The Secret Agenda Behind Play

I want you to really slow down and sit with this question:

How often do you truly play?

And I don’t mean playing in a competitive volleyball league, running a race, or doing anything with a finish line attached. I mean, play for the sheer joy of it. Play with no goal. No outcome.

No achievement.

No place to get to.

Just pure enjoyment.

When was the last time you did something simply because it lit you up?

Something that brought you into the present moment so fully that time disappeared?

Something that filled your spirit instead of feeding your to-do list?

I came across this question in a book I was reading recently, and at first I thought, Oh yes, my play tank is full. Completely full. Ten out of ten.

But then I slowed down and looked more honestly.

That’s when things got interesting.

Because so much of what I once called “play” had a goal attached to it.

Take running, for example. I have loved running deeply. It has brought me freedom, strength, healing, and some of the most beautiful experiences of my life. But if I’m honest, a lot of my running over the years was tied to something in the future. Getting my PR (personal record) in the marathon. Winning the race. Getting sponsored. Running an even LONGER race… and on.

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely.

But there was often still a destination attached to the joy. A push, and that’s not wrong. It’s just worth noticing.

The same thing happens with writing. These Mindful Moments feel playful to me. They flow. They are a joy to write. There’s no pressure, no target, no rigid expectation. It's a place where I share my thoughts, what I am going through, or learning that may or may not resonate. 

But when I sit down to write “the book,” I can feel the energy shift. Suddenly, there’s a goal.

An outcome. A standard. A finish line. And just like that, the playful energy tightens.

The flow disappears.

This is where mindfulness and energy leadership come in.

Because the question isn’t just what you do.It’s what energy are you bringing to it?

Are you doing it from joy, curiosity, and presence?Or from pressure, striving, and needing it to become something?

One fills your tank while the other can quietly drain it, even if it looks fun on the outside.

That’s why I’m wondering lately:

How full is my play tank… really?

What actually brings me into a state of aliveness with no agenda attached?

For me, surfing is one of the clearest examples. Catching a wave, taking that left, feet planted firmly on the board, fully in the moment — that feels like true play. There’s no future in it. No “later.” Just now. Just flow. Just life meeting me right where I am.

And maybe that’s the deeper invitation here.

To notice what helps us enter the now and to pay attention to what restores our energy rather than depletes it. More importantly, to remember that joy matters because it makes us more alive.

In a world that constantly asks us to perform, improve, and produce, play is radical. It softens the nervous system. It reconnects us to presence. It opens the door to creativity, intuition, and flow. It reminds us that life is not only about getting somewhere. Sometimes, it’s about fully being where we are.

So I invite you to pause and ask yourself:

How full is your play tank? And maybe even more importantly:

What would fill it — not for a result, but for the joy of it?

Message me back- I read and respond and would love to hear.

With curiosity and love,