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Self Discovery

12 VALUES OF PLAY & SELF-DISCOVERY
Play Value #1:  Permission
To truly enjoy the playground of life, the first place to start is giving yourself permission to be playful.  Permission is liberating and is the foundation of a playful attitude.  It frees you to be silly, imaginative, creative, spontaneous and much, much more!  Begin by giving yourself permission!
Play Value #2:  Joy & Fun
Joy is the essence of who we are.  Even if we have forgotten, joy is still there within all of us.  Play is a safe and simple way we can return to our joyful Self and celebrate it with the world.  When we fully express our joyful Self we have the most fun!
Play Value #3:  Laughter
Laughter expands energy in the body and relaxes us from doing things the “right or reasonable way.”  Ideas are more freely shared and we find humor in our short-comings, allowing us to celebrate the creative process more joyfully.  So, build your sandcastles to the stars and laugh as the tides wash them away.
Play Value #4:  Imagination
When you were young your imagination took you on wild adventures.  The sky was the limit as you rode on daily adventures into the unreasonable.  Allow yourself to imagine daily.  Let it take you to new possibilities where your mind is set free.
Play Value # 5:  Creativity
Play leads you directly to your creative potential.  Even if you are not looking for creative inspiration you may be surprised to see that some of your best ideas sneak up on you when you are just out enjoying yourself.  Play opens your mind so that you don’t have to look for ideas…they come to you!
Play Value #6:  Flow
To the degree that you let go, you will enjoy play and its possibilities.  Letting go releases you from the burden of control and opens you to a flow of creative potential that exists everywhere.  You ride freely down the river of life, engaging more fully with the potential of the present moment and more fluidly with the currents of life.
Play Value #7:  Trust
Play is a safe way we can learn to trust each other and ourselves.  The light nature of play creates comfort in expressing parts of ourselves we don’t normally share.  And in the true Yes And nature of play, our feelings, thoughts and ideas are more easily welcomed by others.
Play Value #8:  Silliness
Isn't it fun to be silly?  It has a childlike quality about it that dissolves seriousness and opens us to innocence and vulnerability.  Inject silliness into your play and you’ll soon discover that saying "Silly me!" is a good thing!
Play Value #9:  Spontaneity
In spontaneity there is freedom – freedom not to think, to sound smart, to get it right or to receive approval.  It is the freedom to express what wants to be expressed in any given moment.  No longer are you responding to life through a pre-set routine.  You are participating afresh and alive, dancing in the moment and recreating yourself anew at every turn.
Play Value #10:  Connection & Cooperation
When we play we connect with our authentic Self and share it openly, allowing our light to shine.  In turn, we automatically give permission to others to do the same, bringing people together in greater harmony and cooperation.  Play is the great equalizer.  When everyone plays fully, all roles and hierarchies dissolve.  We see each other more clearly and realize we are more alike than we'll even know.
Play Value #11:  Curiosity & Wonder
So, did curiosity really kill the cat?  Or did we kill curiosity?  Despite this myth, curiosity lives within all of us.  As children we are very curious seeing everything with innocence and fresh eyes.  Play reconnects us to the humility, joy and wonder of not knowing, where we discover more possibilities in the question than the answer.  In the process we discover a world within each of us that is both unbounded and inspiring.
Play Value #12:  Learning & Integration
Through play, we learn to embrace all aspects of our Self, the light and the dark.  Instead of judging them, we celebrate them as part of our inherent wholeness.  We see that the light is needed just as much as the dark.  Like a painting, the contrast between the two is necessary to create the depth and beauty within each of us.