a vocation someday. Some kids are prodigies or have an obvious focused passion. But it’s not like that for most of us. And it’s easy to dismiss the things that we enjoyed as little more than hobbies we outgrew.
But the things I loved doing as a kid fueled me throughout my adult life and expanded to include photography, film, art, spoken word, travel, the natural world – all of which have elements of storytelling, of creating a deeper understanding of my world. These activities shaped and developed my inner life and outer relationships. They kept me growing, curious and engaged, even when my professional work felt mind-numbing.
In fact, these activities were my life support throughout my time in corporate. I learned to love the process of writing, which became my preferred practice. Keeping a notebook gave me a way to capture my elusive inspirational jolts, a place to learn, dream, brainstorm and develop my creative ideas. And without even realizing it, I was readying myself for when this thing called podcasting would be invented.
So even though I wouldn’t categorize my adulthood as playful – I’ve actually been playing my entire life. Play is simply defined as being engaged without an end result, simply enjoying yourself. And it’s been my experience that it’s also a great way to explore the next phase of life.
So my takeaway for you is to revisit those things where you’ve lost all track of time, no matter how insignificant those activities seem to have on your life now. What was the unifying theme of the way you spent your time when you were younger? And how have those threads woven their way into your life today?
If you’re not sure how to invite more play into your life, here are a few suggestions to get started:
Move your body in a way you used to love, like riding a bike, dancing or playing air guitar.
Re-engage with a favorite board game, puzzle or toy, whatever kept you occupied for hours as a kid. Maybe some old school video games – remember Pong?
Put on some of your favorite music, take a drive and let your imagination roam free. Extra points if you sing along at the top of your lungs, bring some favorite snacks, or treat yourself to an ice cream cone along the way.
Mr. Rogers is quoted as saying, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
Let’s turn that around a bit and make play the work of adulthood, finding what fulfills you and lights you up – and following that trail wherever it leads, having fun all the way.
Journal Reflections: What were your favorite activities when you were a kid? How have you incorporated play in your adult life? What activities would be fun to revisit?