Let’s launch into your project first this time. You have probably already discovered that it’s a good idea to keep colored pencils, crayons, or markers handy while reading this book. It’s time to bring them out again. Your task today is to draw a picture of how you feel when you play. It doesn’t have to be an actual picture of you, if you don’t want. It can be a series of symbols or colors or scenes. Whatever you feel represents how you feel inside when you play.
Now draw another picture of how you feel when you work. What pictorial description can you make for the way you feel emotionally when you do your chores or take care of the business side of life?
When you’re done, put both pictures side by side. Do they look similar, or are they drastically different? Take a close look at the differences between both drawings.
The quote above provides a perfect description of the importance of play in your life. Without play, life just doesn’t taste good. You need a little hot sauce on your meal—a little spice in your life. You need more than a series of tasks to complete in order to feel fulfilled and happy. Play brings your enthusiasm out. It gives color to an otherwise black-and-white picture.
You simply cannot achieve success without play. It is the extra vitality you must have to be a notch above ordinary. Enjoy the spice that play puts into your life.
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Yes, breathing is good. In fact, it’s essential. But you already know that. Did you also know that it is a powerful tool in your toolbox for success—and not just because it keeps you alive? Over the next few days you will have a chance to try some exercises that will help you master breathing techniques that may become very useful as you travel the road to success.
Breathing is not only a life-giving element, but it is also a healing element. When you learn to monitor and control your breath at certain times, you can lower your heart rate, increase your ability to pay attention, relax, tap into your inner voice, and get in tune with your own body rhythms. Breath is the center of everything, and it can work for you in more ways than you may currently realize.
Your assignment for the beginning of this series on breath is to become a sort of scientist for a day. Observe your breathing as if you are observing a specimen. This may be more difficult than you think. Oftentimes, the minute you start to think about something that is as automatic as breathing you become self-conscious and uneasy with your breath. That’s no excuse to quit. Continue on, and it will get easier. What do you observe about your breathing? Where do you feel it in your body? Do you breathe through your nose or your mouth? Do you feel it in your chest or your belly? Write down all of your observations. Breath is essential and transformational. Enjoy the next few days of discovery.
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Organic remedies are all the rage these days. Everyone is learning the benefits of ginger, pomegranate, green tea, and various other cures. The easiest and cheapest natural remedy is breathing. It is free, and you can practice its healing powers anytime you want.
Maggie wanted to change the way she reacted in stressful situations. Her biggest stressor was her boss. She got flustered whenever her boss asked her questions, and she ended up sounding like an idiot. She was a fairly intelligent person most of the time, but the minute her boss started firing questions at her, she felt her heart rate spiral and her confidence plummet.
A friend who was involved in a daily yoga class suggested that Maggie pay attention to her breathing when she got in those situations and consciously take a breath before she responded. Maggie thought she might as well give it a try, and the very next day she had an opportunity. Her boss walked into her office and launched into a series of questions about a new project. Maggie took one split second to breathe in and out, and then she answered. The result astonished her. That one second gave her a chance collect her thoughts, and instead of a reacting like she was defending herself in a dodge ball game, she came back with a calm and intelligent response.
Every time someone asks you a question today, breathe before you react. Observe the difference in your response.
