Play

I've been thinking a lot this year about the importance of Play. The key thing about play is that it can only happen in the absence of self-consciousness.  If you're going to play you need the freedom to do the thing without anxiety about being 'too' anything - too loud, too messy, too bold, too wasteful, too wrong, too blue, too big, too small, to many mistakes, too spread out, too 'me' or too not what someone else likes.   And without anxiety about being 'not enough' - not perfect enough, finished enough, efficient enough.

This year I've been practicing doing things un-self-consciously.  I try to do things without following patterns, with no thought about a finished project, without worrying about doing it wrong.  I'm not very good at it yet but I have been able to get to know a long neglected part of me again - the messy, inefficient, irresponsible part of me that is brave enough to try some new things and break new ground.   That's where growth happens.

Your Comfort Zone is Stretchy

I love this season of growth and rebirth!   I swear you can hear the woods taking in deep breaths of spring air and the trees and creeks are dancing. 

This is exactly the season to try something new you've been thinking about doing but have been nervous to try. 

It's easy to get stalled.  We say, 'Oh, it's so far outside my comfort zone!' and even if we work up the courage to step outside that zone, then we often have a little buzz in the back of our minds telling us to hurry up and get back to safety. 

But what if our comfort zones were stretchy?  What if you never have to leave your comfort zone but just need to stretch it a bit to do that new thing. 

Think about that new thing for a minute.   Now imagine your comfort zone expanding to encompass you doing that.  Is it less scary? 

If you remember that stretching trick, you'll never have to go outside your comfort zone again. What things on your list would you be quicker to do if they were to stay inside your comfort zone?


I'd like to invite you to join our Best Self facebook group where we can talk freely about becoming our best selves - and all the messy work that that entails.  In addition, I have another group, The Well Balanced Artist, for creatives of all kinds and in all stages of their creative lives, who are trying to balance their art, business and personal lives.