Give Yourself Permission to Play Again, For the Joy of It

When was the last time you did something purely for fun?

To me, it feels like we’re saturated by this constant push to turn anything enjoyable into something more. And I get it, doing what you love and making a living from it is the ultimate dream. But at what cost? When everything has to be productive, we lose the simple joy of something for what it is. We forget how to play without performance.

I’ve been trying to pay attention to the moments when I feel most like myself and I realize they usually show up when there’s no pressure to prove anything.

Recently, I had the chance to join Jason Bahamundi on Run Tri Bike’s podcast podcast Fiery Embers, and for the first time in a while I felt what it was like to be in a conversation that was just fun. No prep, no agenda, no outcome to control. We talked about everything from mini golf courses to movie snacks (popcorn and M&Ms obviously) and I even learned that in Jason’s 51 years of life, he’s never tried Mac and Cheese. The entire conversation was lighthearted, and it reminded me how necessary that kind of space is.

As someone who has spent years navigating performance pressure, moments of pure play are a gift.

Joy doesn’t have to be earned.

When we loosen our grip on outcomes we may find the connection, clarity, creativity, even confidence that we were looking for all along. Better yet, you might discover the joy that's on the other side of doing something just for the fun of it.

So here’s your invitation (and mine): Try something new. Laugh more. Throw out the metrics. Start a hobby... Play. Wander. Wonder. 💭