The Squirrels Play More At The Beach
In my opinion, nothing beats an agenda free day at the beach.
I personally like to start each day with some quiet time while basking in the sunrise, just reading and pondering.
“Man these squirrels are active!” I thought to myself as I was getting ready for my daily scripture reading.
I had never heard squirrels make sounds like that.
They were squealing similarly to sounds reminiscent of kids on an elementary school playground during recess.
It was enough to capture my attention, so I sat there and observed them for a few minutes.
I eventually came to the conclusion that they were playing what appeared to be a very intense game of chase or tag. I thought, “oh that’s cool” and went about my business.
The next morning around the same time, what appeared to be the same two squirrels were at it again, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
No exaggeration, this trend continued for the next 4 days.
It wasn’t until the 5th morning that I observed a solo squirrel doing what I considered to be “standard squirrel activities”, you know foraging and other activities that present more like work than play.
I wonder why the squirrels play more at the beach? Perhaps they were on vacation too! Possible, but I doubt it.
Maybe the particular squirrels I had observed those days were just doing life differently.
I’m sure they did their fair share of work each day, but they had figured out that their day needn't revolve around their “busyness”.
Why not start the day with some fun? Better yet…Recess at the beginning, middle, and end of each day sounds heavenly.
Why hold all of our play back until vacation? Or the weekend?
Vacations aren’t destinations, they are playful states of mind.
Weekends aren’t defined days of a week, they are playful states of mind.
The high-performers I know have figured this out. They’ve managed to maintain a certain level of playfulness within their pursuits for excellence.
In reflection, I’ve sadly come to realize that my playfulness has gradually diminished over the past couple of decades.
Consequently, in that same timeframe I feel like the gap between my current capabilities and my full potential has slightly widened.
When we play, we unlock potential.
Thankfully, those beach squirrels reminded me of this truth!
Like these beach squirrels, how can we incorporate more play into our day?
If you’re aspiring for extraordinary performance it will be imperative that you don’t ever lose your elite ability to play like a beach squirrel, completely free.
Stay The Course,
