Like Kids Playing on a Playground

Play must be a part of movement for it to be sustainable and for it to actually change who you are. For all the talk of goals – where is the talk of play? I don’t mean it’s always “fun” – although it certainly can be and maybe is often. By “play,” I mean playing the way a child plays – doing the thing for no other reason than the doing itself. 

At what point did you lose your recognition of the joy in the doing? At what point did you start judging the value of a pursuit solely based on its outcome? I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll keep saying it: outcomes are fleeting, uncontrollable, and unpredictable – making it impossible for them to be lasting sources of fulfillment. 

But the doing is not fleeting and is within our control. The doing is forever and never has to end. The doing is a bottomless well of fulfillment – you can draw as much joy, excitement, and inspiration from it as your intent allows. 

To move and train and compete like kids playing on a playground means that as good as achievement feels, it doesn’t really matter. You show up and play regardless. Because getting to put your heart into something is the cake and anything that follows is a cherry on top.