★★Treating life as a fun game

I was surprised at what happened when I started treating each day as nothing more than a fun game to be played. It was almost like the universe was saying "Hey, that Robert, he gets it, LOL" The floodgates opened up for me as far as my desires. It's almost like my lack of seriousness for everyday life opened me up to more - joy, energy, satisfaction, abundance, excitement, prosperity, ease, comfort, wellbeing - and much more.

Thanks for offering up this idea! It picks up on some ideas that I myself have been playing with. 

I keep turning it over in my mind, saying, “HOW can life be more like a fun game?” Or, “what really makes something a fun game?”

For example, the stakes have to be non-threatening, for something to be a fun game! You have to be in a position where safety and stability are already a given — where you can be in a “FLOW” state, in playing the game, rather than fighting with your back against the wall, as might be the case if someone is on the brink of death, bankruptcy, homelessness, etc.

Most people don’t consider a custody battle a fun game, for obvious reasons — they can’t bear the thought of losing custody of a child. Most people don’t consider brain cancer a fun game either, also for obvious reasons — the consequences of losing are something they would consider devastating or horrifying.

Those are extreme examples, and are further than we need to go right now, but I’m thinking right now of some simple examples, and what can make things more like a fun game. 

1. Fitness can be a fun game for people who understand the rules of the game. They know (intuitively or via a heart rate monitor) how much intensity they can comfortably demand of their body, and they have realistic but flexible expectations about seeing the rewards of their training.
2. Fitness is a fun game when a set-back is a “Dang it!” moment, rather than a total devastation. Like, if you have to stay late at work one day, and you don’t get your mileage in, you are not crushed or hopeless, but still have your head in the game, and willing to adjust tomorrow’s training, to make up the run you missed today. 

I could keep going (and very well may!), about how life (or any specific area of life) can be a fun game, because I think you’ve hit on something very important!  

Basically, when something is a fun game, we get very good at it, with ease, because we look FORWARD to playing that particular game. This has been true in my life in SOOOOOO many ways!

Like, just to give an obvious example, I feel like rewiring and reprogramming the brain (via affirmations and self-talk) is a fun game for me. I just want to get right back at it, every morning. It is like, “What area of my brain would I like to touch up this morning?” I am always excited by what i can do with this. 

Does anyone else want to add on, to how life can be more like a fun game? There are probably a list of 12 to 15 qualities that make something a fun game, and I’ve only hit on three. :)

˚ allowing all good 💗  

Posted on 14/03/2019.

______________________________

In response to Kathi's post:

like Kathi -I value my whole journey!

and love treating all of my feelings as trusted friends with a message. The fun ... or game you speak of...simply means allowing myself to love my life -Love jumping into this... from my heart(:

• images are one way I do this(:

I love how this thread has taken off...

will jump back in later after I play in the outside world(:

PS-just looked at another thread by Robert... The Beauty I See In Me

I was surprised how I stated things I've posted here on that thread.

{see what happens when everything feels new... it may seem the same... though it  is new...

in an exponentially

growth

and discovery

gratifying way} 

In response to Happy's post:

Wonderful and valuable thread Robert!! Thank you!

It's a pleasure to read, and even better, is the opportunity to create something meaningful out of this.

There is so much that I could say, that in harmonious agreement with all that you are pointing at. Overall, IMO, one of life's greatest beauty is looking, learning and in creating our limits/limitlessness.

I learn a lot from others. Most recently, I have taken new heart at listening. First, I focused on my listening to others. Then, I enhanced my listening, and explored listening to "consciousness". This opened an entire wealth of connections and inner- responsiveness, just a lot, not just to listen but to also feel. Not all forms of communication are verbal. That was another aspect of learning about listening, and also, to capture and interpret communication/listening.

About creating fun:

Its a joy and it can be both an adventure and a journey...! As long as your life style can be transformed, it can really touch on exactly what is most valuable and can be a welcomed daily practice of joy and bliss! 

Personally, I am grateful for all of my life's journey, that have brought me to this moment. I am grateful for our Bmindful community, and how this environment and its openness has contributed in my ability to choose surrender, growth, daily well being and abundant compassion for others and their journey.

In response to BrightAngel's post:

Thank you for your response. Life can definitely be serious, as you mentioned legal custody and/or brain cancer. And, I really appreciate the significance of what other people are dealing with.

Ideas on how to make life more fun:

1. What works for me is to plan small little breaks or small and uncomplicated get aways. For me, the simpler and less complicated, the better. A brief road trip, just a little time out. It can be a brief visit, brisk walk through a park or near a lake. I enjoy spending time outside.

2. Exercise is my newest way of having fun!! I have a stationary bike, and I've googled on HIT, high intensity training. You go slow for a small amount of time, then you ramp up speed and intensity for a certain amount of time. I have a daily progression now and I like it the most when I finish exactly what I wanted to get done! For me, that is the ultimate high, is successfully achieving my goal!! And, feeling stronger in my knees and low back! 

3. Reading and studying: I love learning and I have always enjoyed reading. Its exhilarating for me to understand something more fully to the point where I am able to have my own thoughts and perceptions. Most recently I have been looking a few different topics and to my delight, I have been in the mood for statistics. That is very unusual for me, but I began studying the lottery, and the more I looked at it, the more I began to see how complex it is to win the lottery!! I would LOVE to hire a stastician, and work out an excel spread sheet and a program that would help me to win the lottery!! Beyond the lottery, I love looking at other sciences, even economics, theories, planets, astronomy, and the possibility of life beyond the earth. I don't want to become a nerd about any one topic but it is beneficial to listen to others who have made it their life's work to explore the unexplored universe. It is fun to understand our world and what we can do to protect and conserve it. I enjoy listening to those TED shows, and they have excellent speakers.

In response to BrightAngel's post:

"How can life be more like a fun game"

I love this, a powerful question we should ask ourselves often.

˚ allowing all good 💗  

Posted on 16/03/2019.

One of my all time favorite quotes... and I love alot of quotes:

“The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which; he simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both“. James Michener

and love this too:

~~ ✰~~

“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.” ~ Abraham Maslow

~ ✰~~

and this...

~~ ✰~~

“Play isn’t something separate from the daily grind of life. It is not something to finally get to when work ends. Rather, play, like music, is a force that we feel in our bones and that whispers in our heart. As kids demonstrate, play is not over there, but forever here and now.” ~ Vince Gowmon

~~ ✰~~

{see what happens when I start to play... have endless fun!}

˚ allowing all good 💗  

Posted on 16/03/2019. Last edited on 12/07/2019.

In response to BrightAngel's post:

In response to Happy's post: AGREE!

"How can life be more like a fun game"

I love this, a powerful question we should ask ourselves often.

"We want you to bring yourself to the place where you have no responsibility other than to be playful, because there is nothing serious going on here"

Abraham

Here is a thought,

doing stuff or anything that you did as a child,

like riding a bike or exploring nature etc. can be fun and good for the soul.

In response to Moonlighting's post:

Yes, I agree :)

In response to Robert's post: 

that is my motto too!

thank you! 

Love this from member Nancee!