In my first full year in Copenhagen I met 300 for coffee.

In my first full year in Copenhagen I met 300 for coffee.

We’d sold our house and business in the Uk which bought me some time.

I wanted to explore.

The place, the people, the culture, to hear about all the amazing things people were doing here.

I remember cycling to Reffen and being invited to explore the incredible and innovate food and alcohol culture.

I remember visiting start-up hubs and being shown around huge corporate offices.

I also remember coffees turning into sales pitches as suddenly the conversation would be randomly pivoted to the EXACT (insert pyramid scheme product) I MUST be missing from my life 😂

This adventure built my coaching business.

It absolutely was NOT my intent.

It probably wasn’t the MOST efficient method but because it was playful it WAS the most effective method.

Stuart Brown MD defines play as having 7 qualities:

1. Purposelessness

2. Voluntary

3. Inherently Attractive

4. Freedom from time

5. Diminished self consciousness

6. Improvisational potential

7. Continuation of desire

I loved it. I learned, I laughed, I connected, I had so much fun!

Jaak Panskeep the leading emotions researcher defines PLAY as one of the 7 primary emotions.

It’s one of the first things to disappear when we aren’t getting our social needs met (stress).

It’s also the very thing that makes life so exciting.

Without play there would be no stories, comedy, friendship, art, creativity, games, sport, movies, dance, music, flirting, banter.

Life, if we aren’t careful can become quite utilitarian.

Absence of play is one of the first things I look for when I start coaching a leader both in them and their companies culture.

I promise you, if you’re sacrificing FUN for functional you’re FUNdamentally on the path of pain, frustration and stress.

Which path are you on?

or perhaps a better question, what would make life more fun?