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Time to Get Back to Reality
This month’s consideration: Work and Play
Work is one thing, and play another – or so our culture tells us. But for some people, particularly for those in the entertainment world, the line between the two can be quite blurred, yet healthily so. I’ve always said how important it is for us to do what we love and to love what we do, so instead of marking time until the weekend, how about converting some routine or mundane part of the job into a game to make it more enjoyable? If taking yourself a little too seriously is your problem, then remember that some of the skills you’ve picked up in your leisure time could be more transferrable than you imagine. Think of the power of teamwork in sports or creative thinking in the arts and how these could be of benefit to you at work. Work doesn’t always have to feel like work, you know.
This month’s Affirmation
“Work and play complement one another perfectly. Together, they bring out the best in me. I am committed to giving my time to both, equally. ”
This month’s Practice: Being Playful
Even a routine task can be satisfying if approached in the spirit of play. This doesn’t mean being childish or child-like, but bringing about a sense of fun in all that you do and having a giggle about the task in hand. Pick something you simply hate doing and see the funny side of cleaning the bathroom, doing the laundry or the ironing, or even preparing your year-end accounts, and challenge yourself to making the task as entertaining as possible. Compose a song or limerick for Simon Cowell about keeping the toilet clean, or pretend you’re the Queen’s maid folding away all the towels in Buckingham Palace and then write up that monthly sales report as though it were a top-priority, all-important, news-breaking item for Sky or CNN!?!
This month’s Project: Be Serious and Have Some Fun
Convinced you lack the time or strength for anything other than work? The truth is, taking a proper break is vital in order to feed you with the energy you need to perform at your best. It may even lead to triggering some amazing ideas for you to apply in your work. By giving ourselves those vital alpha-state moments, our brain waves slow right down as we day-dream, and we access a point just on the edge of consciousness where everything is in perfect order and we find ourselves at peace with the world, completely in the flow of all that’s around us. This month, make a point of reaching into this untapped place, your creative store-house of solutions, and devote some real time to extra-curricular activities, like cooking exotic dishes, playing football or golf, painting the furniture, walking the dog or gardening. Keep a track of how all this makes you feel and be aware of the many inspired thoughts that strike you. Live more, and we find we need to work less: a bit of a no-brainer, really.