It’s close to the halfway point for 2021, and I’m sure just like you, I'm hoping to finish this year strong! 💪 But to be honest, I had to ask myself what “finishing the year strong” meant to me.

No matter what I do in life, I typically have high expectations for myself. Because of that, I’d sometimes find myself working all day or doing an activity that would invest in my personal growth, add to my knowledge, or spark inspiration.

But a week ago, with some help from a mentor, I asked myself whether or not I’ve recently made time for the activities that just brought pure enjoyment. 🤔

After some reflection, I realized that I’ve been lacking in that department… I don’t remember the last time I read a fiction novel. I rarely make time to play video games. And most importantly, I didn’t spend as much time as I would’ve liked with friends and family.

But since I’ve been on a Social Media Detox break for half a week now, I’ve opened up extra time for more meaningful activities. 📴 I’m intentionally making room for the important things in life - and that includes play! 🥳

How I’m incorporating Play into my life

Yesterday I made time to do an atelic activity by reading The Last Wish (book 1 of The Witcher series)! It helped me detach myself from the constant stresses and worries of work. It's been a while, but I honestly enjoyed reading something that wasn’t giving me personal development tips.

I want to include consuming fiction back into my life because it also stretches my imagination. And just being able to see the world in a different way, the unintended side-effect has allowed me to think with an abundance mindset versus a scarcity one. 🙌

Consuming fiction is my form of play, and as I work on including more atelic activities, I decided to add play as a new intention.

Just like the other three intentions I set out to build at the beginning of the year (Authenticity, Courage, & Grit), by the end of 2021, I hope to have a long list of memories where I did things out of pure enjoyment with the important people in my life.

When was the last time you did an activity out of pure enjoyment? If it’s been a while, I challenge you to schedule one this week! ✅