Mind Miner - Play


"Almost all creativity involves purposeful play." — Abraham Maslow


If you were asked to recall a happy childhood memory, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?  A group of friends coming together, unleashing imagination to play make-believe games, maybe?


The joy of being carefree, the anticipation of playing itself, is a happy state of mind. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute of Play, states that play has the power to significantly improve everything from personal health to relationships to education to organizations' ability to innovate., "Play" he says, "leads to brain plasticity, adaptability, and creativity". After all, imagination is the source of every human achievement and nothing fires up the brain like play.


Between childhood and adulthood somewhere we stopped playing. The unstructured form of playing led to calming our minds and inducing creativity. Today, on the contrary, with the sensory overload of electronic gadgets, we mindlessly spend hours feeling tired, confused and more stressed. Insta/FB reels anyone? Of all the 30-second videos of recipes, makeup, ikebana, DIY projects, how much do we really execute?


Greg McKeown, the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Essentialism, interestingly suggests inviting your mind to play. And why not? It is one of the most effective ways of developing and improving social skills, eliminating boundaries, and building genuine connections with friends, family, and co-workers.


One of the reasons high functioning teams are high functioning teams is due to the camaraderie they share and the time they invest in knowing each other. Humor is a colossal ice-breaker. Sharing a hearty laugh puts the other person at ease and breaks all communication barriers. 


While the benefits of a healthy mind are endless, some stand out more than others. Reduction of anxiety and/or stress, room to foster creativity that organically leads to better performance, the gratification of sharing a close bond with a co-worker, and elimination of fear when something goes wrong. 


In our current virtual work culture, human interactions have reduced, but that doesn't stop us from inviting a friend/co-worker to a coffee break on video, solving a puzzle together, cheering a team member for their contribution, wishing them a happy birthday or just checking on someone who has unusually been silent. Little gestures make a tremendous difference. After all, when we play, we are engaged in the purest form of our individuality.


Play, a neurobiological need, stimulates parts of the brain involved in both logical reasoning and unbound exploration. 


"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw


When you mine your past for play memories, drop in a line of your favorite.




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