Back From The Edge

I had a great weekend. I hope you did too. As I journey back from the edge, I have been working on having more fun. I often am perplexed as to what I really would enjoy doing. This past weekend, I met some new friends in Columbus and then came back to Akron for some more adventures. I got together with some other folks and we just hung out. I capped the night off with going to see the movie Salt alone. The combination of being with friends, travel, and taking in a movie was a joyful experience.

I got to thinking and decided fun and playfulness would be a good topic for this week. You may have noticed that I post a lot of presentation from TED (a conference on Technology, Entertainment, and Design). It is simply because they consistently turn-out some of the most interesting talks by some incredible people. Below you will find a presentation by Stuart Brown who is the founder of the National Institute for Play. In the presentation he explores the importance of play in all aspects of personal and social life. It’s as good a place as any to begin exploring this rich topic.

What do you do for fun? Have you discovered/rediscovered your playful side? I’d love to hear your thoughts

Sir Ken Robinson offers a persuasive talk regarding creativity. He argues it is not that we grow into creativity but rather we are born creative and it is educated out of us. It is an intelligent, persuasive, and funny presentation.

I wonder how can I approach my world and my life more creatively. How do I approach it more right brained? How do I learn, metaphorically, to dance through my life? I’d love to hear what you are doing to relearn creativity.

Also, below is a follow-up presentation. This talk focuses on the squandering of talent and giftedness. He calls for a revolution in education.

This video deals with measuring what counts. Speaker Chip Conley poses important questions about our society and our lives.

Let me know what you think

This video got me thinking. . .

If small changes yield large changes in organizations, maybe it is true in my life. Maybe I am looking for big differences in my life to come from significant changes. The changes could be moving to a different part of the country or world, changing jobs, getting married/divorced/single again/living together, making a lot of money, immersing my life in art. Maybe the reality is the largest changes come from small acts such as keeping a gratitude journal, 10 minutes of meditation each day, walking a few times a week, sitting outside for a few minutes a day. Maybe my life is like a ship with a rudder. Small changes to the rudder brings about substantial changes in course.

It’s something to think about at least.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” Robert Collier via @mencobabelajar