Wholehearted Living Guidepost #7: Cultivating Play & Rest

I love Brené Brown's Guideposts for Wholehearted Living. Each time I read through them, I find a new nugget of wisdom that speaks to me and helps me re-center on what's truly important in my life.

Here are some thoughts on Guidepost #7 as we go into the weekend...

Guidepost #7: Cultivating Play & Rest -
Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth

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How often do you ask a friend or colleague how they're doing, and in reply, hear, "Busy!"

How often do you find yourself giving that same response?

My partner sent this article to me a few weekends ago (a hint perhaps?) while I was getting geared up to jump into a really busy next few weeks. I love On Being with Krista Tippett so I enthusiastically put aside what I was working on to read it.

I want to share a quote with you that spoke to me:

"In many Muslim cultures, when you want to ask them how they’re doing, you ask: in Arabic, Kayf haal-ik? or, in Persian, Haal-e shomaa chetoreh? How is your haal?

What is this haal that you inquire about? It is the transient state of one’s heart. In reality, we ask, “How is your heart doing at this very moment, at this breath?” When I ask, “How are you?” that is really what I want to know."

I've tried to be more mindful of my own haal these last few weeks. It hasn't made my to-do list any shorter or my calendar any less full, but it has helped me be more aware of the impact that being busy has on me. I've thus also been more intentional about creating space (even where it seems there is none) to connect with the people I love, to be creative, and to play. It hasn't been easy to find the space, but it's been worth it. And, it is also guiding me to be increasingly intentional about how I'm committing my time in the future.

How is your haal? If "busy" is your automatic response, how can you create more space? And if you do, what will that give you? (more room for joy, love, play, laughter, connection, creativity...?) 


To learn more about walking the path of The Daring Way™ (a highly experiential methodology based on the research of Dr. Brenè Brown) with me, click here.

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