Do more autotelic things!
The other day I stood on my head.
“Why?” you ask?
“Why not?” said I.
I stood on my head because I can! I stood on my head because I hadn’t done it in decades and I wondered if I could still do it. When I came back right side up, I felt great!
It was an autotelic activity.
Autotelic activities are those that you do just for the joy of doing them. Not for external reward. Not for money. Not for glory. Just the act of doing them is reward itself.
For me playing ringette is another autotelic activity. When I go home after a game, my hub asks me what the score was – and I usually don’t know – sometimes I don’t even know who won. Yes, really!
But… I love it – I love playing that game. I love skating fast (well, my version of fast!) with the cool air blowing through my helmet. I love digging hard for the ring. I love picking up a perfect pass. I even love falling down when I’m trying hard to stop the ring. I love chasing the other skaters and trying to keep up.
Now I’m not suggesting you stand on your head or play ringette, although we are always looking for players, but I’m asking you to think about your day, your week, your month and notice how many things you are doing just for the love of it.
Adding more autotelic activities to your life, it’s just one more way to live Your Life, Unlimited!
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Albert Einstein’s mother Pauline knew what to do. Apparently, she asked her little dyslexic genius, “What good questions did you ask today?”.
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