Mariel Cigarra

Okay, so we're listening to our inner child.

We're following the whispers.

We're starting to play.

At this point, we may hear from our inner critic.

Takeaway three, talk to it.

Jeff Harry says your inner critic is that voice inside you telling you why you shouldn't do that thing and saying that you look ridiculous when you play.

One exercise that can help, write down what your inner critic is saying or visualize what it looks like and sounds like.

And then once you write the insults down, cross them out and write the opposite.

You can do this in the middle of play.

Your inner critic pops up and says, this is such a waste of time.

And you're like, okay, thank you, inner critic.

I appreciate you, but I'm playing with my inner child right now.

And actually, this is a great use of my time.

Okay, takeaway four, liberate yourself.

Stuart Brown poses a question in his book.

When have you felt free to do and be what you choose?

Why are we talking about freedom?

Because play and freedom are interwoven.

When you're doing something simply for the end result, like to achieve, you lose a part of the joy of being alive.

When you're playing and you're not so attached to the outcome, that gives you the freedom to wonder, to be in awe, to learn for the sake of learning.