Every step of the journey does not need a checklist.

I saw two kids playing on the beach. A simple scene with important subtext. Like most children, they remind us about the importance of:

• No checklists
  • I did not notice a clipboard with best practices for sandcastle building. No scripts. They quite literally just dug in.
• Play
  • I don’t think these kids worried too much (at all?) about whether they moved the sand “correctly” or if the sand castle might crumble. Failure was an option, though I’m not sure they could even grasp what “failure” means.  After all, this is play. Seriously fun play.
• Collaboration
  • At times one helped the other with a scoop of sand. Other times they just were curious about what the other was doing.

Photo and Effects by Steve Piscitelli (c)

• Messiness
  • Sometimes they offered “help” that wasn’t appreciated. Each fussed about who could do it better.  Collaboration can be messy and communication can be strained. The parents allowed them to experiment and to “fail” (see above). No micro-managing observed. Effective leadership.
• Confidence
  • In the adult world we use fancy sounding concepts like “self-efficacy.” These kids don’t know about that concept but I believe they live it. With each scoop of sand, there appeared another opportunity to understand that what they do will help to control they experience. After all, they were in charge of the sand excavation on that day.
• Emotions
  • They laughed, giggled, and cried. They didn’t seem to hold grudges. Memory was short. It was time to play. So much sand to rearrange and so little time.
• Rest
  • When he had enough of the playtime experience, the little boy climbed into his father’s arms and fell fast asleep. Recovery helps us bring our best game to the table (or in this case, to the beach sand) for the next play session.

Every step of our journey does not need a checklist. Sometimes it’s healthy and joyful to pay attention to the surroundings and let them guide our actions. It is sometime called the beginner’s mind and “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

I saw two kids playing. And I saw so much more.

Video recommendation for the week:

From the adult perspective…..

Make it an inspiring week and H.T.R.B. as needed.

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(c) 2016. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.