Episode 1: Playground
A few words: I am not sure yet what the best format is to make our (German) podcast accessible to everyone. This rough summary is the first attempt. It might change with time or when I find another way of sharing episodes with you.
Welcome to our podcast! So great that you are here!
No matter how much our voices are shaking, no matter how much our heart is pounding: we are starting into our first episode of “Zwei coaches quatschen” (“two coaches chat”) and could not be more excited!
Our topic today: PLAYGROUND!
We will talk about why playfulness is so important, what helps us to move into action and how we approach new things in our lives.
This is also how we see this podcast: as a place to experiment, learn, grow. We will not be perfect, we will stumble over our words, but we are driven to share with you what we've learned over the last years and give you a sneak peek behind the scenes and how it really is to business and life on your own terms.
When was the last time that we did something for the first time?
Eike
I remember a situation from a few years ago when my therapist asked me what I do for fun and my response was: “I don’t do anything for fun!” This was a turning point for me and I started to incorporate way more fun into my life since.
Laura
I have a lot of “first times'' in my business and enjoy learning so many things in this process, but in my private life, I very consciously need to create moments of fun. Obviously, COVID plays a role as well, so it's even more so important for me to spark moments of joy every day.
Why is it so difficult to try new things and just play?
Eike
Day-to-day life is demanding for a lot of people and we are also creatures of habit, so sticking to what we already know is what a lot of people choose. And of course, we all want to “optimize” things. Find the best approach, the best process, make good use of our time. This makes it easy to ignore the lightness and playfulness in a lot of the things we do.
Laura
I agree! Things have to be efficient, target-oriented, and it can feel quite audacious to do things simply for fun! As children, we don't question our play and try out things, but as adults, it is like a skill that we have to acquire again, we have to learn again how it actually feels to have fun and experiment.
Can I have fun? Can I allow myself to try new things?
Laura
When trying new things we often tap into the perfectionism trap and then approach things through that lens. “IF I try something new, I better try the right new hobby, the perfect job, the perfect move,....” instead of simply trying out things to see what happens.
Eike
Yes, and we want to be experts from the beginning. Being a beginner is something that makes a lot of us feel nervous. And also, we are often really hard with ourselves - if we don´t do things right the first time we try, we feel discouraged.
Laura
Totally! But we are also missing out on 50% of the experience. Trying something new will cause some discomfort - but it will also cause excitement, thrill, joy! We can lean into fear and nervousness, or consciously choose to feel the excitement of this new beginning. Because things can turn out well too! This conscious decision is a matter of practice.
Eike
Yes! And trying new things will also spark inspiration and give us energy. I remember when I did a bungee jump and was so scared before jumping, but the euphoria afterward was unbelievable. The bigger the “yikes” the bigger the benefit can be!
Laura
And only by jumping into the unknown can we gain clarity, find a direction and create new inspiration and stimuli. Only if we create those moments can we find joy in our day-to-day lives.
Why it can be good to stick to habits
Eike
Habits provide stability. Particularly since COVID, having a structure in our lives helps us to feel safe. This was so helpful at the beginning of this pandemic. But now we are one year later and things have changed and we are seeking variety again - which is not so easy at the moment with all the restrictions.
Laura
Even more so important to seek the variety and excitement in our day-to-day lives. Changing small things, inviting something new, adapting existing routines to make things more interesting again. A personal example was at the beginning of the first lockdown last year when I could not get back to Spain and ordered an Aeropress and different coffees to create my own little hipster coffee place at my parent’s house. These little changes also help us to feel empowered. We realize that we do have an influence on the things in our life, regardless of what is going on in the outside world.
What helps us to move into action and try something new?
Eike
I love variety and always have a ton of ideas. For me, the challenge is often that I have to ALLOW myself to do things because they feel like fun and regardless of whether they make sense right now. Consciously giving myself permission to have fun helps me a lot to experiment more. The more often I do that the easier it gets for me!
Laura
I tend to overthink and love to plan, brainstorm, analyze, understand. What helps me to move out of my head and into action is that I ask myself “How can I make this fun and easy?”. Because let's be honest, so often there is not a lot of preparation needed to do things. Making things simpler, focusing on the single next step ahead of me, helps me a lot to approach things with playfulness.
Eike
Exactly, letting go of expectations, simply doing. And reminding ourselves that “done is better than perfect”! If we do things just often enough they will become perfect by themselves after some tries.
Laura
I observe this efficiency and goal-oriented thinking a lot in the German-speaking countries, which is not a bad thing. But simply enjoying the day, not questioning if it makes sense to have a coffee in the sun, is definitely something I can learn from the people here in Spain!
About productivity
Laura
I also think it is important to remember that not only work = productivity! Part of our work is to find inspiration, recharge, do other things than our daily routines. Only that will give us input for our “normal” workday as well. Having fun and rest is part of doing good work. Of course, this is important for all creatives and freelancers, but equally important for all of those who still work in a draining 9-5 job
Eike
Exactly! Our jobs require creativity and engagement nowadays therefore it is so important to get stimuli outside of our work environment. I still have the best ideas when taking a shower or going for a walk! So the question is: what do I need to deliver good work?
Laura
It's about living holistically! Enjoying work and being productive and allowing time to recharge and have fun. If we spark joy in one area of our life, it will also spill over to other areas of our life.
Eike
And the other way around too: if we don't enjoy what we are doing, our partner, friends, health will feel that too.
Our takeaways from his episode
Eike
Allow yourself to be a beginner again!
Laura
Playfulness is a mindset- it does not matter how small or big the thing is that we want to try, it's about starting, trying, doing!
Just do it! Enjoy trying new things and invite playfulness into your life.
Who is chatting here?
Laura is a Life Coach and NLP Master Practitioner and helps purpose-seekers, free-spirits & change-makers to find clarity and start trusting themselves so they can break free from the beaten career path and start living a life of possibilities. This is my online home - say hi!
Eike is a coach and creative based in Hamburg, Germany. She is helping her clients to easily overcome the obstacles on the way to their desired life. Hop over and visit her here