https://www.loom.com/share/7a8526d738984667af8070ea9fa2bc9e
by Sabrina Wang (@sabrinawangzq)
**2-minute video on Sabrina talking about play (watch on 2x speed)**
Play has no intended outcome. Play happens out of joy and curiosity. It doesn’t seek any external goal or validation.
Life starts with play. As we grow up, many of us forget about it.
It’s being present and curious. At some point, we are taught to pursue certain progressions in life, like money, family, and a good life. We are taught that the way to get there is through hard work and following rules. Play gets a bad name. It has the connotation of not-serious and counter-productive.
Play is not just for kids. It’s a personalized and unique key to unlock everyone’s Zone of Genius.
Life as a CEO is more like a marathon than a sprint. What if you ask yourself, “How can I make this life more fun?”
When you start playing more in your business, it will make your life better. You will lead with curiosity and joy versus your ego. Conscious leadership is play, because play is understanding oneself, listening, and responding.
I once coached a CEO who was on the brink of selling her company. She was constantly stressed and exhausted and found herself never present with her loved ones during non-work hours. Together, we made the discovery that her life was all work, goals, and responsibilities — no play.
The first form of play we incorporated is in finding her original inspiration for the business. She rotated to the marketing department and wrote a few blog posts for her company. That made her happier and attracted new employees to come work for her.
The second type of play was in relationships with her co-founder. They tried taking their meetings outside, without electronics, over dinner, etc. It turned a strenuous relationship into a deep friendship. The result: her co-founder turned into a better COO than the CEO could’ve ever could’ve imagined.
Play isn’t slacking off. It’s actually a productivity hack. When you are great at restoring with play, you will be more creative.
Rather than giving you line-by-line instruction on how to play (which rarely works since everyone’s definitions of “play” are vastly different), the better thing I can do is teach you how to play.