When Work and Play Intermingle (A Post of Gratitude)

 

desk buddies Frida, Einstein and Barbabeau

they witness it all: work, play and everything in between

I never thought work and play becoming one would confuse me so.

I'm taking an online course, learning new technical information nearly every day, discovering a whole new field and supply of resources. I'm putting ideas out there and embracing feedback, eager to make their presentation better. I'm working my way through limiting core beliefs so they can limit me no more.

I'm designing, communicating, reading, reflecting, floundering, fearing, shrinking, expanding, discovering, building, wondering, scheming, planning, experimenting, producing, bemoaning, rejoicing... and loving every minute of it!

OK maybe I could do without the tears, but even they have their place and I'm grateful for their message. But really, maybe it's time to breathe a little? Play?

What if work is play?

These past several weeks I've felt like everything has morphed into one big whole that makes me feel vibrant and alive. But surely one must rest even from play to stay fresh?

This intermingling of work and play is new to me and I'm not sure how to handle it to make it - and the rest of my life - sustainable. In the meantime though, what I do know is that I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to even ask myself the question.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's Saturday night; it's time to switch playmates and enjoy some quality time with my home peeps. D., Cassie and the couch await...

Words for 2012: Curiosity and Action

A year in waiting. I wonder what will come of it?

I'd say it's more of a theme for 2012: moving through trepidation with curiosity and action.

~~~

trepidation: n.: nervous agitation: APPREHENSION syn horror, terror, panic, consternation, dread, fright, dismay

curious: adj 1: having a desire to investigate and learn ...

action: n ... 2: the manner or method of performing 3: ACTIVITY...

~~~

I'm interested in replacing fear with possibility, in replacing...

"I could never do that, I'm not ready. It scares me." with "What do I need to do to be ready? Is there a small action I can take and see where that leads?"

or

"I better not push my luck and do that extra <insert challenging task here>, I'm already pretty tired and I'm new to this." with "How about I try and see how far I can get?"

or even better,

"Who am I to do <insert idea/initiative/project here>? I'm going to fall flat on my face." with "Just try it and see how it goes. If it sucks, re-think it. If it doesn't, do it again and make it better."

There's more where that came from.

In addition to moving through fear, curiosity and action are also great ways to work through uncertainty which, let's face it, usually scares the crap out of me (thank you Susan Jeffers for that nugget!). When faced with uncertainty, instead of worrying about every possible way things could wrong I will try asking myself:

"I wonder how this is going to pan out?"

"I wonder how I'll choose to handle this?"

"Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of making this work?"

It's all easier said (or written) than done, but I'm after progress not perfection.

Practicing curiosity and action when faced with fear releases expectations and allows things to unfold without staying stuck. It encourages gentle risk-taking.

Fear has its place and raison d'être, but often it doesn't serve me at all and I'm getting tired of it. Hence my choice to adopt this theme for 2012.

I wonder how that's going to work out for me?