What does how you play tell you about how you work?

The sci-fi buff: idealist, explorer of new possibilities, champion of diversity. The gardener: developer of potential, collaborator and nurturer. Murder-mystery enthusiast: tenacious problem-solver, people whisperer. How do you like to play and what does it say about you?

I work with magic mirrors. Yesterday I facilitated two 360 feedback reviews, discussed Myers-Briggs type with a client and talked via email with another client about her birth runes. Magic mirrors are tools that foster deep exploration and self-discovery. They are super-helpful when you want to bring clarity to who you, what you bring to the world and most importantly what untapped potential is brewing inside. The role of a magic mirror is to enlighten and empower. No evil step-mothers need apply. Even the most well intentioned family, friends colleagues, clients, students, suppliers and stake-holders have an agenda. Their opinions about you are always subjective, wrapped around their own life stories and value systems; based on their past experiences rather than your future possibilities. In fact, people in your immediate circle don’t tend to make great magic mirrors unless their feedback is filtered through a reflective tool (like a 360 process).

Have you ever had a moment in your life when you’ve thought ‘how did I get here?’ You’ve lost any sense of what lights you up and makes you tick because you’ve had your shoulder to the grindstone for so long. Too busy lighting other people up, helping them tick. You’ve last all sense of where your talents lie because you’ve been stretching yourself around the needs of your career for so long.

A powerful magic mirror for your happiness and your talent is play. When we work we focus on outcomes and outputs. When we play we focus on the pleasure of the process. We create our play around things we are curious about, enjoy or have some natural talent for. What you do with your playtime can offer huge insights into your motivation, talents, values and vision. What makes you smile? Tingle with anticipation? What gets you out of bed on the right side? Some top tips for using the magic mirror of play:

Play is not the stuff you do to ‘switch-off’ – that’s called numbing. If you’re numbing rather than playing then you’ll want to focus on the first of play’s super-powers: restoration and replenishment. Exploration can come later.
And, if you’re thinking ‘free-time, what free time?’ then burn-out might not be too far away (see point 1). Play is where we find perspective, creativity and new possibilities. Playtime is not a waste of time. If you gave yourself 30 minutes of play a week what would you do with it?
And if you’re thinking ‘my work feels just like play’, congratulations You are in the golden zone we all want where work brings pleasure and leans in to your talent. What can play reveal about your next horizon? Where does it challenge you to evolve? Maybe a new zone of play is calling? Time spent doing things with no intended ‘product’ is time invested in evolution and innovation.

This week’s new moon opens Æfterra Liþa (‘after Litha’), a time of gateways, manifestation and celebration. Intention setting is an important aspect of northern tradition spirituality found in rites like the symbel and essential to luck-building. When we weave our intentions with the flow of the lunar month we combine the energies of solar focus with lunar flexibility. I asked in Middle Earth Readings this week where you want to bring curiosity, where you want to bring courage and where you want to bring certainty. Let play be your guide; the harvest is a-coming but the days are long so make time for play.

In Middle Earth Readings this week I explored working with the following five runes to help connect with the spaces of day and night as places for work, play, rest and fruitfulness:

• Dagaz – awakening, enlightenment, cycle of night and day;
• Raidho – rhythm, walking, the road, exploration;
• Ehwaz – partnership, speed, dreams and nightmares;
• Mannaz – sovereignty, embracing different parts of yourself;
• Othala – looking behind as well as ahead, responsibility and legacy.

Catch up with the recording to set powerful intentions for your month to come.