In this post Alan Humphries highlights the importance of engaging in and enjoying an activity which in the past he grudgingly complied with.

Alan Humphries

In my boyhood, weekends were characterised by two things. Firstly, playing sport at school on Saturday mornings and second by my father climbing into his blue boiler suit and then working constantly in the garden or garage on his latest venture/project. Of course I was expected to help which I did so somewhat reluctantly.

Later in life I adopted similar habits and frequently worked in the garden on lawns, hedges, rose beds etc. with similar grudging compliance.

One Saturday morning, as I was trudging out of the door in my jeans and wellies, my wife called to me:

“Where are you going?”

“To work in the garden” I wearily replied.

“Why don’t you just go and play in the garden” she said.

To my astonishment these words made a huge difference, changed my mindset and massively
lightened the morning and my time in the garden since.

Leadership nudge: How much fun are you bringing to what you are up to? When could you bring a sense of play to what you are doing? What is the impact this would have on others around you?

By Alan Humphries

Learn more about the author of this article, Alan Humphries, FED consultant and coach