Hi,

Most adults forget about play. I know I did. By age twenty, I was a workaholic. And I thought I was doing the right thing. But it made me stupid.

In a world that requires hard work to survive, it's counterintuitive to consider "play" a significant factor in anything, much less achieving mastery.

We tend to see it as "something the kids do." That grownups need to "do the work," "work before play," and all that.

But that's not the whole story.

The power of play should not be underestimated. By embracing play, we can unlock our potential, foster innovation, and become masters of our craft.

The Power of Play

Play is a tool for growth, learning, and exploration. An aspect of human nature that immerses us in our pursuits and the excitement of achievement without the weight of expectation.

We learn faster when we're relaxed.

And play provides us a way to learn in a relaxed manner.

When a tiger cub chases a butterfly for fun, it's playing.

But if that cub doesn't learn to catch butterflies, it will starve when it grows up without the ability to take down a deer.

The butterfly chase makes the deer hunt possible.

When a tiger cub needs to take down its own prey, it's too late to learn the skill.

It must be learned earlier.

Play is fun. And for that reason, ambitious, work-minded people tend to think it's something you do for "a break." And that it's irresponsible to play when there are so many serious matters at hand in life.

But it isn't what you do for fun. It just happens to be fun.

Play is what you do to survive.

Play, done well, is a responsible act that enhances you and the people around you.

When we approach our goals with a playful mindset, we can find enjoyment, possibility, and a relaxed mind open to insight.

This state of mind fosters innovation, intuition, and discovery, allowing us to progress in our chosen field more effectively than if we were driven solely by ambition or the desire for success. It turns us into masters of our craft.

You're either growing or dying.

And if you're not playing, you're dying.

Creating Space for Play

So this begs the question... how do you do this as an adult?

The tiger cub is safe to play because the mother creates a situation where it's safe for the cub to do so.

You are responsible for doing the same thing for yourself.

To cultivate play, you must create an environment where you feel comfortable exploring and experimenting.

This can be achieved by setting boundaries and focusing on specific activities within your field of interest.

By limiting ourselves to a particular activity or area, we can dedicate our full attention to the task at hand without feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scope of our chosen pursuit.

This can be done any place you can create:

• A set of limited activities that stay within your maximum capability.
• Infinite possibilities within those activities.
• An outcome that doesn't directly impact your well-being if you fail.
• The potential to do better or worse.

This creates space for a game to be played.

Adults call this "practice" and transform it into a miserable experience of boredom and suffering.

For example, consider an individual who is striving to improve their fitness. Instead of attempting to conquer every aspect of diet and exercise simultaneously, they might focus on a single weight machine at the gym. By dedicating their attention to this one task, they can experiment with their posture, breathing, and technique, ultimately discovering the most effective way to work out for their body. This focused approach creates space for exploration, delight, innovation, and intuition, allowing the individual to progress in their fitness journey.

To a child, this is called play.

To an adult, this is discipline and control. And it sucks.

Why?

Because the child only does it if the child feels like it.

And when the child feels like it, they commit their complete attention to the activity.

When a child puts their full attention on something in this way, they enter a joyful state of flow.

The adult has learned a bit of skill development, has become addicted to the high of progression, and wants to move on to the next thing.

There is a point where focusing on improving too much removes your ability to be present with what you're already doing.

And many of the greatest skills are learned by sticking with something longer.

Mastery is built in the moment. It's built through being right where you are and being excellent at what you're doing, not what you're trying to learn.

The way you do that is through playfulness.

Observe what you're doing, and play the game within your chosen activity.

Appreciate the nuances.

In other words, if you've learned levels one and two of a given activity, your chemical reward systems have given you positive feedback for doing so. Therefore you're going to want to learn lesson three.

But if you can appreciate where you're at, you'll be able to stick with lessons one and two longer before moving on to lesson three. This gives you an edge, because all of the time you spend playing with a familiar skillset is the time spent developing mastery. Merely learning a new level to something isn't enough. You have to sit with it.

Mastery is found in the level you know, not the level you don't.

The Magician Mindset

The true magician can see how the magic works and still believes in it.

This mindset is crucial for maintaining a sense of play and wonder in our pursuits.

When we view our chosen field as a game with infinite possibilities and challenges, we can continue to enjoy and grow in our endeavors.

This is the trick to getting good because it will give you the patience to stick with it and the presence to be excellent.

There's a common expression, "familiarity breeds contempt." And it's true, it can. After we learn things, we tend to see them as beneath us. But it doesn't have to.

And looking down on what you've learned is exceptionally damaging.

That typical behavior you see of the snob that says, "Oh, I already know that."

"You haven't heard?"

"I've tried that."

"The accomplishment of :names someone really good at their craft: is fake/stupid/juvenile because what they've done is so simple."

Someone who speaks like this is a dead giveaway for someone unlikely to achieve mastery.

Because the master finds beauty in the simple elements of the master's craft.

A common example is pop music.

So many people make fun of how simple pop music is.

But it's not simple because pop musicians are bad at their work.

Pop music is designed to be a canvas for the musician to paint on, a vehicle for expression, and a conduit for their mastery.

And the people that belittle a simple structure often aren't willing to sit with what they know.

This takes away their competitive edge.

Because enjoying what's in front of you is the only way to practice it long enough and well enough to grow and become great.

So if you want to keep growing and become a magician at what you do, don't belittle what you've learned and chase after the next level.

Obsess over what you've learned and explore it with joy.

This mindset allows us to consciously foster a playful attitude, enjoying and exploring our pursuits rather than becoming jaded by our understanding of their mechanics.

Creating an Infinite Roadmap for Development

By maintaining a magician mindset and embracing play within purposely set limits, we can create an infinite roadmap for development that guides us on a journey to mastery.

This roadmap of game creation and play allows us to explore and grow within our chosen field, constantly uncovering new insights, ideas, and possibilities.

Play is an essential component of the path to mastery.

Never forget, play isn't what you do for fun.

It's what you do to survive.

If you enjoy my perspective on the world and you would like private coaching, you can find me here.

Best,

Josh Terry