Happy Changes for Happy Playing

One of the secrets of making changes that stick, is starting so small that you don’t wake up the Chicken Little part of your brain. You’re setting yourself up for success, because even the tiniest of successes are encouraging (and multiply).

Yes I know, there’s also the hard part of starting small.

You want to make a change now dammit!

And that tiny step is still So. Far. Away. from what it is you really want.

I’m asking you to trust me on this.

At a minimum, you’ll get at least that tiny step closer (which you aren’t doing now) and, the much more likely scenario, it’s just the first step to getting what you really want.

And that’s the idea behind Happy Changes. A list of tiny changes you can experiment with over the next week. And beyond.

Choose one of these things, one that feels completely and utterly doable to you, even if you aren’t sure it will make a difference, and play with it this week. Let me know how it goes here, in the comments, on twitter (using the hashtag #happychanges) or Facebook.

Happy Playing

I don’t know about you, but I could use a little more lightness and play these days. It’s hard not to get caught up in the stress of the season, even when I want to be relishing the joy! Plus I’m going to be doing a little traveling soon, and I want to invoke the powers of play and ease as I go through airports and train stations.

You can practice bringing the spirit of play into your everyday life, and also, ensuring that when you do choose to have specific playtime, that you aren’t letting work or other obligations overshadow the fun.

Here are some ideas:

1. Write your to do list in crayon.
2. Wear a secret (or not-so-secret) costume. It could be something fun inside a pocket, a secret super-power for your ordinary looking rain boots, kooky socks.
3. Don’t step on the cracks!
4. Make up stories about the people around you. To get you started, look for three clues and make up an occupation for them. (Bonus points for telling them what you think their secret occupation is.)
5. When you are moving into fun time, draw a pretend door and step through it, leaving behind what you were doing and moving into play land.
6. Smile (and wave) at people as you pass by.
7. Create your own scavenger hunt. Make a list of five or ten things you might see, then keep tabs as you go through your day or week. You could even get others involved posting pictures on Facebook.
8. Look for shapes in the clouds, in the fallen leaves, in the mud puddles, wherever you happen to be.
9. Share other ideas you have for happy playing!

As always, choose some small way to play every day for a week or two. Remember, no expectations, other than to be curious and have fun with it!

I’d love to hear how it goes, either here in the comments, on twitter (using the hashtag #happychanges) or on the Perception Studios Facebook page.

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Check out all the past Happy Changes.