Your SPARK for the week: Get out and PLAY! Right now. Whatever you're doing, drop it (including reading this email) and go play.
I know – there's no time for play. And you feel guilty taking time “off” for you. You have carpool to drive, and dinner to make, and client reports to send. That's why you're so depleted and run down. You need to laugh. You need to smile. You need Play. And not just on vacation – You need it. Every. Single. Day.
Maybe you feel silly playing. Like if you stood up from your desk suddenly and started head-banging to Led Zeppelin. Or if you started a 
conga line in your office right this second! Or if you dressed up in costume to make breakfast for your teenagers. (Oh. My. G-d, Dad, you're so embarrassing.) It's silly! That's the point.
Research shows that laughter boosts your immune system, is good for your heart, and is contagious. That's probably why University of Michigan business professor Jane Dutton recommends play for business teams.
Play ignites your brain to better solve problems and be more creative. Play releases feel-good endorphins. Play is exercise. Play helps 
you bond to others. When you're dying for a candy bar at 3 pm, play can wake you up instead. And when you feel stuck – stuck in life, stuck in your job, stuck on an unsolvable challenging problem, or stuck trying to find your purpose – play helps your brain relax, and body unwind… therefore, you can suddenly think more clearly. That's why kids have recess and why we use play to teach Positive Psychology (this pic is from my class).
Plus, if you're searching for your purpose, there's no better clue than play, because when 
you live your purpose, it feels like play. Literally, that's how I uncovered my purpose to empower others. I looked back at when I felt the most alive and when I had the most fun, and it was always uplifting others.
In fact, when you play, you inspire others.
So, how are you going to play this week? I'm going to sing and dance and play at my New Hope in New Hope retreat this weekend. Here are some ideas for you:
* Run through the sprinklers
* Belt out Journey's “Don't Stop Believing”
* Take yourself for ice cream & ask for sprinkles
* Have an impromptu dance party in the kitchen
* And of course, wear silly hats (This pic is from my Purpose in Paris retreat last year!)
Whatever you do, make play part of every day and watch JOY happen!
XOXO,
Carin
PS – Please share the love. If you have friends who you know are ready to live their joy, please share this link with them so they can sign up to receive this newsletter. Thanks!
_________________________________________________________
Upcoming Events:
April 29 – May 1: One spot left for New Hope in New Hope Retreat! Click here to join us.
May 18: Love Your Body Webinar with Taylor Strecker – Click here to register
May 19: WakeUP! with Taylor SiriusXM 109 appearance, 8:10 am ET
May 19: I'm speaking at JUF Young Women's Council Event, Chicago, IL Click here to register.
Also… after last week's newsletter, many of you have asked me for more information on the 4 month Fab Fierce Feminine group program (that's a pic of the women jumping in joy up above) and about the Positive Psychology certification I teach – we'll be in 12 cities worldwide this Fall (I'm teaching in Miami, FL!): Click here for info,.
Leave a Reply