“Don’t let this silly world trick you into starving your soul for material things. Cause someday you’re gonna be sitting out under the sun and realize how little you unquestionably need to be truly happy.” ~Brooke Hampton
It was early morning. The birds were chirping, the street sweepers were methodically transplanting trash off the sidewalk, and the coffee vendor was chattily filling his customers’ cups with fragrant java from the dispenser precariously well-turned on the when of his bicycle. There I was, taking a pleasant and serene walk while on my recent visit to India.
As I took a turn into a small sideroad, I noticed two little girls running virtually and playing. At first, I didn’t take much notice. But then something grabbed my attention.
The gleeful duo was scampering virtually chasing each other, squealing with delight, clapping their hands, laughing hard, and just plain enjoying each other’s company. Again, nothing extraordinary. But something was drawing my sustentation to them, and then I saw it.
They were pretty much woolgathering of what we would pinpoint as typical material needs.
No toys to play with. No playground to run virtually in. Old, worn-out clothing. Disheveled hair. Not plane any footwear while running virtually the street.
My first thought was, how could they be so happy? Do they not finger despondent or envious of other kids that have more? Do they not finger worried well-nigh their futures?
But none of that really seemed to matter. They were living life in the moment, completely and joyfully undivided into their natural sense of play.
My next rationalization was “they are just kids,” ignorant to the social and economic structures and norms. Oblivious to how the world really works.
But then, I figured, we see this same level of psychic energy and consciousness in adults too.
A climber could spend hours on a waddle squatter and be completely undivided with the challenge, the interaction between her fingers and the next waddle outcrop, the waffly weather patterns, and the ultimate goal—the top of the cliff.
A violinist in an orchestra becomes the violin, completely engrossed with the worriedness of playing his part, but moreover stuff in wool synchrony with the broader group.
A painter could spend hours honing her painting, unaware of her firsthand surroundings.
So does this wits only come to fruition when the skills required are increasingly refined or complex? Not really.
Take a factory turnout line, where two workers are next to each other doing the same repetitive task over and over again. One may be delivering out their task in a mechanical fashion, while the other may be immersed in their curiosity, with a sense of perseverance to continually modernize their skills and quality of work.
Imagine two individuals standing next to each other at an art museum staring at a Rodin statue. One may be passing through and merely throwing a glance at the marble figurine. The other may be swept into a variegated realm, yearning the intricate contours and appreciating the level of difficulty and complexity of the art in front of her.
How does this happen? Why are the experiences for the word-for-word same worriedness so variegated for two individuals?
I truly believe this is due to what I undeniability the power of play.
And the eyeful and simplicity of this is that it can work with anyone, in any activity, in any situation, or in any environment.
There are a few criteria we need to alimony in mind to make an worriedness an optimal experience. Ask yourself these questions surpassing you start any activity.
Can I unquestionably do it?
The worriedness has to be achievable. In other words, you have the needed skill to well-constructed it, or the worthiness and resolve to learn the skill.
Can I focus on it with my everything?
The worriedness should require your full concentration, and that’s usually possible when we are applying effort toward a goal and getting firsthand feedback as to whether it is working or not. If not, we can find our concentration starting to wane.
Does it move me into a variegated mental axis?
This concentration and effort take us yonder from our day-to-day reality, and any negative connotations that may be encumbered with it—away from the worry, stress, anxiety, or fear that we may wits in our daily lives.
Will I “be present” in my being?
Our level of self-awareness is undeniably sharpened, taking in all the ebbs and flows of our thoughts, feelings, and energy levels. This allows us to finger in tenancy of our consciousness, our emotions, our life flow.
Can I yo-yo time?
And finally, it changes the perception of time. Sometimes, say when playing an heady game of tennis, time can swiftly fly by. Sometimes, like when we are excitedly learning some new flit steps, time and motion can slow down, and we fathom these micro-moments.
When we leap off the diving workbench and plunge into this state of play, we wits a unconfined sense of enjoyment—a feeling that the psychic energy we have consumed was worth it and has resulted in a unconfined outcome, one that can be savored for a long time to come.
And that is how we can have increasingly with less.
If we can make small, discrete changes to meet these criteria, it can make a transformational difference in whether we immerse ourselves into the wits or are “just in it for the ride.”
We can make every day, every activity, every experience, fulfilling and nourishing to our soul by simply stuff increasingly present with what we’re doing and bringing increasingly enjoyment to what we do. Pause and think well-nigh how you can make any worriedness increasingly enlightening, and you will see it lightening your life as the heaviness melts away.
Just like the two little girls that were completely involved and enjoying the wits of play together, savoring life together.
They didn’t need anything more.
PS: The next day I bought those little kiddos some footwear, and the way their faces lit up was such a joy to see!
About Jayashree Chenglath
Jayashree Chenglath believes that play is the remedy to burnout. She is the founder of Simplify Being, where she helps her clients simplify every speciality of life so that there is increasingly stuff and less unreflective doing. After learning from her own painful wits with burnout, she is now a board-certified health and wellness coach, helping individuals and corporations unzip their wellness goals— one tiny step at a time.
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The post How You Can Have Increasingly with Less: The Magic and Joy of Stuff Present appeared first on Tiny Buddha.