John S. Gordon - Business and Personal Coach

"You have the greatness and the power.  I just help you turn on the switch."

MARVELOUS MONDAYS

 

May 13, 2013 - Issue 225    

 

Play-The 3rd Step to Peak Performance

 

This is a sixth in a series on achieving peak performance for yourself and others you may manage. I acknowledge as a resource Edward Hallowell, psychiatrist, neuroscience expert and best-selling author.
Dear ,

 

Welcome to Issue 225.  If you did not receive a previous issue, you may use the archive link below to view it now.  The mission of "Marvelous Mondays" is to offer an inspirational thought, a practical exercise, some humor, or a simple tip to jump-start your week and to enhance your life, business, outlook or relationships. 

 

Please feel free to forward "Marvelous Mondays" to others who will enjoy it.

 

A DEFINITION OF PLAY 

Dr. Hallowell defines play as "any activity that engages the imagination."  For our purposes play is synonymous with imaginative engagement.

 

EXAMPLES OF HISTORICAL FIGURES AT PLAY

  1. Shakespeare-at play with his iambic pentameter.
  2. Mozart-always at play.
  3. Newton-at play when he saw the apple tree and discovered the force of gravity.
  4. These are all examples of imaginative engagement which produced creativity and led to great discoveries.

 

THE SCIENTIFIC CASE FOR PLAY IN THE WORKPLACE

  1. Play stimulates nerve growth in the brain which is called BDNF.
  2. Play triggers a neuron called AMYGDALA which regulates emotions and produces positive effects on the pre-frontal cortex of the brain.
  3. These stimuli stir up our creativity and can lead to more profits in the workplace. 

 

EXERCISE

This week I invite you to play with this exercise taken from "Shine" by Edward Hallowell.

 

You walk into a grocery store and select an unpriced ball and bat and hand them to the checkout clerk. You ask the clerk the cost and she tells you $1.10. You're curious what each item costs and so you ask the cost of the bat. The clerk replies "the bat is priced $1.00 higher than the ball." But she doesn't tell you the price of the ball. Do you know the price of the ball?

 

(Please think about this question before looking below)

 

Is your answer that the bat costs $1.00 and the ball 10 cents? But that would mean that the bat costs only 90 cents more than the ball instead of the required $1.00 more than the ball. So what is the answer? For the total to be $1.10, the ball must cost 5 cents and the bat $1.05.

 

The first lesson from this exercise is not to rush your first answer. The second lesson is that you have more fun and learn more by engaging your imagination than by someone giving you the answer.    

 

(I'd like to know how your mind worked on this exercise.  Please let me  know)

 

Southwest Airlines  

 

"People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having

fun doing it?"

 

-Southwest Airlines Mission Statement

JOHN'S BIO
John has owned several businesses and is an attorney who has practiced in the business and estate  areas.  In addition, he coaches business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, professionals, speech makers and presenters.  He also coaches persons who are determined to accelerate their careers and leadership skills or who are considering a career move or retirement.  John uses coaching as a tool in his leadership and business results based consulting.  He is also a life coach.

                   **John is currently accepting a few new coaching clients.**

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