Inspiring Creativity: Why Adults Can Be Kids, Too
Raise your hand if you're tired of adulting! 🙋♀️ 🙋♂️ You know what we're talking about. All the mundane things adults must do on a day-to-day basis: working, managing staff members, taking care of the kids, keeping the house clean, running errands, etc. At some point in our lives, we "grew up." We stopped inspiring creativity. And every once in a while when we find ourselves stressed to the max, we think back to when we were kids and remember how much easier life was.
But why did we have to grow up? At what point did we decide that playing games and having fun (like kids do) was no longer important, no longer appropriate? When did we decide that it was weird to go see a new Disney movie without kids? Why did we decide that adults can't own kids toys? What made us think that it was no longer important to use our imaginations?
We get so caught up in productivity, numbers, and hours. When we're at work, we're expected to work. And that's how we train our teams, too. "Eliminate those time wasters, stop doing the things that don't produce results." We got so caught up in the "8 to 5" mentality, that we completed stifled imagination and creativity. And as a result, possibly ruined our culture, too. Some of the most successful organizations in the country, however, did the opposite.
“Play is the highest form of research.”
When you think of all the top organizations out there that are listed for their excellent culture (Facebook, Southwest Airlines, Google), you probably think of the lax environment with beanbags and corn-hole tournaments. Yea, anybody can buy bean bags. But was it really just adding a couple games that changed the whole culture? No. Turns out, it wasn't the games; it was what happened when people played. It's the ingenuity that was sparked by making it okay for adults to play. They took the time to create playful moments, and in turn, created action-oriented people. Albert Einstein once said, "Play is the highest form of research," and he wasn't wrong.
We have to STOP being so caught up in all the adult things we have to do, and we need to make time for play, for inspiring creativity. This video's concept is simple: Play is necessary. In the video, Kevin Carroll tells us why play is so important. “Play is...necessary, a movement, ingenuity, timeless, and genius.” Taking time for play is what sparks our creativity. It’s what keeps us out of that rut. It’s what helps us move forward with abstract thinking and innovation. It creates imagination and helps us live life to the fullest. Without play, the world is dull.
“We have to stop being so caught up in all the adult things we have to do, and we need to make time for play, for inspiring creativity.”
Play is serious business. And Carroll says it's "as important as eating, drinking, or sleeping." If you deprive yourself of playful moments, you'll see the negative effects it has on your life, your work, and your well-being. Listen to what this inspiring speaker has to say. Stop expecting your employees to be focused from the time they walk into work to the time they leave. Think twice the next time you ask someone to skip a break to finish up a project. Improve their learning capacity by helping create time to play. And the next time you’re stressed out or overwhelmed by work and all the things you have to do, ask yourself, “Have I made time to play?”
