Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety (4 page)

And that was how I approached life before anxiety. I never used to worry too much about being successful or surviving in the real world. I just embraced the moment, knowing it was another opportunity to have fun with my friends. Life was a game, and I always allowed myself to play. I wanted it to be that way again.

Then I realized... it could be. In fact, it always had been.

***

It took me a long time to see it, but I finally realized: I really don’t function well when I approach life as
Work
. I have to think of life as
Play.
Otherwise I take everything way too seriously, my health and happiness plummet, and the work I produce is awful.

When I tackle my work with a sense of play — voluntarily, because I’m inherently attracted to it — my creativity and optimism soar. I fall in love with the process. My playful energy becomes contagious, and I’m able to create unique art with the people around me.

All of the fun gigs I landed after college came about because I approached my work through the lens of
Play
. I found interesting projects being run by cool people, and came up with ways to make their customers happier. Then I offered to help them out on a trial basis, for free.

Free work was my license to do fun stuff that mattered to me. And to my surprise, my free work almost always resulted in paid offers.
⁴
I’d get bonuses and promotions for “going the extra mile.” In reality, I wasn’t trying to go the extra mile; I was just creating my own fun. For me, coming up with ways to delight the customer was
play
.

Then somewhere along the way, I stopped listening to my inner voice — the one that wanted to have fun. I stopped thinkingof my work as a game; it was simply
Work
. Every day was serious business. I needed to get more results. I needed to earn more money. I needed to have more success. I needed
more
...

And I missed the point the whole way along.

***

Now, my state of mind is different. I allow myself to have guilt-free fun in everything I do. My work is a game, and my life is a ride. And you know what? I feel 100 times better than I ever thought I would. I’m back to my normal self. I love life again. And I have no fear that those awful feelings will ever return, because I know the antidote.

Play is the creator of joy. It’s the source of fun and love, where our subconscious naturally guides us. Play is the state where we are truly ourselves, once we let go of our egos and fear of looking stupid. It’s what facilitates our best friendships, our most treasured memories, and ultimately, our enjoyment of life.

And when it comes to work, play is what’s driven and shaped every treasured contribution in the history of mankind:

• Music
  
• Art
  
• Books
  
• Storytelling
  
• Film
  
• Comedy
  
• Sports
  
• Festivals
  
• Concerts
  
• Holidays
  
• Dance
  
• Cooking
  
• Recreation
  
• Animation
  
• Transportation
  
• Exploration
  
• Engineering
  
• Architecture
  
• Design
  
• Fashion
  
• Parks
  
• Rides
  
• Toys
  
• Video Games
  
• Technology
  
• Robots
  
• Inventions
  

We pay a premium for these things so we can experience the fruits of mankind’s
play!

Play is the true source of all the immeasurable value we’ve injected into this world. It’s the DNA of our culture, and the backbone of our global economy. All the world-shaking creativity, profitable innovations, fulfilling jobs, and beloved magic that we’ve conjured throughout the ages has come from the freedom to have our own fun, for hours and weeks and years on end.

I’ve met a lot of incredibly talented and successful people. Guess what: Nearly all of them approach their lives this way –
they play
. No one forces them to work on things they don’t care about, or tells them how to spend their time. They just give themselves permission to follow their impulses and pursue what excites them. They create a little universe that revolves around their own fun.

Instead of grinding it out in jobs they hate, these people become passionate and highly skilled at what they do. They team up with other great players and collaborate on interesting projects. Then one day, they’re making magic. Their mastery shines through in everything they create, society reaps the benefits of their gifts, and our world changes.

Need proof? Just listen to some of the most revered and accomplished members of society, who all chose to play for a living:

I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.

–
T
HOMAS
E
DISON

Play is the highest form of research.

–
A
LBERT
E
INSTEIN

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

–
S
TEVE
J
OBS

The work that is really a man’s own work is play and  not work at all... When we talk about the great workers of the world, we really mean the great players of the world.

–
M
ARK
T
WAIN

I just write what I wanted to write. I write what amuses me. It’s totally for myself.

–
J
.
K
.
R
OWLING

I dream for a living.

–
S
TEVEN
S
PIELBERG

We believed in our idea: a family park where parents and children could have fun, together.

–
W
ALT
D
ISNEY

In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.

–
F
RIEDRICH
N
IETZSCHE

I found child’s play — stuff that was not considered serious, but goofy — was the stuff I liked to do, so I still do it as an adult.

–
M
ATT
G
ROENING

I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play.

–
S
HIGERU
M
IYAMOTO

I loved to make people laugh in high school, and then I found I loved being on stage in front of people.

–
S
TEVE
M
ARTIN

I learned how important it is to entertain people and give them a reason to come and watch you play.

–
E
LVIS
P
RESLEY

The Beatles saved the world from boredom.

–
G
EORGE
H
ARRISON

Take the job you would take if you were independently wealthy. You’re going to do well at it.
⁵

–
W
ARREN
B
UFFETT

What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.

–
B
OB
D
YLAN

My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.’

–
R
ICHARD
B
RANSON

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out.What am I doing right?

–
C
HARLES
M
.
S
CHULZ

My motto is: more good times.

–
J
ACK
N
ICHOLSON

Life well spent is long.

–
L
EONARDO DA
V
INCI

Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.

–
J
IM
H
ENSON

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.

–
M
ICHAEL
J
ORDAN

Man is God’s plaything, and that is the best part of him. Therefore every man and woman should live life accordingly, and play the noblest games…What, then, is the right way of living? Life must be lived as play.

–
P
LATO

Best of all, play utterly
destroys
anxiety!
It smothers our worries by allowing us to have fun with other people. Play is the social grease that makes us a part of the group, which prevents us from feeling alone and afraid. It’s the harmonious common ground that brings us all together, and allows us to act as one.

None of us were ever supposed to feel alone or afraid in the first place! The people who try to convince you that life has to be that way just aren’t very good at playing. They’ve forgotten what it’s like. But we all want to have fun and be happy together. We all want to connect. So have a laugh, remind them that it’s okay, and just play.

You don’t need more money. You don’t need more free time. You can always do it.

Play is a state of mind
– it’s a way to approach the world. Whether your world is a frightening prison or a loving playground is entirely up to you.

It’s only a choice: Anxiety or Play.

Take your pick.
⁶

⁴
I wrote a short guide called
Recession-Proof Graduate
that details how I did this. You can download it for free at
charliehoehn.com/freework
.
⁵
If you’d like to share any of these quotes, go to
playitaway.me/quotes.
⁶
If you’re ready to start playing more, skip ahead to the section
Enjoy Guilt-Free Play with Friends
.